As the St. George Illawarra Dragons search for a permanent replacement for outgoing head coach Shane Flanagan ahead of next season, a high-profile cross-code candidate has received a glowing endorsement from one of the NRL’s most respected club leaders. \n\nTrent Robinson, the long-serving Sydney Roosters head coach, has publicly backed former dual-code international rugby union coach Michael Cheika, confirming the 59-year-old possesses every quality needed to succeed as an NRL head coach — and argued that club CEOs and chairmen simply need to take a chance on him.\n\nCheika’s name has repeatedly circulated as a candidate for NRL head coaching vacancies over the past several years, but the decorated mentor has never been given an opportunity to lead a top-flight NRL side, despite a stellar track record across global rugby union. His resume includes head coaching roles with the Australian Wallabies, Argentina’s Pumas, and the Lebanese rugby league international side, a resume that has kept him on the radar for NRL clubs seeking fresh leadership.\n\nCheika already has deep ties to the Roosters organization: he first joined the club as a consultant back in 2020, and has recently returned to the NRL premiership contenders in a specialist role working with the club’s forward pack. That working experience has given Robinson a first-hand look at what Cheika would bring to any NRL head coaching role.\n\nWhen asked whether NRL clubs would be willing to hire a coach with a primarily rugby union background, Robinson redirected the question to the decision-makers at the top of clubs, but left no doubt about Cheika’s credentials. “He’s a head coach, that’s pretty clear, and he always has been,” Robinson told reporters. “Whenever that comes up, he’ll be a head coach in the future somewhere pretty quickly, so he’ll be ready to go.”\n\nRobinson added that Cheika’s work with the Roosters forwards has been a major boost to the squad, noting that while Cheika continues to familiarize himself with the specific nuances of NRL play, his decades of elite coaching experience have already added immense value to the club. “He works with the forwards a lot and he’s worked really well with that crew. Building that mindset along with the skill set, he’s learning at the same time around the nuances of the game, but the mindset he’s had for a long time, so he’s been a good value add,” Robinson said.\n\nBeyond Cheika, Robinson also praised another product of the Roosters’ coaching pathway: club legend and former NSW captain Boyd Cordner, who recently stepped into a new role as assistant coach for the NSW Blues State of Origin side. Cordner replaced outgoing Dean Young, who stepped up to serve as the Dragons’ interim head coach following Flanagan’s departure announcement.\n\nCordner has already built a strong coaching resume through his work leading the Roosters’ SG Ball Cup youth side, and Robinson said the former premiership-winning forward has all the tools to become a top-level head coach in the future. “He is a great coach. He will be a great coach. And it’s a good step towards his future,” Robinson said. “(He’s got a) deep knowledge of rugby league, so he knows the nuances of the game. He knows how the game should be played, and then he’s got the ability to communicate that. So it’s Boydo’s choice that if he wants to go down that line, then he can, and he’s obviously doing it in part-time roles. But Boyd is and will be a very good coach.”\n\nLooking ahead to the Roosters’ upcoming Anzac Day clash against the Dragons, Robinson said his side is focused on preparing for their opponents rather than being distracted by the Dragons’ ongoing off-field coaching saga. The biggest talking point for the match is the NRL debut of Dragons rookie halfback Kade Reed, who is expected to be a primary target for the Roosters’ aggressive defensive line.\n\nRobinson confirmed that the Roosters have done their full scouting work on Reed, noting that while the young half is making his first NRL appearance, he has extensive experience through the junior and reserve grade pathways. When asked about the strategy of targeting debutant playmakers, Robinson said modern NRL requires all 13 players to step up physically, regardless of position or experience.\n\n“That’s the game, that will always be a part of it. But it won’t just be him,” Robinson said, also confirming Roosters centre Billy Smith will not return to the side for this week’s clash. “The game used to be played where years ago, they (smaller halves) used to play second line (defence) and they used to slot in on the far side of where the defensive lines were or where the ball was and move around. That’s not the case anymore. You need 13 guys aiming up and it’s a physical game.”\n\nRobinson added that the Roosters’ preparation for the match has centered on reviewing their own recent performance and locking in their game plan, rather than making drastic adjustments to target Reed. “Our most important preview for this game was our review, and that’s the things that we want to do and the things that we want to improve on,” he said. “You don’t change direction, but our style of game can double down on some of those areas that we want to attack. We’ve done our work as we do each week, no more than any other player that we face each week. But we’re really clear on the way that he plays the game and what he’ll bring to them, and then also what we need to do. He’s played a lot of footy, and we’ve watched him play a lot of footy. He just hasn’t played NRL yet. He’s played a trial, but he’s played a lot of reserve grade and he’s come through the grades, so as long as you do your work, you know the player.”
‘Always has been’: Michael Cheika receives strong support as the former Wallabies coach continues to be linked with the Dragons
