saint-stefano
Juniors
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switch over to cnn ...there probably checking his every move like they do trump ....
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switch over to cnn ...there probably checking his every move like they do trump ....
www.foxsports.com.au
www.foxsports.com.au
Concerning to me that Billy Burns isn't listed as departing. Surely we aren't going to re-sign that bloke are we?Flanagan’s Dragons clean-out begins as Knights farewell ten in big shake-up
Forward allowed to leave as Flanno’s clean-out begins; Knights’ huge shake-up: Off-Season Central
Just needs to be taught how to tackle...lol
I believe this team should be based full time in Sydney, Kogarah Jubilee Oval is 15 minutes away from the Airport and 30 minutes to the Opera House (Opera Bar) , if you want to attract the best, Sydney is the way to go, I love Kiama,I’m liking this bloke more and more.
View attachment 78981
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.
Probably in conjunction with the high spending $200,000,000 upgrade of the St George Leagues Club bringing more people and fans back to the core Dragons area.
www.foxsports.com.au
Reality!
All of those places you mention are 30-90 mins south of Wollongong.
The 2 most successful NRL teams over the last 23 years, have been City based team's, The Storm and the Roosters, check it out.
No i dont get the picture. We share half time between Sydney and Wollongong.
Lomax best position is right centre. But I like him making players being ready to fill in if required and also puts others on notice.Flanagan to give Lomax another shot at Dragons’ No.1 jersey
By Adrian Proszenko
September 6, 2023 — 7.00pm
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Incoming St George Illawarra coach Shane Flanagan says Zac Lomax will be given a chance to become the team’s long-term fullback in what shapes as his first big call in the job.
Lomax has long been considered one of the game’s most promising centres, but hasn’t yet made the transition to the representative level. The 23-year-old has filled in capably on the few occasions he has played at fullback, but has not made the No.1 jersey his own.
That will change when Flanagan arrives at the Red V. Lomax will be pitted against Tyrell Sloan, whose 36-game career has been marked by flashes of brilliance and inconsistency in equal measure.
The future of Cody Ramsey, who was poised to start the season as fullback, but didn’t play due to an inflammatory bowel condition, remains unclear.
There have been calls for Lomax, as one of the club’s highest-paid players, to shift into a spine position, and he will soon get his chance at fullback.
“He’s definitely going to get some reps there in the off-season,” Flanagan said. “It’s not a bad thing for him to be able to play both sides of the field, either way. He’s done it at left centre and right centre.
Zac Lomax could become the Dragons’ permanent No.1.CREDIT: GETTY
“As a fullback, there’s a lot of defensive qualities you need to have and he’s definitely big and strong enough and fit enough; he can handle the workload.
“It’s just the subtleties of the fullback play, [playing] out the back, the three-on-twos and those sorts of things that we will work on with him during the off-season.”
Lomax’s future was clouded when he was dropped by former coach Anthony Griffin this year for the first time in his career. There was also speculation Flanagan may allow him permission to explore other options, but the premiership-winning mentor quickly put those rumours to rest.
“I’ve seen him play, he is talented,” Flanagan said. “He can do a lot of things, but he just hasn’t played that position for a long period of time.
Incoming Dragons coach Shane Flanagan.CREDIT: GETTY
“We’ll give him some reps and see how he adjusts to it.”
Flanagan is finishing up his official duties at Manly, where he has been an assistant to Anthony Seibold. Once the end-of-season reviews have been completed on the northern beaches, he will turn his full focus to the Dragons. It will be a huge task for a club that finished second last this season and has churned through three coaches in five years.
It appears increasingly likely that Flanagan’s son, off-contract Bulldogs half-hooker Kyle, will join him at the joint-venture outfit. An official announcement could come as soon as this week. Another change Flanagan is considering is holding at least one training session a week at Kogarah, although the majority of the preparation will remain in Wollongong. The club is in the process of moving into a new $50 million centre of excellence on the University of Wollongong campus.
Despite fielding interest from Wests Tigers, Ryan Carr – who was the caretaker following Anthony Griffin’s departure – will remain at the Dragons. Incoming Tigers coach Benji Marshall is considering other options, which include Craig Sandercock. The former Hull Kingston Rovers head coach – who is overseeing preparations for an incoming Bulldogs NRLW side – has previously been an assistant at the Tigers, as well as the Knights and Sharks men’s teams.
On Tuesday night Blake Lawrie was named the 2023 recipient of the Dragons medal as the club’s player of the year. Unlike the last year’s presentation night – at which only three NRL players were present – almost every player of the top squad, as well as the lower grade sides, were in attendance.
The last 12 years have been extremely successful, year in, year out top 4 , multiple grand final appearances, packed out stadiums, fans leaving after every game, extremely joyful, skipping down the street holding hands.
If you think Melbourne was successful and main attraction was both because of living down there you are dreaming.The last 12 years have been extremely successful, year in, year out top 4 , multiple grand final appearances, packed out stadiums, fans leaving after every game, extremely joyful, skipping down the street holding hands.
Who said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing?
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
www.zerotackle.com
