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Flanno's New Signings

Ronnie Dobbs

Coach
Messages
17,441
I think you're all reading this the wrong way. RCG's Management used us to push a good deal with the Broncos or other suitors and then reneged on possibly a spoken hint of coming to us. In other words they told Flanno we might sign - then f-off no thanks after using him/us, so I don't see where you get this Flanno did good impression. And it's not the first time, probably not the last.
I can see RCG and Saifiti ending up at the bloody dogs at this rate. We are so useless, it beggars belief.
The Boardroom hasn’t had fresh air or sunlight since 1966.

its dank and outdated. Rot in the woodwork.

I fear it’s terminal.
 

Ronnie Dobbs

Coach
Messages
17,441
There is definitely going to be no quick, or even clear, road to success.

We have some good juniors (U19s rep stars). These guys are still a minimum two years away from regular first grade. I believe under Flanno we will reap these rewards in time...

But, in the process, continuing to be bottom feeders for the rest of the comp isn't going to get us anywhere (and it hasn't so far). I am glad to see Flanno continuing to stand his ground and simply hanging up the phone on these guys...

We are offering only a two year deal, and the salary cap auditor has given us advice that your minimum wage is $x so that's all we are paying you. Sign on the dotted line by x day/date or feel free to throw the contract paperwork in the bin !

We also ran into similar stumbling blocks with Val Holmes, if we go back and believe some of the news articles being written up to 24 hours before he was announced.

No doubt certain player managers will be pissed now that they have one less club (in us) to use as a leverage or bargaining tool for their clients. While we are not seeing it yet, the tide will surely turn on this in the next couple of years.
He’s got a stake in one hand and a broom in his other.
 

Illusion

Bench
Messages
3,258

Not good enough: Dragons take Hunt to task in scathing review​

ByMichael Chammas and Danny Weidler

September 12, 2024 — 5.09pm
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St George Illawarra captain Ben Hunt was one of several players who was told his performances during the final month of the season weren’t up to the standard expected as part of a scathing end-of-season review.
Hunt, who just 12 months ago sought a release but was convinced to stay and be part of Shane Flanagan’s Dragons rebuild, was recently told a proposed contract extension would also be taken off the table for the moment.




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Michael Chammas

Michael Chammas is a sports reporter with The Sydney Morning HeraldConnect via Twitter or email.
Danny Weidler

Danny Weidler is a sport columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect
 
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3,920

Not good enough: Dragons take Hunt to task in scathing review​

ByMichael Chammas and Danny Weidler

September 12, 2024 — 5.09pm
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St George Illawarra captain Ben Hunt was one of several players who was told his performances during the final month of the season weren’t up to the standard expected as part of a scathing end-of-season review.
Hunt, who just 12 months ago sought a release but was convinced to stay and be part of Shane Flanagan’s Dragons rebuild, was recently told a proposed contract extension would also be taken off the table for the moment.




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Michael Chammas

Michael Chammas is a sports reporter with The Sydney Morning HeraldConnect via Twitter or email.
Danny Weidler

Danny Weidler is a sport columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect
It’s good to see that Flanno is rattling the cage

hopefully Hunt finds a suitor

once we have a vacancy for a marquee player we will snare a decent 7
 

JubileeJeffro

Juniors
Messages
872

Not good enough: Dragons take Hunt to task in scathing review​

ByMichael Chammas and Danny Weidler

September 12, 2024 — 5.09pm
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St George Illawarra captain Ben Hunt was one of several players who was told his performances during the final month of the season weren’t up to the standard expected as part of a scathing end-of-season review.
Hunt, who just 12 months ago sought a release but was convinced to stay and be part of Shane Flanagan’s Dragons rebuild, was recently told a proposed contract extension would also be taken off the table for the moment.




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Michael Chammas

Michael Chammas is a sports reporter with The Sydney Morning HeraldConnect via Twitter or email.
Danny Weidler

Danny Weidler is a sport columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect
All pretty accurate and what we have seen for a while. Poor defense, poor kicking options and no game mgmt and leadership.
We can use the $900k more wisely to improve the squad.
 

Dragon David

First Grade
Messages
9,312
All pretty accurate and what we have seen for a while. Poor defense, poor kicking options and no game mgmt and leadership.
We can use the $900k more wisely to improve the squad.
It is good to see that the Club gave Hunt a bad report. How he got away with being picked for those games at the end beats me. It was obvious that he had all the crosses against everything a leader should have been given ticks for. We knew of his shortcomings and we knew that he should not have been captain. Why did they persist with him?

There is no way that any other club will pick him up at the price that we are paying him. Will he be worth having in any case? Maybe as a hooker at the Titans.
 

Dribble&Yarn

Juniors
Messages
191
You say that (in bold) and then go on to tell me what "RCG's management has done" - your version.
If you read the article, it says "A furious Flanagan hung up the phone on Campbell-Gillard’s management on Monday after the coach was informed ‘RCG’ had ruled out a rumoured move to the Dragons." So, Flanno didn't tell anyone to F-off, or say no deal, or change the offer. RCG stood us up, same as many before him and once again our recruitment is shown up as an embarrassing failure.
Our only hope now is to go fishing after Nov 1 for a few decent players to sign for 2026, players that will be under no immediate pressure to sign and can be swayed by a big wad of cash. I can't see us landing any big fish before then, just a possibility of some average old guys looking for a last payout and as long a deal as possible - but I hope we don't throw money down the sink as well as waste valuable roster space. Don't Panic.
Do you think we should’ve offered more money/a 3rd year to sweeten the deal for RCG?
 
Messages
657
We need a proper recruitment manager, Flanno cant do everything on his own, it’s really that simple. We really look unprofessional when we have the coach wheeling and dealing with player mangers.

Webb, pull your finger out and do your job, appoint a recruitment manager asap.
100%

we did try to get one and it was identical to the RCG situation. O'Sullivan was in the bag but we are so far gone that our stench scared him away.

Flanagan looks around and steps up to the plate because Webb and co are too busy talking business strategies. Flanagan is mad enough to think he can do it on his own and he simply can’t.

I mean we all like to think we haven’t but we’ve given up on this club going anywhere. We are hanging on to the thinnest thread of hope with zero confidence. We pretend hope is around the corner but the priorities of the board are so, so wrong.
 

56to66

Juniors
Messages
723
You know your club is stuffed when the best your fans have to 'celebrate' is a 'win' over a player manager. If only there was a trophy for airing your dirty laundry in public, picking fights with player managers and letting the media know you captain and halfback is no good. We used to be such a professional club. Now we are just a collection of individual egos.
We just put a mirror in front of Ben Hunt, he deserves everything he gets. Unfortunately for the great St George team, there has been 40 years where there have been people recruted into the media, the NRL and as player managers hating on the Red V, there was one occasion around 2004, after a game, St George refused a so called big D manager into the dressing room's, then him saying, I'll make these M Fkr pay, but you know what goes around comes around.
 

Sloan Ranger

Juniors
Messages
62
We just put a mirror in front of Ben Hunt, he deserves everything he gets. Unfortunately for the great St George team, there has been 40 years where there have been people recruted into the media, the NRL and as player managers hating on the Red V, there was one occasion around 2004, after a game, St George refused a so called big D manager into the dressing room's, then him saying, I'll make these M Fkr pay, but you know what goes around comes around.
You could use that as motivation to build a great club with a seige mentality.
 
Messages
3,920
If we had smart operators running the club, we sure could. But we have too many Dumbos still thinking we are the great St George.
in reality we have morphed into the Illawarra Dragons over the past 25 years.

Perhaps it’s time all stakeholders accepted this and the club:

1. played out of 1 home ground
2. Trained out of one location
3. Retired the red V and replaced it with an all red jersey with white shorts
 

Sloan Ranger

Juniors
Messages
62
in reality we have morphed into the Illawarra Dragons over the past 25 years.

Perhaps it’s time all stakeholders accepted this and the club:

1. played out of 1 home ground
2. Trained out of one location
3. Retired the red V and replaced it with an all red jersey with white shorts
If it gets us 2 decent middle forwards I'd consider anything.
 

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