Des Hasler facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Des Hasler

Personal information
Full name	Desmond John Hasler
Born	(1961-02-16) 16 February 1961 (age 64) Gosford, New South Wales, Australia
Height	176 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	79 kg (12 st 6 lb)
Playing information
Position	Halfback, Lock, Hooker
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1982–83 Penrith Panthers 12 5 0 0 20 1984–93 Manly Sea Eagles 209 66 0 0 264 1993–94 Hull FC 23 10 0 0 40 1995–96 Manly Sea Eagles 47 6 1 0 26 1997 Western Suburbs 21 6 0 0 24 Total 312 93 1 0 374 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1985–92 NSW City 8 1 0 0 4 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% 2004–11 Manly Sea Eagles 206 122 0 84 59 2012–17 Canterbury Bulldogs 155 88 0 67 57 2019–22 Manly Sea Eagles 97 48 0 49 49 2024– Gold Coast Titans 24 8 0 16 33 Total 482 266 0 216 55
As of 7 April 2024

Desmond John Hasler (born 16 February 1961) is an Australian rugby league coach and former player. He is currently the head coach for the Gold Coast Titans team in the National Rugby League (NRL).

Des Hasler mostly played as a halfback. He started his playing career with the Penrith Panthers. He then spent most of his time playing for the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles. With Manly, he helped his team win two big championships in 1987 and 1996. He also played for Hull FC in England for a season. Later, he finished his playing career with the Western Suburbs Magpies.

He also played for representative teams like NSW City, New South Wales in the State of Origin series, and for Australia at an international level.

After his playing days, Hasler became a coach. He coached Manly from 2004 to 2011, leading them to win two more championships in 2008 and 2011. He then coached the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the NRL. He returned to coach Manly again from 2019 until his time as coach ended in 2022.

Early Life

Des Hasler was born in Gosford, New South Wales, Australia. As a young player, he played junior rugby league for clubs like Cambridge Park and Brothers Penrith. He also went to St Dominic's College in Penrith.

Playing Career

Des Hasler began his professional rugby league career with the Penrith Panthers in 1982. However, he soon moved to the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles. He joined Manly in 1984 after a trial with the club.

He made his first appearance for Australia in 1985 against New Zealand. Even though Australia lost that game, it was an important step in his career.

Hasler was known as a "utility player." This means he could play well in many different positions on the field. This skill made him a valuable player for representative teams. He played 13 State of Origin matches for New South Wales. He scored two tries in these games. A famous Australian author, Thomas Keneally, even wrote a book about him called The Utility Player in 1993.

He also played in 12 test and World Cup matches for Australia between 1985 and 1991. Because he was so versatile, he often started these games from the bench.

Des Hasler was chosen twice to go on the Kangaroo Tour. This tour involved playing games in Great Britain and France. He went on the tours in 1986 and 1990. In 1986, he unfortunately broke his thumb early in the tour. In 1990, he played in many different positions, including halfback, lock, and even on the wing.

After the 1993 season, Hasler played for Hull F.C. in England for a short time. He then came back to Manly for the 1995 and 1996 seasons. In these later years, he often played as a hooker. In 1996, Manly had a great year. They won their second championship in a row, beating St. George 20–8 in the Grand Final. This was Hasler's second and last championship win as a player.

After playing 257 games for Manly over 12 seasons, his time with the club ended in 1996. He then joined the Western Suburbs Magpies for the 1997 season. He played 21 games for them, moving between different positions. He retired from playing at the end of that season.

Coaching Career

Manly Warringah Sea Eagles

In 2004, Des Hasler became the head coach of the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles. He quickly led the team to the semi-finals in 2005, 2006, and 2007. In 2007, Manly finished second in the NRL but lost the Grand Final to the Melbourne Storm.

He coached Manly to a huge 40–0 victory over the Melbourne Storm in the 2008 NRL Grand Final. This was a record-breaking win! In 2008, he was named the Rugby League International Federation's Coach of the Year.

In 2009, Manly won the World Club Challenge under his coaching. Hasler led Manly to the finals again in 2009 and 2010.

On 13 August 2011, he coached his 200th first-grade game. Manly won that game against Parramatta. In 2011, Manly finished second on the NRL ladder again. They went on to win the 2011 NRL Grand Final. Hasler was named coach of the year at the RLIF Awards once more.

A week after winning the 2011 premiership, Hasler decided to coach the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs starting in 2013. He was initially going to coach Manly for 2012, but Manly's board ended his contract early in November 2011. This was due to rumors that he was encouraging staff and players to join him at the Bulldogs.

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

Des Hasler with his Bulldogs assistant coach Jim Dymock in 2015.

Des Hasler joined Canterbury as head coach for the 2012 NRL season on 14 November 2011. He had immediate success, leading the team to finish at the top of the ladder and win the minor premiership. The club reached the Grand Final but lost to the Melbourne Storm 14–4. Hasler was named the NRL's coach of the year at the 2012 Dally M Awards.

In the 2014 NRL season, Hasler led Canterbury to another Grand Final. However, they lost 30–6 to South Sydney.

In the 2016 NRL season, Canterbury finished seventh. They lost in the elimination final to the Penrith Panthers, ending their hopes for the premiership.

On 19 September 2017, it was announced that Hasler's time as coach at Canterbury-Bankstown had ended. He later reached an agreement with the club after a discussion about his contract.

Manly Warringah Sea Eagles

Des Hasler on duty with Manly in 2021.

On 22 October 2018, Des Hasler was announced as the new head coach for Manly for the 2019 season. Many people thought Manly would struggle in 2019. However, the team surprised everyone by staying in the top 8 for most of the season. They even beat strong teams like Melbourne and Canberra. Hasler guided Manly to finish sixth and qualify for the finals.

Manly reached the second week of the finals in 2019 but were defeated by South Sydney 34–26.

In the 2020 NRL season, Manly did not make the finals, finishing 13th. The 2021 NRL season started slowly for Manly, losing their first three games. In round 4, they had their biggest-ever loss at home, losing 46–6 to Penrith. However, Manly then won 16 of their next 21 games. This amazing comeback led them to finish in the top 4 and qualify for the finals. They reached the preliminary final but were defeated by South Sydney.

In the 2022 NRL season, Manly had a tough year, finishing 11th. On 13 October 2022, Hasler's time as Manly head coach came to an end.

Gold Coast Titans

On 22 June 2023, Des Hasler was announced as the new head coach of the Gold Coast Titans, starting in 2024. His time at the Gold Coast began with six losses in a row. He finally got his first win in round 8 against the New Zealand Warriors.

In round 16, Hasler led the Gold Coast to a massive 66-6 victory over the New Zealand Warriors. This was the club's biggest-ever win! It was also the biggest win by a team that was last on the ladder in the history of Australian top-flight rugby league. In his first season, Hasler guided the Gold Coast to finish 14th on the table.

Statistics

Honours

As a player

Manly Warringah Sea Eagles

• NSWRL / ARL Premiership: 1987, 1996
• NSWRL / ARL Minor Premiership: 1987, 1995, 1996

As a coach

Manly Warringah Sea Eagles

• NRL Premiership: 2008, 2011

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

• NRL Minor Premiership: 2012