Shane Flanagan declares his interest in Canterbury Bulldogs job

Former Cronulla coach Shane Flanagan says he is itching to return to the NRL and has thrown his hat into the ring for the Canterbury Bulldogs job.

The Bulldogs have appointed Mick Potter on an interim basis following Trent Barrett’s departure. Potter is expected to remain in charge for the rest of the season. Then Phil Gould and the Bulldogs board have a decision to make.

A host of names have been linked, including Flanagan’s, and he has now spoken about the possibility of taking the job. He says no contact has been made with the Bulldogs but he hopes that will change. Indeed he is ready to make the first move.

“Firstly, I haven’t had any chats with the Bulldogs. I’ve got no idea, to be really honest, what their plans are. I’d love to do the job. I want to get back into coaching at NRL level. I think I could do a good job there,” Flanagan told channel 9’s Wide World of Sports.

“But, as I said, I don’t know what their plans are and the process they’re going to go through. I suppose that’ll be decided over the next couple of weeks. But at this point there’s been no contact.”

When asked if he planned to speak with the Bulldogs, he added: “Eventually, I suppose, Gus is the one I need to talk to, which I’ll do in time. He’s got my number so if he wants to fast-track something that’s pretty easy. But over the next week or two I’ll contact Gus and just go through what’s going to be the process.”

Flanagan was in charge of the Sharks for a total of 185 games over two spells. He also guided them to a premiership in 2016.

One issue could be the fact that son Kyle is on the Bulldogs books. However the Panthers do not have any issues with Ivan Cleary coaching son Nathan.

Kyle was also asked about the possibility of his dad taking the