Dragons coach Shane Flanagan has been accused of having a ‘blind spot’ when it comes to his son Kyle, who continues to hold his spot at halfback over the in-form Lachlan Ilias.
The Dragons have dropped two straight to sit 11th on the ladder with Kyle’s form indifferent at best. Meanwhile Ilias, who was axed back in Round 9, has won all seven starts wearing the No. 7 jersey for the club’s NSW Cup side, which sits second on the ladder.
For this weekend’s game against the Eels, Shane Flanagan has again named his son at halfback with Ilias set to play his eighth straight NSW Cup game, although Ilias has been named on the extended bench.
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Foxsports.com.au’s Paul Crawley noted the Dragons’ very tricky upcoming draw and said this “had to be the week” Flanagan had to be dropped if he was at all.
“If Flanno was going to budge, this had to be the week because Lachie was dropped seven games back. It was his game management letting him down at the time,” Crawley said on NRL360.
“I can’t agree with Flanno’s assumption that Kyle has done better in that respect. I thought his last game was particularly poor, his kicking game isn’t good. If you were going to make a change, this was the week to do it.
“Their upcoming draw is tough. You have the Raiders (x2), Roosters and Bulldogs coming up so if you’re going with Kyle Flanagan now, you hitch your wagon to him and keep him there for the rest of the season because I reckon it would be weak to give someone else a chance a couple of games into that run and then say ‘I told you so’.”
Flanagan has had to tackle questions from the media on his son’s form. After they coughed up a 12-point lead to Cronulla in Round 15, Flanagan leapt to Kyle’s defence, telling CODE Sports that his son has been one of the Dragons’ best in 2025.
“To say Kyle is under pressure is ridiculous,” Flanagan said.
“I think people are looking in the wrong direction.
“He’s been among our best players all year. It’s not me, ask the other players and coaches. I’m probably harder on Kyle than any other player.”
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This is Shane’s second year at the helm of the Dragons, and given their tough run home, there’s every chance they finish the year around where they finished in year one (11th).
According to Crawley, that could mean Flanagan finds himself on the coaching hot seat, but veteran journalist Andrew Webster believes Flanagan is the man for the job.
However, Webster doesn’t believe that Flanagan’s staunch and public defence of his son was the right way to go though.
“The problem is that he’s got a blind spot when it comes to his son and I say that with the greatest respect for Shane and Kyle,” Webster said.
“It’s admirable that he supports his son and comes out swinging for him but surely he cannot understand that when he says ‘Kyle is among our best performers every week’ that even if it’s the case and even if he thinks it, don’t say it because the optics of it are terrible.
“There was a very real reluctance from St. George directors to get Shane Flanagan to the club in the first place because of the very situation we’re in now.”
It’d be one thing if the Dragons’ reserve grade side were struggling in addition to the first grade team, but that’s not the case.
Ilias and young gun Jonah Glover have forged quite the formidable halves partnership in second grade.
Five-eighth Glover, who is yet to make his NRL debut, is third in try assists (15) in the NSW Cup.
Ilias has only played in seven games, but as mentioned he’s won all of those while recording four tries, seven try assists and nine line break assists.
