Kyle Flanagan & the coach

[Eric]

Flanno doesn't have the team he wants. He has the team he has inherited combined with the players he could get. When he took over, there weren't any stars available. He made plays for ones off contract at the end of 2024, but again, there wasn't much available and we weren't successful in signing the ones he wanted.

The team he wants is

1. Reece Walsh
2. Xaviar Coats
3. Herbie Farnworth
4. Konti Staggs
5. .......

See where I'm going with this? But this is not the team he inherited. Out of this list, who wasn't signed or extended under Flanno's watch?

St George Illawarra Dragons

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Take Mike Molo off the list.

 

[jodragon40]

What makes a good coach? Does winning a premiership automatically ensure that you are considered a good coach worthy of approaching to coach your club?

Back in my day, I was mentored by a bloke who had played at the highest level but by no means considered one of the best.

So he instilled these characteristics into me.

1. Be a good teacher
2. Be a good communicator and listener
3. Be humane and humble
4. Set the acceptable example for player behaviour both on and off the field. His and ultimately my favourite saying was " The standard you walk past is the standard you accept".
5. Set achievable goals and targets for both the team and for individual players
6. Be able to improve the overall performance of the team and individual players.

He also said no matter how good or bad you are in 1 - 6 you will always be measured firstly and mostly by your success on the field.

Coaching at any level is a tough gig and a thankless one if you aren't as successful as you would like to be.

 

[Mailroomsgi]

My biggest fear is if the season does go tits up and we finish on 8 or 9 wins that by the time we’ve messed around and ambled our way to 14th and decide Flanno ain’t it maybe with 6 or 7 rounds to go that other teams have sacked their lame duck coach (Payten/Seibold) and they’ve hired the best available coaches like Peters or Arthur for example

Then we are left to say “oh well we wanted peters but he’s gone to the cowboys so the next best option is Dean Young”

Let me tell you right now, in any franchise in any sport. Majority of the time if you hire from within instead of casting a wide net to hire someone, you are doing your team/job/club a disservice

Hopefully with Penrith having another great season Peter Wallace gets some media spotlight and Watfsord + whoever is involved in hiring the coach doesn’t fall to pressure from old heads on both sides to make the ‘obvious’ hire of Young and actually hires a coach that’s done an apprenticeship of some note rather than an old boy

I’d love if what I’ve said doesn’t matter and we finish in the finals and we see some tangible improvement in the side because changing the coach practically is waving the white flag on the season

 

[jodragon40]

My biggest fear is if the season does go tits up and we finish on 8 or 9 wins that by the time we’ve messed around and ambled our way to 14th and decide Flanno ain’t it maybe with 6 or 7 rounds to go that other teams have sacked their lame duck coach (Payten/Seibold) and they’ve hired the best available coaches like Peters or Arthur for example

Then we are left to say “oh well we wanted peters but he’s gone to the cowboys so the next best option is Dean Young”

Let me tell you right now, in any franchise in any sport. Majority of the time if you hire from within instead of casting a wide net to hire someone, you are doing your team/job/club a disservice

Hopefully with Penrith having another great season Peter Wallace gets some media spotlight and Watfsord + whoever is involved in hiring the coach doesn’t fall to pressure from old heads on both sides to make the ‘obvious’ hire of Young and actually hires a coach that’s done an apprenticeship of some note rather than an old boy

I’d love if what I’ve said doesn’t matter and we finish in the finals and we see some tangible improvement in the side because changing the coach practically is waving the white flag on the season

Young is not the answer but if I am reading the room correctly Flanagan won't be sacked no matter what our onfield results are. Just my views.

 

[Justadragon]

My biggest fear is if the season does go tits up and we finish on 8 or 9 wins that by the time we’ve messed around and ambled our way to 14th and decide Flanno ain’t it maybe with 6 or 7 rounds to go that other teams have sacked their lame duck coach (Payten/Seibold) and they’ve hired the best available coaches like Peters or Arthur for example

Then we are left to say “oh well we wanted peters but he’s gone to the cowboys so the next best option is Dean Young”

Let me tell you right now, in any franchise in any sport. Majority of the time if you hire from within instead of casting a wide net to hire someone, you are doing your team/job/club a disservice

Hopefully with Penrith having another great season Peter Wallace gets some media spotlight and Watfsord + whoever is involved in hiring the coach doesn’t fall to pressure from old heads on both sides to make the ‘obvious’ hire of Young and actually hires a coach that’s done an apprenticeship of some note rather than an old boy

I’d love if what I’ve said doesn’t matter and we finish in the finals and we see some tangible improvement in the side because changing the coach practically is waving the white flag on the season

The club needs to be proactive not reactive !!! If you want one go chasing him, make them an offer they cant refuse. Keep Flanno until the end of the year and start again, whats not working and hasn't worked for the last 2 years will not magically work this year.

 

[Justadragon]

Young is not the answer but if I am reading the room correctly Flanagan won't be sacked no matter what our onfield results are. Just my views.

How many times have you heard a club say they are behind the coach and his job is safe , just for him to be sacked the next month. Christ the Broncs did it to Bennett

 

[Frank Facer]

My biggest fear is if the season does go tits up and we finish on 8 or 9 wins that by the time we’ve messed around and ambled our way to 14th and decide Flanno ain’t it maybe with 6 or 7 rounds to go that other teams have sacked their lame duck coach (Payten/Seibold) and they’ve hired the best available coaches like Peters or Arthur for example

Then we are left to say “oh well we wanted peters but he’s gone to the cowboys so the next best option is Dean Young”

Let me tell you right now, in any franchise in any sport. Majority of the time if you hire from within instead of casting a wide net to hire someone, you are doing your team/job/club a disservice

Hopefully with Penrith having another great season Peter Wallace gets some media spotlight and Watfsord + whoever is involved in hiring the coach doesn’t fall to pressure from old heads on both sides to make the ‘obvious’ hire of Young and actually hires a coach that’s done an apprenticeship of some note rather than an old boy

I’d love if what I’ve said doesn’t matter and we finish in the finals and we see some tangible improvement in the side because changing the coach practically is waving the white flag on the season

Remember the likes of Fitzgibbon, Ciraldo, Slater and Ryles all knocked us back this decade. We did attempt to sign highly touted young up and coming coaches, but they all knocked us back. We have not been an attractive proposition for in demand players or prospective coaches for a long time.

 

[jodragon40]

How many times have you heard a club say they are behind the coach and his job is safe , just for him to be sacked the next month. Christ the Broncs did it to Bennett

He won't be sacked, just my view

 

[Justadragon]

Remember the likes of Fitzgibbon, Ciraldo, Slater and Ryles all knocked us back this decade. We did attempt to sign highly touted young up and coming coaches, but they all knocked us back. We have not been an attractive proposition for in demand players or prospective coaches for a long time.

I think Fitzgibbon wanted to do more time under Robinson, I think he admitted he wasn't ready to take on a basket case like the Dragons. The Sharks of course were a different prospect when he decided to leave the Roosters. Ciraldo was never coming to us, Gould had him wrapped up. Slater said no because he was committed to media and the Storm, he will be the next Storm coach. Ryles couldn't get what he wanted out of the board and GUS got in his ear.

 

[Frank Facer]

The club needs to be proactive not reactive !!! If you want one go chasing him, make them an offer they cant refuse. Keep Flanno until the end of the year and start again, whats not working and hasn't worked for the last 2 years will not magically work this year.

We basically did that with Fitzgibbon, Ciraldo, Slater and Ryles. Ryles had apparently agreed to coach us for 800K or 850K a season for 4 years and then got cold feet and pulled out at the last minute. He then took the job to coach Parra the next year. 800K a year for 4 years, is pretty much in the "offer you can't refuse" territory, for a coach who had never coached a rugby league team on his own, don't you think. Slater didn't even want to meet with us.

By next year we will be much better positioned than when Griffin or Flanno took over and may be more attractive to young prospective coaches, who don't see taking the job to coach us as coaching career suicide. Give Flanno until at least the end of next year, before making judgements. Many of you may have egg on your face by then. Then see how he goes in 28 and 29 and many of you may be eating your words by then.

I even said not to judge McGreggor, until he had a decent roster at his disposal and when he did in 2018, even he had us playing well and making the top 8. Coaches are not miracle workers.

 

[Justadragon]

He won't be sacked, just my view

We had the worst crowd ratings last year Jo, if we are anywhere near 0-6 , IMO he will be a dead man walking.

 

[jodragon40]

Remember the likes of Fitzgibbon, Ciraldo, Slater and Ryles all knocked us back this decade. We did attempt to sign highly touted young up and coming coaches, but they all knocked us back. We have not been an attractive proposition for in demand players or prospective coaches for a long time.

Let me say this, in the RL community the word was out that our club had a discipline and cultural problem. These issues were highlighted during the pandemic period.

I was personally and reliably told that any player managers worth their salt did not offer up our club to their clients. There was a distinct lack of communication connection and relationship between the club and player managers.

Another reason given was that the club could not offer their clients the ability to play in a club that was going to produce a competitive top 8 team.

All those issues appear to have been the truth.

 

[Frank Facer]

I think Fitzgibbon wanted to do more time under Robinson, I think he admitted he wasn't ready to take on a basket case like the Dragons. The Sharks of course were a different prospect when he decided to leave the Roosters. Ciraldo was never coming to us, Gould had him wrapped up. Slater said no because he was committed to media and the Storm, he will be the next Storm coach. Ryles couldn't get what he wanted out of the board and GUS got in his ear.

You forgot to mention Fitzgibbon was happy to take the job at Cronulla that Flanno had laid the foundations for. Flanno took a struggling Cronulla out of the doldrums to win a premiership. The only premiership they have ever won.

 

[jodragon40]

We had the worst crowd ratings last year Jo, if we are anywhere near 0-6 , IMO he will be a dead man walking.

Time will tell and dont be surprised if we start 0 - 3

 

[Justadragon]

You forgot to mention Fitzgibbon was happy to take the job at Cronulla that Flanno had laid the foundations for. Flanno took a struggling Cronulla out of the doldrums to win a premiership. The only premiership they have ever won.

Cronulla had way better players than what we had, it was the obvious choice for him, as you said going to the Dragons was career suicide. Did I happen to mention that Flanno was the assistant to McPeanut he was also the recruiting manager at the Dragons, can you name any players of note he got us in that time ?

 

[Eric]

I think Fitzgibbon wanted to do more time under Robinson, I think he admitted he wasn't ready to take on a basket case like the Dragons. The Sharks of course were a different prospect when he decided to leave the Roosters. Ciraldo was never coming to us, Gould had him wrapped up. Slater said no because he was committed to media and the Storm, he will be the next Storm coach. Ryles couldn't get what he wanted out of the board and GUS got in his ear.

As far as I know, the only one who knocked us back who already had an offer on the table was Ryles.

 

[Justadragon]

Time will tell and dont be surprised if we start 0 - 3

I wont be surprised in the least, Moses and Pezet will cut us to shreds, look I want sucess as much as anyone for the Dragons, but we get to hear all this spin year after year, no matter who the coach is. And you know as well as I do Jo that we have real issue with this one.

 

[Dragons Chris]

Kyle:
Defence
Attack
Kicking: Average

LKT:
Defence
Attack
Kicking: Average

LKT can work on his defence, Kyle can’t work on his attack. Absolute shit show with the 6 jersey. One thing I know is Flanno is an old school stubborn bastard so I guess that answers that question moving forward

In the trials LKTs defence was much improved. Though I'd like to know if Flanno was working with him on it during the off season.

 

[TheRev]

My biggest fear is if the season does go tits up and we finish on 8 or 9 wins that by the time we’ve messed around and ambled our way to 14th and decide Flanno ain’t it maybe with 6 or 7 rounds to go that other teams have sacked their lame duck coach (Payten/Seibold) and they’ve hired the best available coaches like Peters or Arthur for example

Then we are left to say “oh well we wanted peters but he’s gone to the cowboys so the next best option is Dean Young”

Let me tell you right now, in any franchise in any sport. Majority of the time if you hire from within instead of casting a wide net to hire someone, you are doing your team/job/club a disservice

Hopefully with Penrith having another great season Peter Wallace gets some media spotlight and Watfsord + whoever is involved in hiring the coach doesn’t fall to pressure from old heads on both sides to make the ‘obvious’ hire of Young and actually hires a coach that’s done an apprenticeship of some note rather than an old boy

I’d love if what I’ve said doesn’t matter and we finish in the finals and we see some tangible improvement in the side because changing the coach practically is waving the white flag on the season

there are quite a few scenarios that scare me.. and it is frustrating seeing Newcastle prospering under Holbrook.. and im pretty sure Hannay will get there soon also.. maybe some teething issues.

I know these coaches are are all individuals.. but I see blokes like Flanno, Seibold, Young, Payton all in that old-school meat-head mould.. I dont think it works anymore.. well not unless ur at a gun club (such as the broncos) that has an infinite pool of talent up the wazoo... then i think anyone who can coach could get something out of that place. aka Madge.

I also think 10yrs ago it was completely different with recruitment.. its rly rly hard now to find first graders.. and the talent is thin unless ur a top 4 type club.. which is why us turning down some of the quality wingers and halves that we have in the last 2 years is not cool.. we needed that speed and skill.. I feel like the lack of signings for 2025 and 2026 will really set us back 1 or 2 years..

All that said.. if we beat Parra who knows how the year pans out.. but it doesnt feel great.. we are trying hard but that's not a sustainable model for success over a long season.

 

[Mailroomsgi]

Agree mate, these ra ra hype old fashion coaches aren’t up to it today IMO

I’m a fan of Holbrook and think his attacking mind is unreal, did great as roosters attack coach the last 2 seasons + revived a poor titans franchise in his short time there (yes I know it ended poorly)

I’ve said it before but I’d love us to operate like Canberra, back your young guns who you think have proven are up to it and pay them accordingly. Marquee signings are very infrequent and only when necessary not because someone’s just become available

Have they signed an older player in the last few seasons? Feels like every signing is 25 or under

The exception being Fogarty as halfback is quite unique with age and maturity pretty relevant