Dragons Chris
SGI NSW Cup
I'm just worried, if he says they both have a good kicking game, does that mean Atkinson's kicking isn't better than Kyle's?
Kyle Flanagan & the coach
- Thread starter Eric
- Start date
Dragons Chris
SGI NSW Cup
I speculated a while ago, like over a year, Flanno might have decided something like, "f*ck it. I'd rather get sacked than drop Kyle."
No Surrender
SGI Jersey Flegg
Last season the side had a choice of Ilias, Glover, LKT and KF as halves. Have I missed anyone out ?
Ilias choked in key moments and showed he lacked what it takes to play 7.
Glover showed great speed, poor kicking game and poor defence. In keeping with DA’s philosophy, if you can’t tackle you can’t play NRL.
LKT lacks elite speed but has good vision and is creative. Tries hard in defence but his tackling technique needs adjustment. He is developing but it’s difficult to tell whether he will become an elite half.
KF lacks elite speed, average kicking game, however he is a solid defender. He is an experienced reserve grade/fringe NRL player in my view.
Glover and Elias are gone.
Atkinson has arrived. He played very little first grade last season. He will be the first half picked. Has a good running game.
Reed is not ready yet and needs a season in reserve grade to get used to playing against men. Like so many other talented juniors, we don’t know if he going to successfully transition to NRL.
So basically the other half position is between LKT and KF.
LKT has potential and can’t afford lapses in defence.
KF’s defence is NRL standard but he lacks creativity.
Neither has an NRL standard long kicking game.
They both have a good short kicking game.
My conclusion is start the season with LKT at 7 and Atkinson at 6. Accept we will lose games sometimes as teams target LKT in defence.
We need to sign a marquee half now or we wait for Reed or Rocco Walker to progress.
Ilias choked in key moments and showed he lacked what it takes to play 7.
Glover showed great speed, poor kicking game and poor defence. In keeping with DA’s philosophy, if you can’t tackle you can’t play NRL.
LKT lacks elite speed but has good vision and is creative. Tries hard in defence but his tackling technique needs adjustment. He is developing but it’s difficult to tell whether he will become an elite half.
KF lacks elite speed, average kicking game, however he is a solid defender. He is an experienced reserve grade/fringe NRL player in my view.
Glover and Elias are gone.
Atkinson has arrived. He played very little first grade last season. He will be the first half picked. Has a good running game.
Reed is not ready yet and needs a season in reserve grade to get used to playing against men. Like so many other talented juniors, we don’t know if he going to successfully transition to NRL.
So basically the other half position is between LKT and KF.
LKT has potential and can’t afford lapses in defence.
KF’s defence is NRL standard but he lacks creativity.
Neither has an NRL standard long kicking game.
They both have a good short kicking game.
My conclusion is start the season with LKT at 7 and Atkinson at 6. Accept we will lose games sometimes as teams target LKT in defence.
We need to sign a marquee half now or we wait for Reed or Rocco Walker to progress.
Illusion
SGI NSW Cup
This ........ have said it many times , he got rid of ILLIAS , GLOVER so makes it easier for coach to keep his boy there ....... I don't think if I remember right , Glover was not even given a chance ....... So as you say if this is another flop of a year he may have no choice but to change things ......
Illusion
SGI NSW Cup
Earlier on he may not of had much choice , with Amone gone and Illias being dropped after losing a couple of games by a point , but it was alright to keep Kyle at 7 after a couple of 40 point loses ....... There lays the problem , Blood is thicker than water ........
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Dragons Chris
SGI NSW Cup
I think Kyle's long and short kicking game is very poor. LKT's short kicking is good. Other than that, I think this is right. Though Kyle's defence is massively overrated. It's not bad but he legs tackles which is often useless when defending on the line. It also leads to fast play the balls for the opposition.
I remember my "Kyle has gotta go moment". The Anzac Day game last year. Kyle's defence was brutally exposed.
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Dragons Chris
SGI NSW Cup
He got rid of Bud Sullivan after he knew Amone was almost certainly going to be stood down for a long period at very best. I and I think most people thought he was going to be locked up.
Eric
Staff
GCRV
SGI NSW Cup
Mary really cops it for that but at the time, was there anyone else?Paul McGregor called me and told me to tell you, you forgot one Jack de Belin.
Morgan
SGI NSW Cup
One more thing I have to say about this.
Flanno thinks Kyle has a good kicking game but if anyone competing with Kyle for a spot in the team had the same kicking game, Flanno would be telling everyone who cares to listen how he is struggling with his kicking game.
Flanno thinks Kyle has a good kicking game but if anyone competing with Kyle for a spot in the team had the same kicking game, Flanno would be telling everyone who cares to listen how he is struggling with his kicking game.
Dragons Chris
SGI NSW Cup
This is from Fox Sports. I hope they have no idea what they are talking about but I think it's probably pretty accurate. They are right Flanno said that but for some reason they left out the part where he said Kyle has a good kicking game.
Analysis: Shane Flanagan has declared Daniel Atkinson will get first crack in the No.7 jersey, leaving Kyle Flanagan and Lykhan King-Togia to battle for the five-eighth slot. However, the head coach also believes one man has a leg-up in that race. “Atkinson will get the first crack at seven,” Flanagan told Code Sports. “We will slot him in and see how the combination works with Kyle... Kyle has been good for the last two years and only missed a couple of games through suspension but he probably needs to evolve his attacking game, play with a bit more risk and chance his arm a little bit more.” In the forwards, a wave of injured stars return, including young gun quartet Toby and Ryan Couchman, Hamish Stewart and Dylan Egan. Their selections have been made easier by the departure of David Klemmer, who has joined St Helens, with Emre Guler the likely man to start in the front row and Dolphins recruit Josh Kerr joining the bench. Loko Pasifika Tonga and Jacob Halangahu are the remaining contenders, and were solid to close out the year and will be very much in contention, putting pressure on the likes of Kerr and Luciano Leilua to win a spot on the pine. David Fale and Setu Tu are two other players who join the Red V ahead of the 2026 season. Interestingly, Tu is making every post a winner in pre-season and is putting a stack of pressure on Tyrell Sloan. According to WWOS, Tu has been training on the wing this pre-season ahead of Sloan with Christian Tuipulotu on the left flank. Sloan’s future with the team was cloudy at best even before this development given Flanagan wasn’t afraid to drop the flyer in 2025.
DRAGONS
- Clint Gutherson
- Setu Tu
- Moses Suli
- Valentine Holmes
- Christian Tuipulotu
- Daniel Atkinson
- Kyle Flanagan
- Toby Couchman
- Damien Cook
- Emre Guler
- Jaydn Su’A
- Dylan Egan
- Hamish Stewart
- Jacob Liddle
- Ryan Couchman
- Josh Kerr
- Luciano Leilua
Analysis: Shane Flanagan has declared Daniel Atkinson will get first crack in the No.7 jersey, leaving Kyle Flanagan and Lykhan King-Togia to battle for the five-eighth slot. However, the head coach also believes one man has a leg-up in that race. “Atkinson will get the first crack at seven,” Flanagan told Code Sports. “We will slot him in and see how the combination works with Kyle... Kyle has been good for the last two years and only missed a couple of games through suspension but he probably needs to evolve his attacking game, play with a bit more risk and chance his arm a little bit more.” In the forwards, a wave of injured stars return, including young gun quartet Toby and Ryan Couchman, Hamish Stewart and Dylan Egan. Their selections have been made easier by the departure of David Klemmer, who has joined St Helens, with Emre Guler the likely man to start in the front row and Dolphins recruit Josh Kerr joining the bench. Loko Pasifika Tonga and Jacob Halangahu are the remaining contenders, and were solid to close out the year and will be very much in contention, putting pressure on the likes of Kerr and Luciano Leilua to win a spot on the pine. David Fale and Setu Tu are two other players who join the Red V ahead of the 2026 season. Interestingly, Tu is making every post a winner in pre-season and is putting a stack of pressure on Tyrell Sloan. According to WWOS, Tu has been training on the wing this pre-season ahead of Sloan with Christian Tuipulotu on the left flank. Sloan’s future with the team was cloudy at best even before this development given Flanagan wasn’t afraid to drop the flyer in 2025.
Feagai/Sloan probably get a crack ahead of Tu to start with and Egan won’t be back till about May.
Dragons Chris
SGI NSW Cup
LPT will also be in the 17. I guess starting. Kerr or Luciano to drop out. Halangahu or Nick T to start in Egan's spot.
Kerr is in the 17 if fit. Can’t see him missing out. Interesting times ahead of round 1
Dragons Chris
SGI NSW Cup
Actually, second thoughts I think Gular will drop out, not Kerr.
RedV01
SGI NSW Cup
They are just making it up this far into the off season. Must be a hard gig with so little to talk about. So little in relation to how much content they need to create.
Hame Sele if fit, which he probably will be for the first few games until his first injury, will be in the 17. LPT as well. Will it be Gular and Kerr or Gular and Leilua who drop out? All the best second rowers play for 80 min. So I think it might be Gular and Leilua who drop out.
Morgan
SGI NSW Cup
I hope it means KF is going to leave and explore options elsewhere. So the coach can stop worrying about what is best for his only son but instead concentrate on what is best for the team. So far the NSW Cup and first grade halves we have for next year.
- Reed
- Quinn
- LKT
- Atkinson
- O'Neil
- KF
Dragons Chris
SGI NSW Cup
I see. I comment more than most but I don't see every comment. As far as I've seen here and elsewhere and,on the street, in the pub and etc, there is only one major issue everyone second person, or 9 out of 10, are blowing up about. I can't understand how 10 out of 10 aren't blowing up about it.
I think it is a good strategy to not put all of our eggs in one basket. We did that with Amone and Sullivan and it blew up in our faces. A kid can be good in the lower grades but then fail in the NRL. The NRL is a tough competition and only the toughest competitors succeed. They need to start finding that out early. No places are guaranteed. If Kade Reed flops, there has to be another candidate immediately ready and willing to step in over his body, especially in the vital halves positions. There is really no other way to do it if you want to succeed.
Dragon David
SGI Jersey Flegg
Tough Flanagan truth as unproven recruit enters deeply flawed roster — Dragons State of Play
Tough Flanagan truth as unproven recruit enters deeply flawed roster — Dragons State of Play
www.foxsports.com.au