Des Hasler

Des Hasler

Personal information
Born	(1961-02-16) 16 February 1961 (age 56) Gosford, New South Wales, Australia
Playing information
Height	176 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	79 kg (12 st 6 lb)
Position	Halfback, Lock, Hooker
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1982–83 Penrith Panthers 12 5 0 0 20 1984–93 Manly Sea Eagles 209 66 0 0 264 1993–94 Hull F.C. 23 10 0 0 40 1995–96 Manly Sea Eagles 47 6 1 0 26 1997 Western Suburbs Magpies 21 6 0 0 24 Total 312 93 1 0 374 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1985–92 NSW City 8 1 0 0 4 1985–91 New South Wales 12 2 0 0 8 1985–91 Australia 12 2 0 0 8
Coaching information
Club Years Team Gms W D L W% 2004–11 Manly Sea Eagles 206 122 0 84 59 2012– Canterbury Bulldogs 137 81 0 56 59 Total 343 203 0 140 59
Source: Rugby League Project (player), Rugby League Project (coach)

Des Hasler (German: Des Häßler; born 16 February 1961) is an Australian former professional rugby league player and current head coach of the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. He played in 309 matches in a first-grade career spanning 16 seasons. Most of his career was spent with the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, with whom he won two premierships (1987 and 1996) before finishing his playing career with the Western Suburbs Magpies. Hasler later coached Manly from 2004 to 2011, winning a further two premierships (2008 and 2011). As a player he also represented Australia internationally and New South Wales in State of Origin.

Born 16 February 1961 in Gosford, New South Wales, Des Hasler was educated at St Dominic's College, Penrith and he trained as a primary school teacher at the Australian Catholic University. In 1981 he taught Year 1 at St Thomas Aquinas Primary School in Springwood. He also taught Year 6 students and Electronics at St Pius X College, Chatswood. He has German ancestry.

Des Hasler began his first grade career with the Penrith Panthers in 1982, but quickly transferred to the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles where he played a total of 255 games and scored 72 tries. Hasler's contact with Manly came by chance. A school teacher at the time working on the North Shore, two of his students were Scott and Brett Fulton, the son of Manly's coach and former Australian captain Bob Fulton. After having played only 12 games for the Panthers in 1982 and 1983, Fulton, on the lookout for a halfback due to not being satisfied with the play of Phil Blake, offered Hasler a trial at Manly and he signed to play for the Sea Eagles in 1984.