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The Rumours Thread

Messages
838
Everyone is ignoring the elephant in the room aka nepo baby
I'm a KF fan &, although there have been many suggesting he is not a half, he has not attracted much 'vitriol'

I.E. he didn't do much wrong with Fook all support from our masterful game manager. He gave his all and is a team player who has much respect for the club. Loved when he grabbed the emblim after his first try.

Assuming our forwards CAN lay down a platform for our attack then this year will be either the making or breaking of Kyle.

I hoped that Ilias, with a better running game, would be 5/8 but.....?

I still rate KF a worthy first grader
 

Dragsters

First Grade
Messages
5,782
I'm a KF fan &, although there have been many suggesting he is not a half, he has not attracted much 'vitriol'

I.E. he didn't do much wrong with Fook all support from our masterful game manager. He gave his all and is a team player who has much respect for the club. Loved when he grabbed the emblim after his first try.

Assuming our forwards CAN lay down a platform for our attack then this year will be either the making or breaking of Kyle.

I hoped that Ilias, with a better running game, would be 5/8 but.....?

I still rate KF a worthy first grader
KF=effort

Gotta love that...
 

BLM01

First Grade
Messages
9,946
I'm a KF fan &, although there have been many suggesting he is not a half, he has not attracted much 'vitriol'

I.E. he didn't do much wrong with Fook all support from our masterful game manager. He gave his all and is a team player who has much respect for the club. Loved when he grabbed the emblim after his first try.

Assuming our forwards CAN lay down a platform for our attack then this year will be either the making or breaking of Kyle.

I hoped that Ilias, with a better running game, would be 5/8 but.....?

I still rate KF a worthy first grader
Yeh I get the efforts bit and agree but not convinced worthy 1st grader especially not a half as we need more to get anywhere
No vitriol and happy to support him in our jersey cause he tries hard and puts his body on the line but does not have much speed or kicking game
I reckon his best position is a 9/14 but unfortunately our 9's are quicker out of dummy half
I did not quite see it last year as a long term halves solution
Happy to be proven wrong this year but there is reason Chooks and Dogs let him go or did not want him as a half
Who says Kyle & Ilias wont switch!
 
Messages
838
Yeh I get the efforts bit and agree but not convinced worthy 1st grader especially not a half as we need more to get anywhere
No vitriol and happy to support him in our jersey cause he tries hard and puts his body on the line but does not have much speed or kicking game
I reckon his best position is a 9/14 but unfortunately our 9's are quicker out of dummy half
I did not quite see it last year as a long term halves solution
Happy to be proven wrong this year but there is reason Chooks and Dogs let him go or did not want him as a half
Who says Kyle & Ilias wont switch!
Yeah?

Lets get it on!

You and me. Central station, platform 19, midnight (Behind the vending machine)


Oops, wrong thread, sorry!

lol
 

hewi

Bench
Messages
4,194

‘Teams become their coaches’: How Flanagan is moulding the Dragons​

Adrian Proszenko

By Adrian Proszenko

November 30, 2024 — 4.00pm



St George Illawarra coach Shane Flanagan subscribes to the theory that teams embody the personality of their coaches.
This is why Bob Fulton’s sides were ruthless; that discipline is the hallmark of Melbourne under Craig Bellamy; and Ricky Stuart’s charges mirror their mentor’s passion.


Play Video
https://archive.md/YFPlx/again?url=...is-moulding-the-dragons-20241130-p5kurp.html#

https://archive.md/YFPlx/again?url=...is-moulding-the-dragons-20241130-p5kurp.html#
“I agree. My dad was always into me about the same thing; eventually teams become their coaches,” Flanagan says.
“I think you’re right with some of those coaches you’re talking about. I’d like to think when I was at the Sharks and had Wade [Graham], Gal [Paul Gallen] and Mick Ennis, that we could create that, that they were my type of people, tough and ruthless.

“We’ve got some of them at the Dragons. I’d like to think the team becomes a bit more scrap and fight; [and] can win games by two points in the end.
“Also, that we’ve got enough class there now to put games away convincingly when we’re on … I just want competitors in my team who never give in, who keep going and chase together. We’ll compete really hard.”

A plumber by trade, Flanagan isn’t afraid to roll up his sleeves and climb into the trenches. At Cronulla, his team played the same way. When opponents came to Shark Park the visitors knew they were in for a fight.
“They were beaten before they got there,” Flanagan muses.


“When they come to Wollongong it’s going to be a little bit of that. They’re going to want to scrap and fight. When we go to Kogarah I’d like to think that we can replicate the same from the old Dragons days.
“We have a bit of a theory about that. It’s something I’d like to get to. Whether we get there or how long it takes to get to that point, I’m not quite sure. We’re on the right track.”
‘There’s a similarity with the Sharks – I hope the results are the same.’
Dragons coach Shane Flanagan
In his first year at the helm of the Red V, despite being installed as wooden spoon favourites, the club improved its standing by five positions.
“We’ve climbed the ladder – we’re nearly onto the roof, but we can’t get onto it just yet,” Flanagan says.

The Dragons appeared on course for a finals berth last season before, in Flanagan’s words, “falling off a cliff” in the last three weeks to crash out of contention. The premiership-winning coach believes learning from that experience, coupled with the recruitment of Clint Gutherson, Damien Cook, Valentine Holmes, Lachlan Ilias and rugby sevens star Nathan Lawson, will ensure there is no repeat.
The club’s recruitment also has echoes of Flanagan’s past.
“Definitely, there’s a similarity with the Sharks – I hope the results are the same,” Flanagan says of his recruitment philosophy.
“I like working with senior players that have done it and I know I can get some more out of them. I don’t know if you’d call them hardened first-graders, but they have the experience of playing semi-finals and winning games.”

The bookies remain unconvinced, again installing the Dragons as wooden spoon favourites.
“Look, it’s one of those things, you have to prove people wrong, and we’re no different this year,” says Gutherson who, along with Cook, is in the frame to fill the captaincy void left by the departure of Ben Hunt.

“We’re gonna be looking forward to where we want to go as a team and as a club, and the only way to prove [critics] wrong is to win.”
With each key recruit unwanted by their previous club, they will have something to prove. For Ilias, it’s a chance to step out of the shadow of Adam Reynolds and prove that he can fill the shoes of Hunt. In Cook’s case, it’s a chance to finish his NRL career where it started.

“It feels great, just going down to Wollongong, where all my junior footy started,” Cook says.
“WIN Stadium was the ground you always wanted to play at as a junior. Just to have these colours back on is a bit surreal, a full-circle moment for me.”
‘We’ve climbed the ladder – we’re nearly onto the roof, but we can’t get onto it just yet.’
Shane Flanagan expects further improvement from the Dragons
Holmes won a premiership with Flanagan in the Shire in 2016, a relationship that was strained when the Maroons three-quarter quit to pursue his NFL ambition.
“I was probably young and naive; I thought I could do anything at that time,” Holmes reflects.

Now, Holmes will reunite with Flanagan as a senior player, one who can help Gutherson and Cook guide an otherwise youthful roster.
“If these younger lads want to learn from us, that’s good, and if they want to ask us questions, that’s even better,” Holmes says.
Flanagan’s foundations are built on hard work. That’s why, on the first day of pre-season, Dragons players were sent for a five-kilometre run up Mt Keira near Wollongong. It was symbolic of what the club is trying to achieve.
“We’ve got to keep climbing the mountain,” Flanagan says. “We’ve started that process, we need to continue it.

‘Teams become their coaches’: How Flanagan is moulding the Dragons​

Adrian Proszenko

By Adrian Proszenko

November 30, 2024 — 4.00pm
Save


Share
Normal text sizeALarger text sizeAVery large text sizeA


St George Illawarra coach Shane Flanagan subscribes to the theory that teams embody the personality of their coaches.
This is why Bob Fulton’s sides were ruthless; that discipline is the hallmark of Melbourne under Craig Bellamy; and Ricky Stuart’s charges mirror their mentor’s passion.

BEST COACH SINCE BENNETT
 

justadragon

Bench
Messages
4,101

SHOOSH I
Which highly-regarded sports official has had a second interview for the Dragons chief executive job. If he gets offered the position, it will be a popular appointment. He is a shrewd operator.
If this is the case and we do finally get someone who is a shrewd operator, then thats another step in the right direction, we really need someone that does more than talk the talk, and can take us forward with all these kids we have.
 

Mojo

Bench
Messages
4,110
I can't think of a decent thread for this:

I saw the architectural drawings for the Centre of Excellence a couple of weeks ago and I was surprised by the fact that it seems to be just a purpose built office building with a gym near the stadium - with Uni affiliations.

I can't resist the thought that part of the Taj could easily be re-purposed / renovated so that StGI could have two CoE's - one in the Gong and one in Kogarah, with the Gong being primarily for the lower grades / nursery etc. and Kogarah being for the top grade.

No more commute for 1st grade training and we could be the first club with 2 CoE's - even more specialised than any other club. The sports scientists can travel from the Gong to Kogarah as needed, surely.

What do you reckon?
 

justadragon

Bench
Messages
4,101
I can't think of a decent thread for this:

I saw the architectural drawings for the Centre of Excellence a couple of weeks ago and I was surprised by the fact that it seems to be just a purpose built office building with a gym near the stadium - with Uni affiliations.

I can't resist the thought that part of the Taj could easily be re-purposed / renovated so that StGI could have two CoE's - one in the Gong and one in Kogarah, with the Gong being primarily for the lower grades / nursery etc. and Kogarah being for the top grade.

No more commute for 1st grade training and we could be the first club with 2 CoE's - even more specialised than any other club. The sports scientists can travel from the Gong to Kogarah as needed, surely.

What do you reckon?
Wasn't the TAJ coming up for a major refurbishment, cant see why something as your suggestion cant at least be looked at Mojo.
 

qld redvee

Juniors
Messages
1,502

SHOOSH I
Which highly-regarded sports official has had a second interview for the Dragons chief executive job. If he gets offered the position, it will be a popular appointment. He is a shrewd operator.
Lets hope we dont stuff this up. If he is this "good", then offer a good deal get the signature and let's keep going forward
 

Mojo

Bench
Messages
4,110

‘Teams become their coaches’: How Flanagan is moulding the Dragons​

Adrian Proszenko

By Adrian Proszenko

November 30, 2024 — 4.00pm



St George Illawarra coach Shane Flanagan subscribes to the theory that teams embody the personality of their coaches.
This is why Bob Fulton’s sides were ruthless; that discipline is the hallmark of Melbourne under Craig Bellamy; and Ricky Stuart’s charges mirror their mentor’s passion.


Play Video
https://archive.md/YFPlx/again?url=...is-moulding-the-dragons-20241130-p5kurp.html#

https://archive.md/YFPlx/again?url=...is-moulding-the-dragons-20241130-p5kurp.html#
“I agree. My dad was always into me about the same thing; eventually teams become their coaches,” Flanagan says.
“I think you’re right with some of those coaches you’re talking about. I’d like to think when I was at the Sharks and had Wade [Graham], Gal [Paul Gallen] and Mick Ennis, that we could create that, that they were my type of people, tough and ruthless.

“We’ve got some of them at the Dragons. I’d like to think the team becomes a bit more scrap and fight; [and] can win games by two points in the end.
“Also, that we’ve got enough class there now to put games away convincingly when we’re on … I just want competitors in my team who never give in, who keep going and chase together. We’ll compete really hard.”

A plumber by trade, Flanagan isn’t afraid to roll up his sleeves and climb into the trenches. At Cronulla, his team played the same way. When opponents came to Shark Park the visitors knew they were in for a fight.
“They were beaten before they got there,” Flanagan muses.


“When they come to Wollongong it’s going to be a little bit of that. They’re going to want to scrap and fight. When we go to Kogarah I’d like to think that we can replicate the same from the old Dragons days.
“We have a bit of a theory about that. It’s something I’d like to get to. Whether we get there or how long it takes to get to that point, I’m not quite sure. We’re on the right track.”

In his first year at the helm of the Red V, despite being installed as wooden spoon favourites, the club improved its standing by five positions.
“We’ve climbed the ladder – we’re nearly onto the roof, but we can’t get onto it just yet,” Flanagan says.

The Dragons appeared on course for a finals berth last season before, in Flanagan’s words, “falling off a cliff” in the last three weeks to crash out of contention. The premiership-winning coach believes learning from that experience, coupled with the recruitment of Clint Gutherson, Damien Cook, Valentine Holmes, Lachlan Ilias and rugby sevens star Nathan Lawson, will ensure there is no repeat.
The club’s recruitment also has echoes of Flanagan’s past.
“Definitely, there’s a similarity with the Sharks – I hope the results are the same,” Flanagan says of his recruitment philosophy.
“I like working with senior players that have done it and I know I can get some more out of them. I don’t know if you’d call them hardened first-graders, but they have the experience of playing semi-finals and winning games.”

The bookies remain unconvinced, again installing the Dragons as wooden spoon favourites.
“Look, it’s one of those things, you have to prove people wrong, and we’re no different this year,” says Gutherson who, along with Cook, is in the frame to fill the captaincy void left by the departure of Ben Hunt.

“We’re gonna be looking forward to where we want to go as a team and as a club, and the only way to prove [critics] wrong is to win.”
With each key recruit unwanted by their previous club, they will have something to prove. For Ilias, it’s a chance to step out of the shadow of Adam Reynolds and prove that he can fill the shoes of Hunt. In Cook’s case, it’s a chance to finish his NRL career where it started.

“It feels great, just going down to Wollongong, where all my junior footy started,” Cook says.
“WIN Stadium was the ground you always wanted to play at as a junior. Just to have these colours back on is a bit surreal, a full-circle moment for me.”

Holmes won a premiership with Flanagan in the Shire in 2016, a relationship that was strained when the Maroons three-quarter quit to pursue his NFL ambition.
“I was probably young and naive; I thought I could do anything at that time,” Holmes reflects.

Now, Holmes will reunite with Flanagan as a senior player, one who can help Gutherson and Cook guide an otherwise youthful roster.
“If these younger lads want to learn from us, that’s good, and if they want to ask us questions, that’s even better,” Holmes says.
Flanagan’s foundations are built on hard work. That’s why, on the first day of pre-season, Dragons players were sent for a five-kilometre run up Mt Keira near Wollongong. It was symbolic of what the club is trying to achieve.
“We’ve got to keep climbing the mountain,” Flanagan says. “We’ve started that process, we need to continue it.

‘Teams become their coaches’: How Flanagan is moulding the Dragons​

Adrian Proszenko

By Adrian Proszenko

November 30, 2024 — 4.00pm
Save


Share
Normal text sizeALarger text sizeAVery large text sizeA


St George Illawarra coach Shane Flanagan subscribes to the theory that teams embody the personality of their coaches.
This is why Bob Fulton’s sides were ruthless; that discipline is the hallmark of Melbourne under Craig Bellamy; and Ricky Stuart’s charges mirror their mentor’s passion.

BEST COACH SINCE BENNETT
Absolutely. I've always said that all organisations take on the personality of the person at the top.
 

AyiosYiorgos

Coach
Messages
14,176

SHOOSH I
Which highly-regarded sports official has had a second interview for the Dragons chief executive job. If he gets offered the position, it will be a popular appointment. He is a shrewd operator.
Guess who's back, back again?
Dousty back, tell a friend
Guess who's back, guess who's back
Guess who's back, guess who's back
Guess who's back, guess who's back
Guess who's back

(Na-na-na, na, na, na, na, na, na)
(Na-na-na, na, na, na, na)
 
Messages
737

SHOOSH I
Which highly-regarded sports official has had a second interview for the Dragons chief executive job. If he gets offered the position, it will be a popular appointment. He is a shrewd operator.
A new CEO and that prop we are all waiting for would make for a really good December and finish to the year prior to the Christmas and New Year break.
 

Inisai Toga

Juniors
Messages
1,580

Crush

Coach
Messages
11,279
A new CEO and that prop we are all waiting for would make for a really good December and finish to the year prior to the Christmas and New Year break.
Flanno said he isn’t going to fill that 30th spot until the new year, if indeed we do find someone, otherwise we may keep the spot up our sleeves.
No more recruitments this year.
 
Messages
15,206
Absolutely. I've always said that all organisations take on the personality of the person at the top.
You guys do remember that when the Sharks were under the Flanges tenor every other teams supporters thought we were a bunch of kents?
They were right.
Are you prepared for that hate? It does go with the territory.
The twist in that is us Sharkies will never hate Flanno. What a complexed situation.
 

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