Anthony Seibold hopes his right-hand man Shane Flanagan lands the vacant St George Illawarra coaching job but says Manly has yet to decide whether he would finish the season at the Sea Eagles if offered it.
The Dragons initially hoped to have unveiled Anthony Griffin's permanent successor by now but were forced to change tack when front-runner Jason Ryles knocked them back last week.
Premiership-winning ex-Dragons and current NRL assistants Dean Young and Ben Hornby remain on the shortlist, as does former Cronulla mentor Flanagan, who met with the club on Wednesday.
Flanagan coached the Sharks to their maiden premiership victory in 2016 but the NRL deregistered him in late 2018 after it came to light he remained in contact with the club while serving a year-long ban for his role in the infamous supplement scandal.
As part of his punishment, Flanagan has only been permitted to apply for head-coaching roles without seeking exemption from the NRL since November 2021, but returned to coaching as a Dragons assistant in 2020.
This season, Flanagan signed a three-year deal to join the Sea Eagles alongside new coach Seibold, who welcomed the interest the joint venture had shown in his top lieutenant.
"I've spoken to Flanno over the last week-and-a-half since that process was about to start," Seibold said.
"From my understanding, it was a really positive conversation that they had (on Wednesday).
"It's really important that our relationship is transparent, so Flanno's kept me up to date with where things are at.
"He feels as though there'll be a resolution sooner rather than later. I hope he gets the job. I think he's qualified to get the job."
Time is of the essence for the Dragons, who are keen for their new coach to begin working on roster management as soon as possible.
In recent years, they have struggled to attract elite talent and have faced speculation captain Ben Hunt could agitate for a release now that close confidant Griffin has been axed.
A major advantage to appointing Ryles would have been that the Sydney Roosters were keen to release him mid-season, allowing him to devote full attention to the Dragons.
Traditionally, assistant coaches are not given that luxury.
Most recently, Andrew Webster and Cameron Ciraldo remained at Penrith through to the 2022 premiership decider before beginning their own head-coaching careers this year.
Sitting outside the top eight in the crucial State of Origin period, Manly cannot afford distractions as they plot a return to the finals.
"It's something we'd need to put a little bit of thought into," Seibold said of a possible mid-season exit.
"(But) there's no point thinking about it until Flanno gets an offer and he wants to go.
"If he does, then we'll put some things in place to make sure there's the least amount of disruption possible."
At the Sea Eagles, Seibold has found value in Flanagan's previous head-coaching experience, something he can offer the Dragons that Young and Hornby cannot.
"He's been a very good sounding board to me," Seibold said.
"Any coaching staff that has an ex-head coach on staff, I think that's a really positive thing because they've been through the furnace, so to speak."