Josh Hannay took the road less travelled when it came to the Gold Coast Titans head coaching role and Maroons coach Billy Slater has lifted the lid on his journey to the role.
Hannay’s playing career before he became a coach was unique in itself. He debuted at the Cowboys in 1998 before finding himself on the outer after eight years of service.
In his last year at the Cowboys in 2006, he barely played first grade but found himself in the Maroons team for Origin III. That series was the start of a dynasty.
READ MORE: Fresh details emerge in Smith case as NRL reveal stance
READ MORE: Panthers to be decimated in wild team move
READ MORE: Banned photographer breaks silence on ‘lynching’
During his one year at the Sharks, he was dumped to NSW Cup and then dumped to the local league with Gymea Gorillas.
Coach Billy Slater chats with his assistant Josh Hannay during a training session. Getty
He moved to the lower leagues in England with Celtic Crusaders before he was deported two years later among a host of players because of visa issues. That prompted a return to Mackay in the Queensland Cup and then a stint at home with Moranbah Miners.
Slater explained it was there, in his home town, where the coaching bug started.
“He’s got so many great qualities as a coach. He’s a really good person and I love his journey how he’s got to this position to be a head coach in the NRL,” he said on Nine’s The Billy Slater podcast.
“It hasn’t been easy. To be fair, when he finished his playing career, he probably didn’t set out to be an NRL head coach. He went back to his home town of Moranbah and he started up a retail business in clothing and eventually started playing for his local footy team and ended up getting injured and somewhere along the lines he got this bug to coach.”
From there, Hannay went on to coach the South Logan Magpies in the Queensland Cup before becoming an assistant at the Cowboys.
He was an interim head coach when the late Paul Green resigned before going on to be an assistant at Cronulla. He was also an assistant to Slater for the Maroons.
“He’s been through some disappointments where he’s missed opportunities and I know what he brings to our coaching group in the Queensland team, let alone what he brings to the playing group,” Slater explained.
“I just think he’s got a lot of qualities. He’s had a journey that he’s really grateful for this opportunity and it’s an exciting opportunity to dive into.”
Watch the 2025 NRL premiership live and free on Nine and 9Now.
Hannay now finds himself with the challenge of turning the Gold Coast into a successful franchise, a task a number of coaches have tried and failed at.
Slater believes the potential there is “untapped”.
“I don’t think it’s reached its potential there. There are so many players in the NRL that have come from the Gold Coast and if they can make this organisation a place for young Gold Coast people – men and women, boys and girls – to want to be a part of that club, that’s the challenge for Josh Hannay and the people of the Titans now,” he said.
“Scott Sattler’s come on board as the director of football which is a great appointment, and a great person … they’ve chosen great people to lead their football team forward.”