NRL Coaching Q&A: Winning not the only measure of Shane Flanagan’s success at the Dragons
New St George Illawarra coach Shane Flanagan talks to MICHAEL CARAYANNIS about his plans for the club, and expectations of stars Zac Lomax and Ben Hunt.
Michael Carayannis Michael Carayannis
@mcarayannis
9 min read
January 13, 2024 - 6:00AM
News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom
Shane Flanagan will coach his first NRL game since being deregistered in 2018.
He sits down with Michael Carayannis ahead of his coaching return and reveals what he has learned during his time away
MICHAEL CARAYANNIS: Why the Dragons, why were they right fit for you?
SHANE FLANAGAN: Just with the time of my life. Where I have been. I was at the Sharks for eight years and had some success there. I was disappointed I had to leave but that’s happened and I have learnt to live with that and get over it. I had a really enjoyable year last season at Manly with Anthony Seibold and the team. I really liked working with that group of players. There were some elite players who were a pleasure to work with. Some of the young kids were really good.
When the Dragons job came up I was excited about it given my history here. I was a junior and played all my junior footy for the Dragons. I thought it was a good fit. I’ve been at the club in a couple of different roles in the last couple of years. I did a bit of list management for six to eight months and helped Mary (former coach Paul McGregor) for 12 months. I thought it was a good fit. I have a good knowledge of the players and the set-up between Sydney and Wollongong. I know the strength and weaknesses of both areas. I haven’t gone in there without a good history and background of what needs to stay the same and what needs to change.
MC: How are you a different coach from the last time you were a head coach?
SF: I am a lot more mature with how I do things. I was bullish and reactive but I was a young coach who wanted to win. I don’t want to lose all that to an extent. Winning from a coach’s perspective is almost everything but there are other bits that go with it that I’ve learnt. It’s about development, looking after your club, governance and setting your club up for long-term success. But when you look in the rear vision mirror you need to be winning games too.
It’s OK to set up all these pathways and set the club up well and have a plan but the NRL side has got to win. That’s not going to be easy next season but I will make sure we are on that road. I need to get the players on that journey because they haven’t been the last couple of years. A lot of coach changes, philosophy and what they need to do as players and staff. I’d like to think we’re all on the same page. It’s a massive club and I need to get it back to being the big brother against the Sharks.
MC: Did you think your time as an NRL coach was done?
SF: No, never because that’s what I thought I do well and I enjoy it. There are some days that you wonder why you do it but for me those days are few and far between. Most of the time I love my job, I love working with young men and athletes and seeing staff and players grow within your organisation. And I love the game. That’s the most important thing. I never thought my time was up.
MC: From the outside looking in. How have the Dragons been perceived in recent years?
SF: Underachievers. There is some good talent there. For a big club they have gone backwards in some areas and have been pushed around and bullied a little bit on and off the field. I’ll be making sure we don’t get pushed around on or off the field.
We will get back to being that big club. We go from way down on the south coast to out west and all the way to the airport. We have fans all around the country and around the world. It is a big club. When I was growing up, the Red V and the Dragons were the biggest club. Even to when I started playing here, we had three grades playing in the grand final (in 1985). We were a big club but now we are even bigger because we are St George Illawarra. That is what excites me.
MC: You’ve mentioned the fans, I am sure they have been stopping you in the street. What is the first thing they say to you?
SF: Good luck. They know it’s a big job. Dragons fans have to understand, it’s going to be a journey. It’s not a long journey – it won’t be a five-year plan — but within two years we will be back on track. My plan is to get us back on track in 2024 but we will have days that are tough. The fans will be proud of what they see. Some days we will try hard and not win and that should keep me reasonably happy. In the end it’s about winning footy games. It will be a journey but we will get there quickly.
MC: What’s the biggest challenge with this playing group?
SF: Getting them back into systems. Especially defensively. We’ve been loose in that area. Sides have run in tries consistently in that area. From looking with an educated eye, it’s been hard to see what they have been trying to do defensively. It’s a big job but I am confident that I have a group of players to get the job done.
MC: One of your first appointments was Dean Young onto your coaching staff. He wanted the top job. How did you navigate that and why Dean?
SF: He is loyal. He is passionate about the club. He wants to coach in the NRL and I am comfortable with that. There are a lot of second grade coaches who want to be first grade coaches but they need to do it for 10 or 12 years. If you jump into that head coaching arena at 40 and you coach for two years then your coaching career is over at 42. You still have a lot of work years left in your life and you’ve basically pigeonholed yourself to be an assistant coach for the rest of your life. They need to make sure assistant coaches are ready and they aren’t too young. They’ve been with a couple of head coaches and seen the good and bad times. Without doubt Dean will be ready in time. My message to him is to be patient and his time will come.
MC: What’s a realistic expectation of this group next season?
SF: I want to challenge for the eight. When we broke down last season there were a lot of games that if we kick goals we win, especially early in the year. We have to turn a couple of tight results around and get some confidence and we will push for semi finals. We want to compete right until the end. You don’t want to be halfway through thinking you need to win every game because it’s not feasible. We have to be in the competition right until the end.
MC: When the Dragons have been at their best they’ve been filled with junior players. Do you see the Dragons as a development club?
SF: I do. We saw two last season in Ryan and Toby Couchman. They probably played maybe a little too many games and got fatigued but they are an example of what’s there. There are probably six or seven underneath them who are similar. In the next two or three years we will see some really exciting players. Hamish Stewart, Dylan Egan, Savelio Tamale. There are some exciting kids. I’m looking forward to them coming through.
MC: Specifically from the current squad, who do you need to get more out of?
SF: Zac Lomax can go to another level and he is open to change. He has been good at adapting to a different style of football I want him to play.
Flanagan wants big changes from how Zac Lomax (R) plays off the ball. Picture: Richard Dobson
Flanagan wants big changes from how Zac Lomax (R) plays off the ball. Picture: Richard Dobson
MC: When you say that, what do you mean by a different style of football for Zac?
SF: It’s technical. He doesn’t do enough work before he gets the football. He is standing still and holds his width rather than coming in field and getting moving onto the football. A lot of good centres, it’s what they do before they get the ball rather than once they get the ball. Zac gets the ball and sometimes he is standing still. He is big, strong and fast. In this game standing still is what opposition centres want him to do. If he can be running onto the football and using his strengths he will be a dangerous footy player.
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Flanagan insists he won’t let star half Ben Hunt just walk out on the Dragons. Picture: NRL Photos
Flanagan insists he won’t let star half Ben Hunt just walk out on the Dragons. Picture: NRL Photos
