Des Hasler
Hasler in 2008
Personal information
Nickname	The Cougar, Sorry
Born	16 February 1961 (1961-02-16) (age 48)
	Gosford, New South Wales, Australia
Playing information
Position	Halfback, Hooker, Five-eighth
Club
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
1982–83	Penrith Panthers	11	5	0	0	19
1984–96	Manly-Warringah	255	72	1	0	290
1994	Hull FC	21
1997	Western Suburbs	21	6	0	0	24
	Total	308	83	1	0	333
Representative
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
1985–91	New South Wales	12	2	0	0	8
1985–91	Australia	12	2	0	0	8
Coaching information
Club
Years	Team	Gms	W	D	L	W%
2004–	Manly-Warringah	154	89	0	65	58
As of 2 November 2009
Source: Rugby League Project (player) & Rugby League Project (coach)

Des Hasler (born 16 February 1961 in Gosford, New South Wales) is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and former player. He currently coaches the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles of the National Rugby League. Hasler has both played in and coached grand final winning teams for the club. As a player he also represented Australia internationally and New South Wales in State of Origin.

[edit] Background

Des Hasler was educated at St Dominic's College and he trained as a primary school teacher at the Australian Catholic University. He taught Year 6 students and Electronics at St Pius X College, Chatswood.

[edit] Playing career

Des Hasler began his first grade career with the Penrith Panthers in 1984, but quicky transferred to the Manly Sea Eagles where he played a total of 234 games and scored 72 tries, finishing his first grade career with a season at Western Suburbs Magpies. He won premierships with Manly in 1987 and 1996. He started playing in the half-back position for Manly, supplanting the talented but undependable Phil Blake as starting halfback during the 1987 season. Later, Hasler made way for Geoff Toovey at halfback, and played in a variety of roles, at lock, hooker, and in the backs. Hasler trademark was his heavy-hitting, tenacious defence. In this way, he earned himself the nickname, "Sorry", as he would pole-axe an opposition player, and then apologise immediately afterwards.

Hasler's value as a star utility player led to his frequent selection—albeit on the bench—in representative football. Hasler played 13 State of Origin matches for New South Wales, scoring 2 tries during these games. His biography, The Utility Player was written by prominent Australian author and Manly-Warringah fan Thomas Keneally and published in 1993^[1].

Hasler also played for Australia in twelve test matches. At the end of the 1993 season Hasler decided to play for Hull FC in the Super League. He later returned to the Sea Eagles for the 1995 and 1996 seasons. In both of these years, the Manly Sea Eagles made the grand final, and in 1996 won the premiership.

[edit] Coaching

In 2004, Des Hasler was appointed head coach of the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles. In the 2005, 2006 and 2007 seasons he lead the team to the semi-finals for the first time since the late 1990s. Hasler gained the experience of Geoff Toovey as assistant coach in the 2007 season. The team was a contender in the 2007 National Rugby League championship, and finished second on the NRL ladder, losing the grand final 34-8 Melbourne Storm.

He coached Manly to a record breaking 40-0 2008 NRL Grand Final victory over the Melbourne Storm.^[2] The 40-0 scoreline was not only the largest scoreline for a Rugby League grand final, but also the first time in 30 years that a team had been kept scoreless during the deciding match.

In 2008 he was named the Rugby League International Federation's Coach of the Year.^[3]

After failing to win the 1987 World Club Challenge with Manly as a player, he won it with them as coach in 2009.

[edit] Quotes

"This is going to be a beauty. Shame we're not going to be talking about football." (26th August, 2007)^[4]

"The game is professional, the officialdom isn't." (24th May, 2009)^[5]

"Rugby league is a great game; it has to be to survive errors like the one two minutes from full-time." (24th May, 2009)^[6]

"We were written off at the start and we've certainly been flying under the radar, I think anyway." (29th July, 2009)^[7]

[edit] References