Michael Hagan 3902003 225364137 2008-07-13T08:35:24Z Florrie 1755698 /* Jason Taylor incident */ unreferenced {{Infobox rugby league biography | playername = Michael Hagan | image = [[Image:Replace this image male.svg|150px]] | fullname = Michael Hagan | dateofbirth = {{birth date and age|1964|8|16|df=yes}} | cityofbirth = | countryofbirth = | dateofdeath = | cityofdeath = | countryofdeath = | height = 180 cm | weight = 81 kg | nickname = | position = Coach | currentclub =[[Image:Parramatta colours.svg|16px]] [[Parramatta Eels]] | youthyears = | youthclubs = | years = 1983&ndash;1988<br />1989&ndash;1993 | clubs =[[Image:Canterbury colours.svg|16px]] [[Bulldogs (NRL team)|Canterbury Bulldogs]]<br />[[Image:Newcastle colours.svg|16px]] [[Newcastle Knights]] | caps(points) = 80 (36)<br />111 (67) | repyears = 1988&ndash;1989 | repteam =[[Image:Queensland colours.svg|16px]] [[Queensland state rugby league team|Queensland]] | repcaps(points) = 5 (0) | coachyears = 2001&ndash;2006<br />2007&ndash; | coachclubs =[[Image:Newcastle colours.svg|16px]] [[Newcastle Knights]]<br />[[Image:Parramatta colours.svg|16px]] [[Parramatta Eels]] | repcoachyears = 2004&ndash;2005 | repcoachteams =[[Image:Queensland colours.svg|16px]] [[Queensland state rugby league team|Queensland]] }} '''Michael Hagan''' (born [[16 August]] [[1964]]) is a former premiership-winning [[rugby league]] player and [[Queensland Maroons|Queensland]] [[Rugby League State of Origin|State of Origin]] representative. ==Playing career== The younger brother of former Test [[Rugby league positions#Centre|centre]] [[Bob Hagan (rugby league)|Bob Hagan]], Michael was graded with [[Canterbury Bulldogs|Canterbury]] in [[1983]]. Although best suited to play at [[Rugby league positions#Stand-off|five-eighth]] or [[Rugby league positions#Scrum-half|halfback]], the presence of [[Terry Lamb]] and [[Steve Mortimer]] forced Hagan to play much of his career with Canterbury as a "fill in" at [[Rugby league positions#Fullback|fullback]] or [[Rugby league positions#Loose Forward|lock forward]] - despite the fact that he was clearly too slow for the outside backs and never big enough for the forwards. Hagan did, though, play a superb role filling in for Lamb in Canterbury's upset win in the 1985 grand final. In 1988 Hagan was injured in a car crash but remarkably recovered to play superbly in Canterbury's three finals, scoring a try in the grand final. With Mortimer retiring, Hagan might have had a chance for a permanent position in the halves, but by this time he had already decided to move to [[Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle]] where he signed with the [[Newcastle Knights|Knights]]. Hagan's craft and guile at five-eighth led to a rapid rise in the Knights' fortunes: they advanced from fourteenth to sixth (losing a play-off for fifth) in two seasons between 1988 and 1990. He took over Newcastle's captaincy in early 1990 and, despite fluctuating team fortunes and being moved to the less suitable centre position to accommodate the emerging [[Matthew Johns]] in his last season, finished his career with the amazing record of having not missed a match in five season with the Knights. Hagan also played 92 games for [[Halifax RLFC]] in [[1984]]-[[1985]] and [[1993]]-[[1995]]. During his career with Newcastle, Hagan played five [[Rugby League State of Origin|State of Origin]] games for [[Queensland Maroons|Queensland]], successfully deputising for [[Allan Langer]] in 1989. ==Coaching career== Hagan was the media manager for the [[Hunter Mariners]] during the [[Super League war]] in Australia, and subsequently joined the coaching staff with [[Mal Meninga]] at the [[Canberra Raiders]], coaching the President's Cup team in [[1998]] and First Division in [[1999]]. In [[2000]] Hagan became the first division coach at the Newcastle Knights, and succeeded [[Warren Ryan]] as coach in [[2001]]. He became the first former Knights player to coach the club, and later that season became the first coach since [[Phil Gould]] to win the premiership in his first season. However, many commentators believe it was solely the sheer brilliance of Andrew Johns along with other senior players such as Danny Buderus and Ben Kennedy that won the Knights the 2001 premiership. This is supported by statistics showing Hagans winning percentage without Johns was only 25% from 2001-2006. Hagan coached the Queensland State of Origin team in 2004 and 2005. Although he was unable to win a series, in both seasons the series went to a deciding game, only for the Maroons to lose. Hagan's replacement, Mal Meninga, has gone on to win 2 series with QLD (2006 and 2007). In [[2005]], after losing their first thirteen games of the season, the Knights finished with the wooden spoon. In early [[2006]], Hagan signed a contract to coach the [[Parramatta Eels]] from [[2007]] to [[2009]], finishing his tenure at Newcastle at the end of the 2006 season. He is the longest serving coach in Knights history, and guided the Knights to finals appearances in four of his six seasons, more than any other coach in the team's history. ==Jason Taylor incident== After a match between Hagan's Eels and former Eels mentor [[Jason Taylor]]'s [[South Sydney Rabbitohs|Rabbitohs]], won by the Eels 18-12, Hagan was involved in a post-match altercation with the former Eels halfback. Taylor claimed that Hagan had stuffed up what was on offer at Parramatta, and former Eels coach and now [[Newcastle Knights|Knights]] coach [[Brian Smith (rugby league)|Brian Smith]] had fixed up "what Hagan had f---ed up at Newcastle". Taylor also challenged Hagan to win games without [[Andrew Johns]]. Interestingly enough, Hagan said: "At least we won without Joey".{{fact|date=July 2008}} {{start box}} {{succession box | before = [[Warren Ryan]]<br>1999-2000 | after = [[Brian Smith (rugby league)|Brian Smith]]<br> 2007- | title = Coach<br>[[Newcastle Knights]] | years = 2001-2006 | }} {{succession box | before = [[Jason Taylor (rugby league)|Jason Taylor]]<br>2006 | after = Incumbent | title = Coach<br>[[Parramatta Eels]] | years = 2007- | }} {{end box}} {{start box}} {{succession box | before = [[Wayne Bennett (rugby league coach)|Wayne Bennett]]<br>2001-2003 | after = [[Mal Meninga]]<br>2006- | title = Coach<br>[[Queensland]]<br>[[State of Origin]] | years = 2004-2005 | }} {{end box}} ==External links== *{{StateofOrigin player|324}} {{Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs squad 1985 NSWRL premiership}} {{Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs squad 1988 NSWRL premiership}} {{Newcastle Knights squad 2001 NRL premiership}} {{Queensland State of Origin coaches}} {{Parramatta Eels squad}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Hagan, Michael}} [[Category:Australian rugby league players]] [[Category:1964 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Australian rugby league coaches]] [[Category:Newcastle Knights rugby league players]] [[Category:Canterbury Bulldogs players]] [[Category:Queensland Rugby League State of Origin players]] [[Category:Queensland Rugby League State of Origin coaches]] [[Category:Halifax RLFC players]]