Shane Flanagan may be the incoming St George Illawarra coach, but Ryan Carr has reminded the players who the boss is right now.
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Ryan Carr, five games into his career as an NRL head coach, felt the need to deliver his first spray.
When his St George Illawarra players filed into the club’s Wollongong headquarters to review the debacle that was their insipid performance on Friday against the Warriors, they were told the unvarnished truth.
During an old-fashioned honesty session, Carr pointed to the door. Those who didn’t want to adhere to the club’s standards were urged to use it.
“That’s what I believe in, that’s the way I coach,” Carr said on the eve of the clash with arch-rivals Cronulla.
“It was nothing new from me to them, I’m honest with them. They know that, there’s real clarity about what our standards are and what our accountability is towards our job.
“We didn’t meet that. I was just calling out what is what. It’s not about reacting and going over the top and going outside of what we believe in.
“I’m not a big ranter and raver, gone are the days of that. I was a bit disappointed in letting our standards go and putting out something we weren’t proud of.
“It’s about being honest. I take the good with the good, the bad with the bad. I’m never really high or really low, it is what it is.”
He has done well to keep an even keel given so much has transpired in his first month at the helm. The euphoria of Carr’s first win,
a last-gasp victory on debut against the Roosters, has been tempered by countless Dragons dramas.
Jason Ryles rejected the seat Carr is warming, only for it to eventually go to – after countless board squabbles – Shane Flanagan. The appointment ended Flanagan’s purgatory, although other Dragons remain in limbo.
The futures of several players and staff, including Carr, remains unclear. Captain Ben Hunt’s final destination remains clouded after his initial release request was knocked back. Carr said Hunt will remain skipper despite continued speculation surrounding the Maroons star.
“He’s remained committed to the club, he’s not going anywhere,” Carr said.
“He’s committed to the boys for the remainder of this year. What that looks like past that is not my concern, I’m worried about him committing to the 2023 Dragons and he has done that.
“He won’t be going anywhere for the remainder of the year. He’s clarified that and told that to the group, so of course he will remain captain. He’s our captain, our on-field leader and there’s no need to change that.”
How long Carr remains at the Dragons remains unclear. The 34-year-old remains contracted for next year, but Flanagan is already putting his people and systems in place.
Moses Mbye, one of the game’s big earners in his pomp, has been told he is surplus to requirements. Head of physical performance Tony Guilfoyle has decided to move on immediately after learning the club was in negotiations with Andrew Gray, who was in the role during the club’s last premiership. Everyone is on notice.
While Flanagan’s fingerprints are already appearing at the Red V, Carr remains in charge for now.
“It’s my domain,” Carr said of team selection decisions. “[Flanagan] is good, we have an open dialogue about where the squad is heading, but he’s respectful to the fact we need to worry about our performances right now.
“He’ll have his ideas and things and I’m happy to work in with that, because it’s all for the greater good of the club. That’s what it’s about at the end of the day, no one is bigger than the club.”
As for the other distractions, Carr is philosophical.
“You are always going to have things thrown at you in footy,” he said.
“It’s more about trying to remain focused. There are no excuses, there are plenty there if we want them. We can look for them if you want and people will give them to you at times, but if you let excuses become a thing, then accountability goes out the window.
“It’s more about making sure we remain focused on us, what we can control and not letting outside things distract us from our job and standards.
“I’m not big on making excuses.”
Seasoned clipboard holders often say you haven’t really become an NRL coach until you have experienced three consecutive losses. That day may soon arrive for Carr – his record is 2-3 – but there’s nothing he’s gone through yet to dissuade him from his ambition of holding down a head role full-time.
“I still love it mate,” he said. “You’ve got to love it, otherwise it is not for you.”
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