NRL premiership winner Michael Ennis sensationally left his role at Manly earlier this week to take up a full-time assistant coaching job under his former coach and mentor Shane Flanagan at the Dragons.
Ennis’ exit came as a huge surprise to many, given he had reportedly been sounded out by Sea Eagles CEO Tony Mestrov as a potential successor to Anthony Seibold.
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And with much discourse around his coaching aspirations, TV role with Fox Sports and what his future in the game holds, Ennis agreed to an exclusive Q&A-style interview with news.com.au to put all the rumours to bed.
Ben Talintyre: Why did you decide to leave Manly?
Michael Ennis: It really comes down to Shane (Flanagan). Shane and I have a great relationship from when he coached me at Cronulla, and we’ve remained close since then.
I spent two years with Shane after retiring, doing some coaching there with him at Cronulla before I went to Canberra, and it just all fell into place. The fact that their assistant coach Ryan (Carr) took the Castleford job meant there was an opportunity to coach with Shane.
I like how he goes about things, and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do.
And yeah, when the opportunity presented itself after talking to Shane, Ben Creagh and Tim (CEO Tim Watsford), it got me excited
BT: What convinced you that the Dragons was the right move?
ME: It was just a great opportunity and a full time-role. I also feel it is a really exciting club to be a part of. The way they’re heading with Shane is something I am really excited about. I also really like a lot of elements of their roster.
They’ve got great youth coming through, and we saw that this year with the Couchman brothers, Dylan Egan, Hamish Stewart and even Hayden Buchanan at the back end of the season. And it’s not just them, they’ve got some really good kids coming through their pathway systems, and then they’ve got great experienced guys like Gutho (Clint Gutherson) and Cooky (Damien Cook), and Kyle Flanagan. So yeah, plenty of upside there and yeah, really looking forward to getting to work there.
BT: What is the ultimate goal? Is it to be an NRL head coach?
ME: Yes, there is a desire to be a head coach. It is something I am really driven by, but for now, I am intent on getting as much as I can out of being an assistant.
But definitely, it (being a head coach) is something that since retiring has remained true. I’ve been blessed in my nine years post-retirement to work with some great coaches.
As I mentioned with Shane, post-retirement and then down in Canberra learning from Ricky (Stuart), which was incredible, then with Brad Arthur at Parramatta in a year that they made the grand final. Then to Seibs (Anthony Seibold) and learning from him the last two years, it’s been so great to work with so many great coaches. Those experiences have allowed me to understand the identity I want to be as a head coach one day, whenever that opportunity presents itself.
So the next step for me felt like it was St George, as it is a greater responsibility there to go full-time as an assistant there with Shane, who is someone I have an enormous respect for as a coach, and it is just an opportunity that I am really keen to take on.
T: Do you feel like you are ready to be a head coach right now?
ME: My focus right now is on the Dragons. Truth be told, I’m not in a hurry (to be a head coach). I’m really comfortable on the journey that I’m on and the experiences I am getting.
I’m really looking forward to working with the Dragons and with Shane.
Opportunities will present themselves at some point, but I just need to make sure that it’s the right opportunity at the right time. The experiences I have had learning from the coaches that I’ve talked about mean I am really comfortable with what I want a footy side to look like and how to improve a side.
Being on the coaching staff has also allowed me to get a great understanding of the changes to the game since I came through, such as in the pathways and junior development, as well as how to manage schedules and everything else. When the opportunity comes for me and it’s the right time and the right opportunity, then I feel really comfortable to step in and be ready (to be a head coach), whether that is in the NRL or at representative level.
Michael Ennis has spent his last two years as a consultant at Manly. Jonathan Ng
BT: So how does this move get you closer to that goal of being a head coach?
ME: I think this is just the next step I need to take. I’ve obviously done a couple of days a week at those clubs that I’ve been at, and for me to really get a good understanding of the full picture of what it is to be a head coach, I think I needed to go full-time, which I now have. It is something I am completely ready for, and to be able to now do that and hopefully shine is something that I’m really grateful for and looking forward to.
Paul Gallen and Michael Ennis celebrate winning the 2016 NRL premiership in Michael Ennis’ final game. Image: Mark Evans
BT: Does a full-time assistant coaching role mean you will have to give up your role with Fox Sports?
ME: No, not at all. That was another big thing with the Dragons job. I love working for Fox, and it was a discussion point in talks with Shane, and he was very comfortable with allowing me to maintain that, similar to what he did while he was in an assistant role at Manly (in 2023).
He knows full well what that looks like. Obviously, I’ll be at the Dragons a lot more, but at the same time, with the way that the NRL draws work and how the clubs plan their training schedules, and obviously get games so far ahead, I can sit down with Fox before the season starts and work that all out.
I expect it will be like when Shane was working at Manly. If Manly played on a Friday night, he would commentate on a Saturday or Sunday and vice versa if they’re playing on a Sunday. So yeah, I will still be on air in 2026.
Michael Ennis values his commentary role with Fox Sports. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
BT: What is the one key lesson you have taken from the eight years of working as part of various coaching staffs?
ME: Adaptability. I think being able to change things on the go. You might have your star that wakes up sick, injuries that strike out of nowhere and things all change rapidly. As a coach, you might have a real set plan of what you want to get out of the training or on game day and then things can change really quickly the morning of, and you need to be able to adapt fast. I have seen that first-hand and how adapting well is so important.
Ennis played 273 NRL for the Knights, Dragons, Broncos, Bulldogs, and Sharks.
Since retiring in 2016, Ennis has worked on the coaching staff at the Raiders, Eels, Sharks and, most recently, the Sea Eagles.
Ennis’ exit came as a huge surprise to many, given he had reportedly been sounded out by Sea Eagles CEO Tony Mestrov as a potential successor to Anthony Seibold.
Watch every game of the NRL Telstra Premiership Finals Series before the Grand Final, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.
And with much discourse around his coaching aspirations, TV role with Fox Sports and what his future in the game holds, Ennis agreed to an exclusive Q&A-style interview with news.com.au to put all the rumours to bed.
Ben Talintyre: Why did you decide to leave Manly?
Michael Ennis: It really comes down to Shane (Flanagan). Shane and I have a great relationship from when he coached me at Cronulla, and we’ve remained close since then.
I spent two years with Shane after retiring, doing some coaching there with him at Cronulla before I went to Canberra, and it just all fell into place. The fact that their assistant coach Ryan (Carr) took the Castleford job meant there was an opportunity to coach with Shane.
I like how he goes about things, and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do.
And yeah, when the opportunity presented itself after talking to Shane, Ben Creagh and Tim (CEO Tim Watsford), it got me excited
BT: What convinced you that the Dragons was the right move?
ME: It was just a great opportunity and a full time-role. I also feel it is a really exciting club to be a part of. The way they’re heading with Shane is something I am really excited about. I also really like a lot of elements of their roster.
They’ve got great youth coming through, and we saw that this year with the Couchman brothers, Dylan Egan, Hamish Stewart and even Hayden Buchanan at the back end of the season. And it’s not just them, they’ve got some really good kids coming through their pathway systems, and then they’ve got great experienced guys like Gutho (Clint Gutherson) and Cooky (Damien Cook), and Kyle Flanagan. So yeah, plenty of upside there and yeah, really looking forward to getting to work there.
BT: What is the ultimate goal? Is it to be an NRL head coach?
ME: Yes, there is a desire to be a head coach. It is something I am really driven by, but for now, I am intent on getting as much as I can out of being an assistant.
But definitely, it (being a head coach) is something that since retiring has remained true. I’ve been blessed in my nine years post-retirement to work with some great coaches.
As I mentioned with Shane, post-retirement and then down in Canberra learning from Ricky (Stuart), which was incredible, then with Brad Arthur at Parramatta in a year that they made the grand final. Then to Seibs (Anthony Seibold) and learning from him the last two years, it’s been so great to work with so many great coaches. Those experiences have allowed me to understand the identity I want to be as a head coach one day, whenever that opportunity presents itself.
So the next step for me felt like it was St George, as it is a greater responsibility there to go full-time as an assistant there with Shane, who is someone I have an enormous respect for as a coach, and it is just an opportunity that I am really keen to take on.
T: Do you feel like you are ready to be a head coach right now?
ME: My focus right now is on the Dragons. Truth be told, I’m not in a hurry (to be a head coach). I’m really comfortable on the journey that I’m on and the experiences I am getting.
I’m really looking forward to working with the Dragons and with Shane.
Opportunities will present themselves at some point, but I just need to make sure that it’s the right opportunity at the right time. The experiences I have had learning from the coaches that I’ve talked about mean I am really comfortable with what I want a footy side to look like and how to improve a side.
Being on the coaching staff has also allowed me to get a great understanding of the changes to the game since I came through, such as in the pathways and junior development, as well as how to manage schedules and everything else. When the opportunity comes for me and it’s the right time and the right opportunity, then I feel really comfortable to step in and be ready (to be a head coach), whether that is in the NRL or at representative level.
Michael Ennis has spent his last two years as a consultant at Manly. Jonathan Ng
BT: So how does this move get you closer to that goal of being a head coach?
ME: I think this is just the next step I need to take. I’ve obviously done a couple of days a week at those clubs that I’ve been at, and for me to really get a good understanding of the full picture of what it is to be a head coach, I think I needed to go full-time, which I now have. It is something I am completely ready for, and to be able to now do that and hopefully shine is something that I’m really grateful for and looking forward to.
Paul Gallen and Michael Ennis celebrate winning the 2016 NRL premiership in Michael Ennis’ final game. Image: Mark Evans
BT: Does a full-time assistant coaching role mean you will have to give up your role with Fox Sports?
ME: No, not at all. That was another big thing with the Dragons job. I love working for Fox, and it was a discussion point in talks with Shane, and he was very comfortable with allowing me to maintain that, similar to what he did while he was in an assistant role at Manly (in 2023).
He knows full well what that looks like. Obviously, I’ll be at the Dragons a lot more, but at the same time, with the way that the NRL draws work and how the clubs plan their training schedules, and obviously get games so far ahead, I can sit down with Fox before the season starts and work that all out.
I expect it will be like when Shane was working at Manly. If Manly played on a Friday night, he would commentate on a Saturday or Sunday and vice versa if they’re playing on a Sunday. So yeah, I will still be on air in 2026.
Michael Ennis values his commentary role with Fox Sports. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
BT: What is the one key lesson you have taken from the eight years of working as part of various coaching staffs?
ME: Adaptability. I think being able to change things on the go. You might have your star that wakes up sick, injuries that strike out of nowhere and things all change rapidly. As a coach, you might have a real set plan of what you want to get out of the training or on game day and then things can change really quickly the morning of, and you need to be able to adapt fast. I have seen that first-hand and how adapting well is so important.
Ennis played 273 NRL for the Knights, Dragons, Broncos, Bulldogs, and Sharks.
Since retiring in 2016, Ennis has worked on the coaching staff at the Raiders, Eels, Sharks and, most recently, the Sea Eagles.
