'Needs to happen now': Fresh calls for premiership-winning NRL coach to quit
Hasler was brought into the side in 2024 to turn around their fortunes, but finished 14th. The team is not doing any better this season and are once again set to miss finals footy as they battle to avoid the wooden spoon. Despite a number of injuries to the team, Hasler has a number of representative players available for selection and still hasn't been able to rally his players this season.
There has also been reports the premiership-winning coach could be set to call time on his career at the end of the season. Hasler moved to shut down the speculation after his team's loss to the Eels in round 17.
'No, they're just whispers, mate. It's just rumour and innuendo," Hasler said of the speculation he is going to retire. The reports have not sat well with everyone. The speculation prompted Queensland great Parker to suggest the club should part ways with Hasler immediately if this season will be his last.
And since the development, reporter Michael Carayannis has claimed Hasler won't be at the Titans in 2026. 'It'll be called a retirement but it's a mutual understanding,' Carayannis said on SEN Radio. 'The Titans can call it whatever they like but Des won't be the coach next season. It's been an absolute failure.'
Earlier in the season, reports emerged the Titans have the option in Hasler's contract to part ways with the coach if the club don't make the top eight. And Carayannis claimed the club could move on this clause with the Titans facing a brutal run to make finals footy.
'He originally signed a three-year deal but there's clauses in his deal and one of those is a top eight clause,' Carayannis added. 'That is if they don't make the top eight this year, the Titans are under no obligation to keep him at the club next year.
"There's another element to it and that's when they are mathematically no chance of playing finals footy, they can split immediately.' The Titans would have to win the large majority of their remaining nine games to play finals footy in 2025.
RELATED:
NSW ditch pre-match tradition in stunning move for Origin 3
Broncos cop double blow as two players sidelined for weeks
Parker again addressed the Hasler reports after Carayannis' update and doubled down on his suggestion the club should act immediately. Parker feels the Titans would be better off moving on if the coach has one-eye on retirement. 'Only two people would know he is going to retire – Des and the owners,' Parker said on SENQ Breakfast.
'If that's the case, there is no upside to him sticking around for the remaining part of the year. Whether he wants to get to 500 games I don't know but if he wants to retire it needs to happen now. There is no upside (to staying)."
Hasler won two premierships during his time as the Manly Sea Eagles coach. He also reached the finals with the Bulldogs in 2012 and 2014.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Andy Farrell's full-back woes increase as Blair Kinghorn goes off in Lions win
The British and Irish Lions are sweating on the fitness of Blair Kinghorn as they face the possibility of losing another full-back to injury. Kinghorn took a bang to his knee early in the Lions' 36-24 victory over ACT Brumbies in Canberra and attempted to play on before eventually limping off in the 25th minute. Advertisement The Scotland star, seen as a likely starter in the first Test against Australia on July 19, thumped the pitch in frustration when he first felt the injury and he is waiting to find out the extent of the damage. The Lions have already seen Elliot Daly forced out of the tour because of a fractured forearm and after calling up playmaker Owen Farrell as his replacement, Kinghorn and Keenan are left as the only specialist full-backs in the squad, although Marcus Smith provides cover in the position. 'Blair is in good spirits. He got a bang on the knee, he carried on for quite a bit but there was no need to keep him going,' head coach Andy Farrell said. Advertisement 'He's on the bed now, singing away. There is a bit of music there and he's singing away as he's being assessed, so we'll see how he comes through that. 'It's late, we have got an early flight in the morning and I don't know what the medical plan is, but we will get on top of that.' Kinghorn's injury capped a disappointing night for the Lions, who struggled to put away the Brumbies despite fielding their Test team in waiting in a dry run for the series opener against the Wallabies. They ran in five tries and produced some fine moments but were also guilty of making too many errors, over-complicating their attack and looking shaky at restarts – familiar themes throughout their tour of Australia. Advertisement It was the not the statement performance they were looking for having also struggled against the New South Wales Waratahs on Saturday, yet they remain unbeaten in four matches Down Under. 'I thought we dominated the game. If you got the game and fast forwarded through it, you would see that,' Farrell said. 'On the back of that we scored some lovely, balanced tries, but the other side of the story is we certainly left three out there and maybe more. 'We kept the Brumbies in the game and they were good enough to be able to capitalise on some of our errors and discipline to score some points themselves. There's plenty to do, obviously. Advertisement 'We are in a good place in the sense that we are doing well in certain aspects of the game and in fits and starts. But we need to improve in all areas. 'Winning while seeing where those improvements are is a good place to be for the next 10 days.'
USA Today
7 hours ago
- USA Today
Look: Titans' Xavier Restrepo training with star WRs at Chad Johnson's wideout workshop
Former NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson is hosting some of the top receivers in the game this week for his first annual 'Wideout Workout' in Miami. His intentions with the endeavor are to bring together some of the NFL's top wide receivers and allow them to work on their craft ahead of the 2025 NFL season. Johnson took to social media to announce the event and showcase some of the attendees. Among the list are some of the biggest names at the position, including Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Jerry Jeudy, and Tyreek Hill. However, there is one receiver at the camp that should excite fans of the Tennessee Titans: Rookie Xavier Restrepo. From the moment the Titans landed Restrepo as an undrafted rookie free agent, he has become a fan favorite. Cam Ward's favorite target at Miami. Restrepo's story is well documented. A dynamic slot receiver in college, he fell out of the draft after a disastrous pre-draft process and brutal NFL Scouting Combine. The Titans seized the chance to reunite him with Ward after the draft, and so far, the results have been positive. Restrepo made an instant impact during OTAs and minicamp, demonstrating a potent combination of athleticism and route-running savvy that overshadowed the poor testing knocked him off draft boards. Throughout the offseason in Nashville, Restrepo has shown everything that coaches look for in a slot receiver. At this point, he appears to have a great shot at landing one of the final roster spots in the Titans' crowded receiver room, and having a chance to refine his skills with some of the best in the NFL will only help chances to make more of an impression once camp opens on July 22.
7 hours ago
Queensland beats New South Wales to win the State of Origin rugby league series in Australia
SYDNEY -- Queensland scored 20 unanswered points in the first half and went on to beat New South Wales 24-12 Wednesday in the third and deciding State of Origin rugby league match, one of the most anticipated sporting events in Australia each year. Before a sellout crowd of 80,256 at the Olympic stadium in Sydney, winger Xavier Coates scored his sixth try in seven Origin appearances to help give Queensland an 8-0 lead in the 18th minute. Halfback Tom Dearden scored Queensland's second try in the 27th minute and the Maroons led 14-0 after Valentine Holmes again kicked a conversion. Harry Grant muscled his way past three New South Wales defenders to score Queensland's third try in the final minute of the half and send the Maroons to the break with a 20-0 lead. Center Stephen Crichton got New South Wales on the board with a try in the 56th minute. But Dearden scored his second try of the match with seven minutes remaining to put the match away for the Maroons. It was the first points Queensland scored in the second half of any of the three Origin matches this year. Queensland captain Cameron Munster played in the match just days after the sudden death of his father, Steven, last weekend at the age of 58. Queensland coach and former National Rugby League star Billy Slater was in tears when he hugged Munster at the end of the match. Grant was also emotional. 'So much love and appreciation to Cam for the way he showed up tonight to play and how he handled this," Grant told Australian Broadcasting Corp. 'The only way we could repay him was through our actions to give him something to remember through this time. We played for him tonight.' Munster called it a 'special week' despite the sadness over his father's death. 'I know it's been a tough time, but I guess at the end of the day, that's life," Munster said. "I just want to appreciate everyone that's been around me. I think when someone loses someone you forget about it sometime but then it brings back memories and obviously, I just want to say thank you to all the rugby league community.' New South Wales took a 1-0 lead in the series with an 18-6 win at Brisbane on May 28. Queensland leveled it with a 26-24 victory at Perth on June 18, hanging on after also leading by 20 points at halftime, 26-6. New South Wales won last year's series after beating Queensland 14-4 in the deciding match at Brisbane. The State of Origin series was first played in 1982 and Queensland has won it 25 times, including eight years in a row from 2006 to 2013. New South Wales has won it 17 times, and there have been two drawn series.
