Dragons Coach Struggles with Disappointing Performance
Dragons coach Shane Flanagan was visibly upset and struggling to find solutions after his team suffered a 32-0 defeat against the Cowboys in Kogarah on Saturday night. The loss marked a significant low point for the St George Illawarra team, as they now start the season with a 0-5 record — a first in the club’s 26-year history. Players were met with boos from the crowd at the end of the match.
Flanagan expressed his frustration, stating that the team is not in sync and he needs to make changes. “We’re just not in sync at the moment. I’ve got to come up with some answers, got to come up with some changes,” he said. “That’s hard, but as I said, it’s not good enough for this club. I don’t accept it, I’m not happy with it, I’m terribly disappointed, and I’m sorry.”
Co-captain Damien Cook also voiced his disappointment, emphasizing that the team must take a hard look at themselves. “Tonight was just bad. It’s all us in the playing group, we need to have a hard look at ourselves, make sure we’re all individually doing our job better,” Cook said. “Because we’ve shown at times that it works against some top teams, and what we tossed up tonight was just bad, and it’s disappointing … I’m sorry to the fans.”
Injuries and Halves Concerns
The situation worsened for the Dragons when co-captain and fullback Clint Gutherson suffered an injury in the final minute of the game. He limped off the field with an undisclosed hamstring issue. Flanagan confirmed that he was unsure of the severity of the injury but noted that Gutherson was icing his leg in the sheds.
With young playmaker Lyhkan King-Togia performing similarly to Kyle Flanagan, the question remains about who should pair Daniel Atkinson in the halves. Flanagan has faced criticism for selecting his son each week. This week, Kyle was ruled out due to a heavy concussion sustained in the previous match against the Titans. King-Togia had an opportunity to prove himself as the better choice for the No.6 jersey, but both players struggled on Saturday.
Their kicking games were below average, and they failed to create momentum for the Dragons whenever they had a chance to score. “I’ll have a look at them, they weren’t great,” Flanagan admitted.
Defensive Struggles and Referee Controversy
The Dragons’ defensive performance was equally poor, as North Queensland easily broke through the middle for Jaxon Purdue’s first try. They also exploited the outside with speed. Even when Reuben Cotter was sin-binned for a professional foul, the Dragons couldn’t capitalize. Instead, the Cowboys scored another try after a pass from King-Togia hit the ground and was picked up by Braidon Burns, who ran the length of the field to score.
Burns later left the field in the second half due to an ankle injury. Meanwhile, the pressure on Flanagan continues to grow, while North Queensland’s win eases the pressure on their coach, Todd Payten, who was under scrutiny at the start of the season.
Looking Ahead
The Dragons will now face the Sea Eagles in Wollongong next Friday, hoping to break their losing streak. Despite the scoreline, the first 29 minutes of the game were closely matched, with Scott Drinkwater scoring the only try after a 40-20 kick. However, by half-time, the Dragons were down 16 points, and the crowd at Jubilee Stadium booed the players off the field.
It was unclear whether the fans were angry at their own players, the Cowboys, or referee Wyatt Raymond, whose penalty to the Cowboys just before half-time resulted in a second try for Purdue. The penalty was awarded after Murray Taulagi received a boot to the throat from Dragons winger David Fale, who moved his leg in a Billy Slater-like manner while attempting to catch the ball.
The home side did not improve after the break, as North Queensland kept them out during the Cotter sin-bin period and added 16 more points.
