Who is the NRL's coach of the year?

Hasler and Maguire. Toovey best newcomer.

As for Toovey, Jaybob, I have already described what he walked into. Infighting, uncertainty, half Manly's coaching infrastructure gone -Manlys not Haslers( they had been recruited by the club),much of the talent of the team holding off signing new contracts to see what was happening, several talented youngsters starting first grade already walking out..Hopoate (one of the best talents to come along for years along with his very talented younger brother Jamal), Lussick, Whare, Oldfield, Harrison, Tony Williams. And who have they bought? No major first grade signing, just a bunch of talented juniors. That's what Toovey inherited. And by the way the coaching staff in recent years was a team - not just Hasler, and Toovey was one of the prominent members and was earmarked to take over from Hasler around 2015-6. His input into Manly's success was not peripheral. He was a major component of that success and it was because of him taking on the coaching role that so many of the players who could have left, didnt. Manly was facing the worse exodus experienced by any club in recent history. It was Toovey that held it together, while having to cope with a dysfunctional management. Quite frankly, he's done a remarkable job of saving the club and I suspect another master coach is on the rise..

Should do a little research before you make comments like that David Halatau NZ 15 tests Bryson Goodwin NZ 4 tests Greg Eastwood NZ 9 tests Michael Ennis Aus 4 tests Josh Morris Aus 2 tests James Graham UK 21 tests and of course Frank Pritchard then Sam Perrett NZ 14 tests Krisnan Inu NZ 4 tests That's 9 test player in the Canterbury squad. Manly has 10. But of course Canterbury have also David Stagg who has represented Qld Aiden Tollman NSW country Steve Turner NSW Brett Hodkinson City and then of course there's the exceptional talents of the player of the year Ben Barba, a player on the verge of tests who has won the Canterbury side more than one or two games this year, and the emerging talents of Reynolds and Kasiano.. You're right. Hasler wanted to start in 2013 so he could further decimate the Manly club by grabbing Tony Williams (which he successfully has done), Keiran Foran (who changed his mind) and the Stewart Brothers (but Brett got injured and developed a suspect knee and Barba turned into a sensation at full back). If he had got what he wanted he would have had a representative team well in excess of the Manly squad. Don't try to suggest that Hasler didn't walk into a top side. More money, more money to play around with, a management that was finally after years of chaos, in the hands of a professional. Took many of Manly's back up team including the best recruitment man. Dont try to cry poor with Hasler and Canterbury. What they did was good business and I respect them for that. But Canterbury were an under-performing club not an under-skilled club. And then along came Kasiano, Barba , Reynolds, Perrett and Inu as the cream. He walked into clover Jaybob and he knew it. He knew Canterbury were cashed up and could buy him his next premiership. He looked at the squad, looked at the machinery, looked at the talent coming through (Canterbury is on top in the junior comps, Manly's near the bottom) He knew it was always going to be hard work to achieve the same with a team that was aging and had to rely on getting good juniors and developing them to premiership level like Manly now has to do.

Hasler walked into a club of top players? Half of them a kiwi internationals? Haha who? Pritchard? That has to be the line of the year! Des has taken a team that didn't even make the finals to the minor premiereship. He didn't get the team he wanted to work with because he had to come over a year earlier, the only players he had input with are Inu and Perret. But it is the whole team that has improved out of sight. Toovey really did inherit a team of superstars, but not just the team, he also inherited the systems and game plans used and has had to change nothing. He is basically a passenger. So I get that most people dont think Hasler deserves it, but what is the reason? Because he inherited a team full of superstars? Or because he was advantaged over the representative period by not having any players missing? Because I regularly see both excuses used but they seem to contradict each other a fair bit. Or is it simply because of the obstruction that apparently happens in every game, but took until round 24 to actually find one? Wow some people just can't handle the success of others, is it really that hard to give credit where it is due? I would think it be easier than trying to find all these excuses.

I would go with Maguire. Souths haven't finished top four for a very long time. He has taken them from under-achievers and maximised the potential out of every player. Next season they will be better with Te'o joining them.

Souths don't count - they beat the dogs in round one!

Well there's a bit of payback for you!!

Michael maquire should be the coach of the year because south havent beeen in te finals for ages everyones saying hasler should be the coach of the year he shouldnt because bulldogs have made the finals alot not like souths

Point is well made Worlds Biggest though I would be careful about giving too much credit to Hasler for Canterbury's performance to date, as compared say to Toovey. Hasler walked into a club of top players. half are Kiwi internationals, then there are a couple of origin and city/country reps. Well over half the team were rep players but as you say under performing, as with Maguire and Souths. Certainly Des instilled a new purpose and structure into their team that worked. But the team was almost ready made. Given it had such a loading of Kiwis, the SOO period was kind to Canterbury this year, they got off lightly.. They also havent had much in the way of injury/suspension. And then there is Barba, who has exploded onto the scene, as he promised, and has been in several games the deciding factor in whether they won or lost. Add to that a stable management and the side was well settled to perform. Now look at Toovey. He firstly had to take over the side with very limited coaching experience and without preparation because he didnt expect to be coaching this year. He had a management is disarray (still is). He had most of his key players off contract and going through protracted negotiation processes which distracted the team as a whole. His top side was decimated by extended suspensions (Matai, Tony Williams, Lussick) and extended injuries to key players (Brett and Glen Stewart, Matai, Foran, Tony Williams, David Williams, Galavao, Bailey). Having been premiers they had quite a few players in the rep sides during SOO. Half their training and recruitment staff had moved to Canterbury, a wealthier club. And they had little available in reserve, both NSW Cup and Toyota Cup teams near the bottom of the comp, while Canterbury's reserve teams are chock full of potential players and are competing for their respective titles. Amazing that Toovey got as far as he did this year. Toovey has been effectively in a no win scenario. All the talk is about Des and what he did for Canterbury and what he left behind for Manly. If Toovey failed to succeed in getting the team to the finals, he was failure. If he fails to get to the grand final, he's a failure. If he fails to take out the premiership, he's a failure. Because they are the premiers and it would be said he had been given the team to beat on a plate thanks to Hasler who had instilled the will to win in Manly. Even if Toovey succeeds in winning the premiership, he's done it on the coat tails of Hasler. Thing is that is not how it really is at all but that wont stop the fans and media from making it seem that way. I'm not saying Toovey should win the coach of the year. I think Flanagan is by far the most impressive coach this year. But this is the year everyone has been talking about Des, and quite frankly he should have been coach of the year in years past. He'll win it this year because of media favouritism and politics (its his turn). But lets not suggest that he has done a better job than Toovey or Maguire for that matter this year, because quite frankly he hasn't.

It should be maguire no doubt.

Pretty solid argument.

Flanagan built that forward pack though unlike Toovey who the article has rated ahead of him. And you left out Wade Graham who Flanagan has developed into a future club captain and probable Origin star. Des is a great coach who has done great with a not really star studded Dogs side but he shouldn't be rewarded because of his contentious exploitation of the current mess of an obstruction rul. just more controversy.

These facts are interpretable. That's how I interpret them. i don't value those wins as much as you might. I interpret them as origin influenced, you may not. I still think they got a pretty good draw and were minimally affected by origin... and they have cheated....I mean bent the obstruction rule.

I give you John Keynes “When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do sir?”

Also he cheats which he gets away with so it is good coaching, but he shouldn't be rewarded for it. I'm with Jason Taylor on that one.

Of course, the facts were just there to back up my opinion, as most facts are. i think they just shone through Origin which didn't have any effect on them. Origin has had a huge influence on this years comp and they are the prime beneficiary. The Dogs notable wins have been almost exclusively origin affected. having said that I think Des is the best coach in the comp, I just think maybe others are more deserving given the circumstances, unless he actually wins the comp that is, which I don't believe will happen.

So let me get this right the facts you were using have now changed but your opinion didn't.

Hasler, Flanagan, Maguire. Toovey and Bellamy not far behind. Furner might have a look in at "away" coach of the year.

Has to be Hasler. The way he's worked out a completely different game plan around the Dogs forwards shows he isn't a one trick pony and can bring the best out of the available talent, rather than trying to make the players fit his game plan a la Chris Anderson et al. Props to cousin Mick though he's done well with Souths.

Hasler closely followed by Maguire