Coach Flanno

[56to66]

Well a new era is about to start for the club and its supporters.

Having followed the club for > 60 years it is depressing to see what has become of a once great entity.

Many have posted about where the fault lies and most likely all have an element truth to them with no 1 reason being the sole cause rather the sum of many little bits.

The last 12 years has been like a recurring nightmare and deeply traumatising for those who have a genuine re pore / love for the club. Some of the decisions have been so short sighted, morally corrupt and gut wrenching to endure.

Mediocrity at all levels of management and playing roster including abysmal behaviour both on and off the field and no sense of shame attached to any of it other than for the shame that the faithful fans feel watching us spiral into the abyss.

I have made my feelings well known about the incoming coach and have no doubt I have also great animosity towards the ARL & NRL for the way they have destroyed my love for the game.

So very shortly I will take a rest from all things NRL and find / rekindle some other interests to fill in my days and I hope that circumstances do change that allows me to participate in this part of the forum again as in many ways it has been a godsend and great distraction from other not so fun things that also occupy some of my time.

I will be in some sections of the forum like politics, fishing, punting etc so will no
doubt be able to lock horns with some of you on those subject matters

To all those that remain I wish you whatever it is that you wish for yourself and I take this opportunity to thank all those that have agreed / disagreed / like / disliked my posts as that is what makes the place fun.

I believe Flanno will turn things around, nevertheless, this will my last true interest in the Red V, as far as I am concerned this St George Illawarra Dragons can fold or die and the WWF can rot in hell!

 

[Dragon David]

Broncos are a powerhouse club with heaps of money and corporate backers.
Imo overall they have underperformed and should have won more comps
The warriors always have one good season every ten
And the cows were disappointing second half of the year and overall have been average at best (2015) exception.
Consistency is the benchmark
Eg Melb ( hate to say it) but every year they aim up
Rorters pretty much the same
Panthers last few seasons as well but before that were also disappointing
Bunnies have been consistent last ten years
Sharkies just scrape in pass mark
The rest pretty much rubbish
The reason not enough to go around and not enough money at grassroots to keep kids motivated

Good appraisal/summation RR.

 

[teza]

Well the season from hell has thankfully ended. Thanks to all fellow posters for keeping me entertained. My take on recruiting is:
1) must add speed
2) must add size and aggression to the forwards
3) recruit from the the best systems - Penrith, Storm and Roosters
4) buy 3 elite players rather than 6 journeymen
5) don't overpay youngsters- use incentive contracts wisely
Teza

 

[Ghostrider22]

Well, I hope that what you say will happen and that Flanagan will do his best to ensure that Tyrell gets the full treatment in the off season to build up, get stronger and be psyched up to be a better defender.

DD all of the team needs the treatment from top to bottom, tha game so demanding.
if you haven’t the mileage of pre season you are left behind we have all seen it. can’t get off the line in a straight line and what give away 6 agains penalties arm grabbing it all comes down to fatigue and mental toughness.
If I can say one thing about toughness Flanno is the man. Let’s all see what transpires in the coming months, I hope it’s a big turn around, from what we have all seen.

 

[Dragon David]

Well a new era is about to start for the club and its supporters.

Having followed the club for > 60 years it is depressing to see what has become of a once great entity.

Many have posted about where the fault lies and most likely all have an element truth to them with no 1 reason being the sole cause rather the sum of many little bits.

The last 12 years has been like a recurring nightmare and deeply traumatising for those who have a genuine re pore / love for the club. Some of the decisions have been so short sighted, morally corrupt and gut wrenching to endure.

Mediocrity at all levels of management and playing roster including abysmal behaviour both on and off the field and no sense of shame attached to any of it other than for the shame that the faithful fans feel watching us spiral into the abyss.

I have made my feelings well known about the incoming coach and have no doubt I have also great animosity towards the ARL & NRL for the way they have destroyed my love for the game.

So very shortly I will take a rest from all things NRL and find / rekindle some other interests to fill in my days and I hope that circumstances do change that allows me to participate in this part of the forum again as in many ways it has been a godsend and great distraction from other not so fun things that also occupy some of my time.

I will be in some sections of the forum like politics, fishing, punting etc so will no
doubt be able to lock horns with some of you on those subject matters

To all those that remain I wish you whatever it is that you wish for yourself and I take this opportunity to thank all those that have agreed / disagreed / like / disliked my posts as that is what makes the place fun.

I like how you think and how you have put your arguments on many threads in this Forum OT with good constructive writing.

You are so right that the last 12 years has been like a recurring nightmare for us and fans of the Dragons. Our nightmare in my mind will be ongoing for some indeterminate time unfortunately irrespective of the changes in the coaching staff.

I understand how you feel towards the appointment of our latest head coach and you have firm tenets to not change your opinions which of course is your prerogative.

Many on here, including myself have been long time supporters and followers of the Dragons but I am sensing a lot will be turning towards other interests to put them in a better frame of mind rather than being disheartened with a rugby league team that has been underperforming for too long.

I hope your off season will be a relaxing one.

 

[Parko1310]

Well the season from hell has thankfully ended. Thanks to all fellow posters for keeping me entertained. My take on recruiting is:
1) must add speed
2) must add size and aggression to the forwards
3) recruit from the the best systems - Penrith, Storm and Roosters
4) buy 3 elite players rather than 6 journeymen
5) don't overpay youngsters- use incentive contracts wisely
Teza

I think we honestly need 8-10 players brought in over the next two off seasons. Depending on if we let Sloan and Amone go, it could be up to 12. This team need a complete overhaul and we do have that opportunity given we've got 16 or 17 guys off contract next year. With that said, over the next two off seasons I'd be looking at ideally bringing in:

Hame Sele, Nick Meaney, Ipape (or any hooker who can play a starting role, with Liddle off the bench), Kyle Flanagan (backup half, third string hooker), Shawn Blore, Mo Fotuaika, Josh Curran, Taylan May OR Sunia Turuva and probably another prop/lock or two. Those could include Jordan McLean for example, who will give our young team a little bit more leadership and experience. Jazz Tevaga also adds a point of difference. If Amone goes, or doesn't win in court, then we could look at players like Mam, Fogarty, etc.

This is optimistic I know, and there are alternative options for each player(s), but for mine we should be looking at getting as many of those players as our first options as we can. If we can only get the alternatives, then it simply won't be good enough I'm afraid. Now, with that said, the alternatives down the list could be:

Connor Tracey, Mitch Kenny/Mamazoules/Gordon Chan Kum Tong, Max King/Matt Eisenhuth/Siua Wong, Junior Tupou/Billy Smith as examples. The discrepancy between some of my first options and the alternatives are pretty large, so I think we need to really focus on getting the right ones in. Because as I say, too many of the alternatives and we'll be in big trouble.

Obviously this is all my opinion, but I really do believe we need this big of a turnover to see genuine success, not just competitiveness.

 

[blacksafake]

Well a new era is about to start for the club and its supporters.

Having followed the club for > 60 years it is depressing to see what has become of a once great entity.

Many have posted about where the fault lies and most likely all have an element truth to them with no 1 reason being the sole cause rather the sum of many little bits.

The last 12 years has been like a recurring nightmare and deeply traumatising for those who have a genuine re pore / love for the club. Some of the decisions have been so short sighted, morally corrupt and gut wrenching to endure.

Mediocrity at all levels of management and playing roster including abysmal behaviour both on and off the field and no sense of shame attached to any of it other than for the shame that the faithful fans feel watching us spiral into the abyss.

I have made my feelings well known about the incoming coach and have no doubt I have also great animosity towards the ARL & NRL for the way they have destroyed my love for the game.

So very shortly I will take a rest from all things NRL and find / rekindle some other interests to fill in my days and I hope that circumstances do change that allows me to participate in this part of the forum again as in many ways it has been a godsend and great distraction from other not so fun things that also occupy some of my time.

I will be in some sections of the forum like politics, fishing, punting etc so will no
doubt be able to lock horns with some of you on those subject matters

To all those that remain I wish you whatever it is that you wish for yourself and I take this opportunity to thank all those that have agreed / disagreed / like / disliked my posts as that is what makes the place fun.

OT
I generally enjoy your posts so as far as I’m here you’ll be missed. I’m sure we’ll catch up in the punting section,
Take care

 

[TheRev]

So today was Flanno's last day @ Manly.. I reckon he drives down the highway tomorrow but probably will spend the day in meetings.. setting up.. but hopefully later this week we can start to get a statement or 2 around signings, even if its just the football dept.

That said there are still 8 clubs playing footy, so if there was anything doing with those clubs (e.g. Meaney) we wouldn't know about it for a few more weeks atleast.

 

[possm]

It will take Flanno at least 2 years to turn this clubs fortunes around, he will need at least 3 quality forwards and 2 quality backs, that won't happen in a couple of months. I just hope the Red V can follow the Sharks path post 2010, if not, this sack coach business is bullshit,
the joint venture must be dismantled and new owners are needed or expect them to become the Magpies, Rabbits of the 90's, last or 2nd last every year.
St George has a rich history 15 premiership, 11 in a Row, Surely Paul Smith would like to own them and restore our position in Rugby League.

While Peter Doust and Craig Young are pulling the strings, it will be an uphill battle to improve our lot, and just like last time around, Paul Smith would not have a hope in hell of gaining ownership of the Dragons; and I doubt he would want to anyway. That ship has sailed.

 

[Slippery Morris]

That ship did sail but after this season of coming 2nd last because of their poor decisions which have contributed to much lower crowds, their time may be coming closer to the end than we think. A lot will ride on how Flanno goes in the next 2 seasons. If they are still fighting for spoons and the juniors are just as bad, they will be gone you would think.

 

[twinkletoes]

Has Flano entered the building yet??

 

[be55]

So very shortly I will take a rest from all things NRL and find / rekindle some other interests to fill in my days and I hope that circumstances do change that allows me to participate in this part of the forum again as in many ways it has been a godsend and great distraction from other not so fun things that also occupy some of my time.

I will be in some sections of the forum like politics, fishing, punting etc so will no
doubt be able to lock horns with some of you on those subject matters

To all those that remain I wish you whatever it is that you wish for yourself and I take this opportunity to thank all those that have agreed / disagreed / like / disliked my posts as that is what makes the place fun.

 

[Illusion]

Farewell old mate until we meet again stay safe ........

 

[Mojo]

I've always enjoyed OT's posts.
Everything we all write here is just opinion - some better informed than others (ie; he's better informed than I am ...)

 

[maestro1]

I think he is worth another opportunity at fullback next year after a full off season under Flanno to correct his defensive issues as he offers so much in attack.

I think it will be easier for Flanno to fix Sloan's defensive issues than it will be for him to get Lomax to find the extra pace he would need to succeed and the back...

Sloan reminds me a lot of ex Cronulla fullback , David Peachey who was a great attacking fullback with lots of defensive deficiencies in his early years. He corrected them and became a Very good defender and maintained the silky attacking skills

 

[matPORTS]

I have pretty much watched the last 4-6 weeks of footy in silence.

I felt we played well for the most part, barring last Saturday night (where the playing group clearly had one hand on the cold Mad Monday beers), and had some dubious calls go against us at critical times during recent matches.

But - we are about to enter the most critical time in the history of the club... both as separate entities and as the joint venture.

High standards need to be driven through the place right from the very bottom (our youngest juniors) all the way to the very top (the way the board, football club staff, coaching staff, first grade top 30 playing roster conducts itself both on and off the field & training paddock) - why did the majority of players get ushered off last Saturday night and not stay back out to sign autographs etc? This is not going to turn around in one season... and we'll soon see who is on the bus or off it.

Recruitment needs to be smart - I do feel that Flanno can extract some extra performance out of certain players already in the squad. Sele is a smart signing. Nick Meeney and Kyle Flanno also potentially smart (if indeed we are in the market for them). I really want to see what Sloan & Amone can do under the new coaching staff. We don't need to go too crazy with a complete squad overhaul. The higher standards and conduct (per my first point) will take care of the rest.

 

[hewi]

Jayden Hunt released to join the Donkeys can he take Bird with him please.

 

[Rocket Rod]

Jayden Hunt released to join the Donkeys can he take Bird with him please.

Haaa I don’t think they will take birdy back.
They already got their fingers well and truly burnt there. Uncle Wayne made sure of that

 

[jeffdragon]

Jayden Hunt released to join the Donkeys can he take Bird with him please.

Good.

 

[hewi]

I’m liking this bloke more and more.

• Sport
• NRL

St George Illawarra Dragons: Shane Flanagan to relocate NRL training base from Wollongong to Sydney​

Shane Flanagan has made his first big move as Dragons coach, opting to change something which has been the standard for more than a decade.
Michael Carayannis
@mcarayannis
New St George Illawarra coach Shane Flanagan has made his first big move opting to relocate training to Sydney for the first time in more than a decade.
The Dragons have trained permanently in Wollongong in recent seasons with their Kogarah-home seldom used.
But Netstrata Jubilee Stadium will now become a fixture for the Dragons playing squad with the whole team to train at the venue at least once a week every Friday during the pre-season. They will maintain a presence during the year too.
Flanagan wants the Dragons to represent both regions and as a St George junior himself is keen for the club to reconnect to the St George district.

New Dragons coach Shane Flanagan will relocate the club’s training base. Picture: AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts



“Let’s get back to Kogarah,” Flanagan said. “The club is St George Illawarra. I’m treating it like that through all facets of the club.”
Sydney-based players will also stay locally to train at least one other time instead of having the need to travel to Wollongong on a full-time basis.
Flanagan has listened to the players in a bid to ease their travel load placed on them.
The likes Ben Hunt, Jaydn Su’A and new recruit Hame Sele are among the two handful of players who live in Sydney. The reduced travel time will take pressure off the Sydney-based players and could potentially make the club a greater attraction for players to sign with the club who may not want to relocate to Wollongong.

The Dragons return to Kogarah for regular training sessions. Picture: NRL
Wollongong will always remain as the club’s main training base as the Dragons start work a $50 million high performance centre on the University of Wollongong campus.

​

Flanagan and the Dragons have been in consultation with Georges River Council for weeks about the plan move with the council holding the lease for the venue.
In recent years the Dragons have been criticised for moving away from one of their spiritual homes. Kogarah has been used as a base for training before the players headed to the airport for an away trip or sometimes before a home game.
Otherwise Kogarah has been largely a ghost-town for St George Illawarra for a long-time, with the Dragons playing just five home games the venue.