If you’re good enough, you’ll get in the team. Your pay packet means nothing once you walk through the door.
Unless you’re Paul Gallen.
Dragons assistant and former Sharks head coach Shane Flanagan fronted up to Joel Caine and Jimmy Smith’s new SEN breakfast show on Thursday to talk all things Dragons and their three-man selection committee.
Yet the opportunity to throw his former captain under the bus presented itself: why wouldn’t you take it?
“In relation to what players are paid, I’ve always had the attitude that once they walk through the gate they’re all treated the same; it’s not a pay packet thing,” Flanagan said.
“The only one I treated different was Gallen. He was a little bit different in relation to making sure he was the big dog and wanting to be treated different.
“He had his seat on the bus and people used to sit there as a joke sometimes, but when he’d get on the bus they’d run for cover.
“I remember a time at Shark Park where he had his little carpark spot that he’d park in and no one else. Kyle, being a little halfback, a bit cheeky and the coach’s son, parked in it. Gal went, tapped him on the shoulder and said, ‘I know you’re the coach’s son but if you park in my spot again your car will be on bricks.’
“He didn’t park there again.”
Couldn’t. Help. Himself.
With his current team, speculation – that mysterious, vague force – has arisen over Ben Hunt moving to a utility role and whether his significant salary has kept him in the team during his early season form dip.
“From a coaching perspective, and Ben will admit this himself, he was a bit out of form – players go through that,” Flanagan said. “Sometimes, you need a spell or to go back to second grade – which is not the case with Ben.
“We just needed to relive the pressure on him, take some responsibility and give it to others within the team. That’s basically what we’ve done.
“He’s played hooker at Origin level and it’s taken a big weight off his shoulders at present. He’ll be back in the halves, without a doubt, but we just need to take some pressure off him and get him playing good football.”
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Hunt has rediscovered some of his electric ball-running ability since moving into the utility role, yet Flanagan believes Hunt will return to the no. 7 jersey eventually.
“We’ll get him confident and I’m sure he’ll be back in the halves.”
