RETURNING Manly coach Des Hasler was heavily criticised for his tenure at the Bulldogs, but the stats show he is among the best in the NRL since 2012.

From 2012 only five current NRL coaches have better winning percentages than the newly appointed Sea Eagles’ coach.

During the period from 2012 to 2018, Craig Bellamy has the best record among active coaches, with 127 wins from 185 games for a 68.6 win percentage.

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Round 20

Hasler sits in sixth position with a winning percentage of 56.4, with 88 wins from 155 games in charge of the Bulldogs, however, third placed Anthony Seibold has only one year under his belt.

Master coach Wayne Bennett finds himself one below Hasler in seventh position with 101 wins from 180 games for a winning percentage of 56.1.

Trent Robinson (63.3 from 158 games), Seibold (63.0 from 27 games), Shane Flanagan (60.4 from 154 games) and Paul Green (56.4 from 133 games) round out the top five.

Hasler ranks equal second with Paul Green (2015, 2017) and Trent Robinson (2013, 2018) for active coaches in terms of grand finals made through this period, taking the Bulldogs to the decider in 2012 and 2014.

Wayne Bennett has a lower winning percentage than Hasler since 2012. Source: News Corp Australia

Only Craig Bellamy has been to more grand finals in this time, taking Melbourne to the 2012 decider against Hasler’s Bulldogs and the past three grand finals in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Bennett made one premiership decider with the Broncos in 2015.

Of the other 11 coaches, only Paul McGregor (50.4 from 113 games) and Cameron Ciraldo (50.0 from six games) have won more than 50 per cent of their games since 2012.

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Trent Barrett sits a lowly 13th among active coaches with a winning percentage of 39.7.

Hasler has been criticised for his salary cap management as a number of back-ended deals hurt both of his previous stints as head coach.

His dour attacking style that made the Bulldogs one of the least effective teams at scoring points in his final few seasons at Belmore is another fair criticism.

Newly appointed Manly Sea Eagles Coach Des Hasler Source: AAP

However, in a results driven business, Hasler’s record stands up there with the best coaches in the game.

The narrative surrounding his exit from the Sea Eagles and the Bulldogs has perhaps overshadowed his ability to coach a winning team.

For the 15th placed Sea Eagles in 2018, learning how to win again is a good starting point and Hasler may be the man for the job.