Following three straight disappointing seasons under former head coach Anthony Griffin, the St. George Illawarra Dragons hired Shane Flanagan to right the team's ship, hoping to return them to their former glory.
One of the first moves Flanagan made as Dragons' boss was to sign his son, Kyle Flanagan, a 25-year-old halfback who has spent time with the Cronulla Sharks, Sydney Roosters, and Canterbury Bulldogs.
Heralded as a multi-positional playmaker, the Dragons brought in the younger Flanagan for his "competitive nature, experience and knowledge of the game," according to a press release at the time of his signing.
Dragons' coach Kyle Flanagan believes son is perfect fit with Hunt
Speaking to Fox Sports, Flanagan senior has said that he believes Kyle will be the perfect fit next to the team's star halfback Ben Hunt, which will be needed in the wake of Junior Amone's expected jail time and NRL suspension.
“The plan was to transition Kyle into a No. 9 over the next couple of years but he’ll have to stay in the halves for a little bit, which I’ve got no problems with,” Flanagan said.
“I’ve always thought his style with [Ben] Hunt will work perfectly because [Hunt] is a runner, so he’ll get a shot there.
“The narrative around Kyle has changed a little bit, he’s come here as a 14 from a six, seven and nine, and now he’s going to have to play in the halves a little bit more.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen with Junior so we just need to wait and see.
“Kyle is being relieved of the pressure. He’s been under pressure at the Bulldogs for three years because they haven’t won and he was the halfback.
“So coming in here he won’t be under pressure, he’s just got to do his job here because we’ve got Benny Hunt.
"I know what he’s capable of so I’m really confident that his best footy is in front of him. He’s played a lot of footy for someone who has just turned 25.
“I’m really comfortable in our relationship that when we come to work we work really hard and because I’m here he won’t want to think he’s getting any favours so he’ll work really hard."
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Flanagan's hopes are that this halves combination are able to find something special, and together they can propel the Dragons back to finals football, a place they haven't been since 2018.
It will be a tall task to turn this team around, following a brutal 5-19 2023 season, but the new coach believes he and his players are up to the task.
"I want to be playing finals footy, that’s for sure," Flanagan said.
"The team and the club has underachieved, we’ve got enough talent here and obviously there’s been some change on and off the field but we expect to play semi-finals next year.
"That’s where we’re heading, we’ve just got to go to work.
"Coming here there’s a bit more responsibility and things to do but I enjoy that and you’ve got to enjoy your preseason because the season becomes a bit of a washing machine.
"You’ve got to enjoy it while it’s not result-driven."
