Josh Hannay
# Josh Hannay

Josh Hannay (born 11 January 1980) is an Australian professional rugby league coach who is an assistant coach of the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the NRL and assistant coach of the Queensland rugby league team. He is also a former professional rugby league footballer who played as a centre in the 1990s and 2000s.

A Queensland State of Origin representative, Hannay spent nine seasons with the North Queensland Cowboys and was the club's highest point scorer until 2011. He later had stints with the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and Celtic Crusaders, before moving into coaching.

In 2020, he served as the interim head coach of the Cowboys in the National Rugby League.

## Background

Born and raised in Moranbah, Queensland, Hannay played his junior rugby league for the Moranbah Miners before being signed by the North Queensland Cowboys at 15. In Townsville, he attended Townsville Grammar School.

## Playing career

### North Queensland Cowboys

In Round 15 of the 1996 ARL season, Cowboys' head coach Graham Lowe named Hannay to make his first grade debut against the Western Suburbs Magpies. At 16 years and 185 days old, Hannay would have been the second youngest player to debut in Australian history after Ray Stehr, who debuted at 16 years and 85 days in 1929. The selection was ultimately blocked by the Australian Rugby League (ARL), as Hannay (who was born in 1980), had to turn 17 the year he debuted to be eligible.

In Round 3 of the 1998 NRL season, almost two years after his vetoed debut, the now 18-year old Hannay made his NRL debut in the Cowboys' 16–15 win over the Parramatta Eels, scoring a try. In Round 23, he scored his first NRL hat-trick in a 12–28 loss to the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles. In his rookie season for the club, he played 21 games, starting at either centre or wing, scoring 15 tries, 29 goals and 118 points to finish as the side's top try and point scorer. In 1999, despite playing just 13 games due to injuries, he represented the Junior Kangaroos alongside his Cowboys teammate Scott Prince.

Over the next two seasons, Hannay was further plagued by injuries, playing only 17 games, including just five in 2000. In 2002, he played his first full season in four years, starting in 19 games for the Cowboys and finishing as their top point scorer.

In 2003, Hannay enjoyed a breakout season, playing 23 games and scoring 230 points, second in the NRL only to Hazem El Masri's 294. On 16 July 2003, he made his State of Origin debut for Queensland, starting at centre and kicking four goals in a 36–6 Game III win over New South Wales at Suncorp Stadium. In Round 23 of the 2003 season, Hannay set the record for most points (24) and most goals (10) in a single game for the Cowboys in their 60–8 win over the South Sydney Rabbitohs. As of 2020, his 10-goal record still stands, while Johnathan Thurston later equalled his points record in 2006.

In 2004, Hannay started at centre in all 27 games for the Cowboys as they qualified for the finals for the first time in their history. He scored 228 points that season, finishing second again in the top point scorers list to El Masri, who scored 342. In 2005, he started at centre in the Cowboys' maiden NRL Grand Final appearance, a 16–30 loss to the Wests Tigers.

In 2006, Hannay fell out of favour at the Cowboys, playing just nine games. In July, he was told by the club he would not be re-signed when his contract ended that season. Despite this, Hannay earned a recall to the Queensland side, starting at centre in their series-deciding 16–14 win over New South Wales at the Telstra Dome in Melbourne. On 26 July 2006, he signed a two-year deal with the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks.

### Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks

In Round 1 of the 2007 NRL season, Hannay made his debut for the Sharks in an 18–0 win over the Penrith Panthers. He would play just two more games before being dropped to NSW Cup by head coach Ricky Stuart. In June 2007, he was dropped from the Sharks' NSW Cup side and began playing for the Gymea Gorillas in the local Cronulla-Sutherland District competition before being granted a release by the club.

### Celtic Crusaders

In August 2007, Hannay signed the Celtic Crusaders, who were playing in the National League Two, helping them to promotion to the National League One. In 2008, he was a member of the Crusaders' side who lost to Salford City in the National League One Grand Final. Despite losing the Grand Final, the Crusaders finished second and earned promotion to the Super League for the first time. In 2009, he played 17 Super League games for the Crusaders, finishing as the club's top point scorer.

Hannay did not get to finish the season, as he, along with Australian teammates Jace Van Dijk, Tony Duggan, Damien Quin, Darren Mapp and Mark Dalle Cort were deported after the UK Border Agency ruled they breached visa regulations. Hannay was banned from entering the United Kingdom for 10 years and his Crusaders' contract was cancelled with immediate effect.

### Later career

In November 2009, Hannay returned to Australia, joining the Mackay Cutters in the Queensland Cup for the 2010 season.

In 2011, he returned to Moranbah to play for his junior club, the Moranbah Miners, in the Mackay and Districts A-Grade competition. In 2012, he captain-coached the club to premiership success in the competition. In 2013, he retired from playing and solely focused on coaching the Miners.

## Coaching career

### Souths Logan Magpies

On 9 October 2013, Hannay was appointed head coach of the Souths Logan Magpies in the Queensland Cup for the 2014 season. Over three seasons with the club, Hannay's highest place finish with the Magpies was 7th in 2016, missing the finals on points differential. He coached 70 games, winning 28, for a 40% winning percentage. In 2016 and 2017, he coached the Queensland under-18 rugby league team, losing both games to New South Wales.

### North Queensland Cowboys

In 2017, he returned to the North Queensland Cowboys as an assistant coach to Paul Green. In his first season on the coaching staff, the Cowboys qualified for the NRL Grand Final, losing to the Melbourne Storm. In 2018, he joined the Queensland coaching staff as an assistant to Kevin Walters, spending just one year in the role.

On 20 July 2020, Hannay was named as the interim head coach of the North Queensland Cowboys following the resignation of Paul Green. In Round 17 of the 2020 NRL season, after five straight losses, Hannay earned his first win as an NRL head coach after the Cowboys defeated the St George Illawarra Dragons 23–22 in golden point. On 22 September 2020, after being overlooked as full-time head coach of the Cowboys, Hannay announced he would leave the club, despite being under contract for the 2021 season.

### Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks

On 17 November 2020, Hannay joined the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks as an assistant coach. On 14 April 2021 Hannay was named as caretaker head coach following the sacking of John Morris

In round 11 of the 2021 NRL season, he earned his first win as Cronulla-Sutherland interim coach as the club defeated fierce rivals St. George Illawarra 13–12.

Hannay is currently an assistant coach with the Queensland State of Origin Team.

## Statistics

### NRL

| Season | Team | Matches | T | G | GK % | F/G | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1998 | North Queensland | 21 | 15 | 29 | 50.0 | 0 | 118 |
| 1999 | North Queensland | 13 | 1 | 3 | 42.9 | 0 | 10 |
| 2000 | North Queensland | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | North Queensland | 12 | 3 | 0 | — | 0 | 12 |
| 2002 | North Queensland | 19 | 3 | 48 | 67.6 | 0 | 108 |
| 2003 | North Queensland | 23 | 10 | 95 | 79.8 | 0 | 230 |
| 2004 | North Queensland | 27 | 8 | 98 | 73.1 | 0 | 228 |
| 2005 | North Queensland | 21 | 7 | 62 | 66.0 | 0 | 152 |
| 2006 | North Queensland | 9 | 2 | 8 | — | 53.3 | 24 |
| 2007 | Cronulla-Sutherland | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| Career totals | Career totals | 153 | 49 | 343 | 68.9% | 0 | 882 |

### Super League

| Season | Team | Matches | T | G | GK % | F/G | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2009 | Celtic Crusaders | 17 | 3 | 24 | – | 0 | 60 |
| Career totals | Career totals | 17 | 3 | 24 | – | 0 | 60 |

### State of Origin

| † | Denotes seasons in which Hannay won a State of Origin Series |
| - | - |
| Season | Team | Matches | T | G | GK % | F/G | Pts |
| 2003 | Queensland | 1 | 0 | 4 | — | 57.1 | 8 |
| 2006† | Queensland | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| Career totals | Career totals | 2 | 0 | 4 | — | 57.1 | 8 |

### Coaching

| Josh Hannay – Coaching Results by Season ||||||||
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| NRL Team | Year | Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | Win % | Notes |
| North Queensland Cowboys | 2020 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 22% | Interim role |
| Cronulla Sharks | 2021 | 19 | 8 | 0 | 11 | 42% | Interim role |
| Career | | 28 | 10 | 0 | 18 | 36% | |

## Footnotes

* ↑ RLP
* ↑ "2006 Grammarian". Issuu. 30 June 2006.
* ↑ Cadigan, Neil (2015). 25 Years in the Saddle. Playright Publishing. p. 119. ISBN 9780994237316.
* ↑ "There was two guys that debuted that night… me and Cam Smith". QRL. 28 April 2020.
* ↑ Cadigan, Neil (2015). 25 Years in the Saddle. Playright Publishing. p. 118. ISBN 9780994237316.
* ↑ Cadigan, Neil (2015). 25 Years in the Saddle. Playright Publishing. p. 139. ISBN 9780994237316.
* ↑ "Hannay to make Origin debut". ABC. 6 July 2003.
* ↑ "Cowboys not worried about past loss to Tigers". ABC. 28 September 2005.
* ↑ "Hannay to leave Cowboys at season's end". ABC. 12 July 2006.
* ↑ "Hannay named to start against Blues". ABC. 5 July 2006.
* ↑ "Cowboys leave Hannay on the outer". The Age. 1 August 2006.
* ↑ "Dumped Hannay may seek release". Fox Sports. 21 June 2007.
* ↑ "Strange days indeed: Hannay going, Kennedy back". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2 July 2007.
* ↑ "Hannay – signs for the Crusaders". Sporting Life.com. Retrieved 28 October 2007.
* ↑ "Six Celtic Crusaders players to be deported to Australia after visa breach". The Telegraph. 18 August 2009.
* ↑ "Six Australian players to be deported over visa breaches". The Australian. 19 August 2009. Archived from the original on 20 August 2009. Retrieved 19 August 2009.
* ↑ "Where Are They Now: Josh Hannay". NRL. 24 August 2011.
* ↑ "Hannay signs with Cutters". The Chronicle. 13 November 2009.
* ↑ "Hannay takes on challenge". Daily Mercury. 25 November 2011.
* ↑ "Former Storm player signs with Moranbah Miners in 2013". CQ News. 11 January 2013.
* ↑ "Former North Queensland Cowboys star Josh Hannay named new Souths Logan Magpies coach". The Courier Mail. 9 October 2013.
* ↑ "Qld Under 18 team". QRL. 8 June 2016.
* ↑ "Never threw in the towel". QRL. 23 June 2017.
* ↑ "Opportunity & a privilege – Hannay". North Queensland Cowboys. 2 November 2016.
* ↑ "2017 season by the numbers". NRL. 12 December 2017.
* ↑ "Hannay joins Maroons coaching team". North Queensland Cowboys. 25 January 2018.
* ↑ "Walters adds Origin legends to coaching staff". QRL. 12 November 2018.
* ↑ "Paul Green finishes as Cowboys head coach". North Queensland Cowboys. 20 July 2020.
* ↑ "Holmes' golden point heartens Hannay after missing top job". NRL. 6 September 2020.
* ↑ "Hannay to depart Cowboys". NQ Cowboys. 22 September 2020.
* ↑ "Hannay confirmed as Sharks assistant". Cronulla Sharks. 17 November 2020.
* ↑ "Josh Hannay's big warning to rest of NRL amid claims coaching drama will derail Sharks' season". Fox Sports. 14 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
* ↑ "Sharks beat Dragons 13-12 in NRL golden point, Warriors defeat Wests Tigers 30-26". Australia: ABC News.

Sporting positions :

| Preceded byJohn Morris 2019-2021 | Coach Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 2021 | Succeeded byCraig Fitzgibbon 2022-present |
| - | - | - |
| Preceded byPaul Green 2014-2020 | Coach North Queensland Cowboys 2020 | Succeeded byTodd Payten 2021-present |
