With Jason Ryles having knocked back St George Illawarra to sign with the Storm, influential Dragons are trying to soften the anti-Shane Flanagan view of board powerbroker Peter Doust.
There is a charm offensive under way so that Doust will at least consider Flanagan. It is unclear exactly why Doust has been so strongly opposed to Flanagan, but now the Dragons have missed out on No.1 choice Ryles, it is believed that Flanagan has growing support from sections of the club.
The Dragons are nervous about a rookie coach after saying Ryles was overwhelmed by the enormity of coaching a club as big as the Red V.
Dean Young has strong support from the St George side of the board, but the club is reeling after being snubbed by a man who hasn’t coached a top-grade game. The board needs to be unanimous in its selection of a coach and for weeks it has been suggested that Doust does not want Flanagan near the club. Neither Doust nor the Dragons have denied this and I have tried to get in touch with Doust to discuss his views on the matter.
Flanagan is not everybody’s cup of tea, but he has a record of success at Cronulla, where he helped transform a club that was decimated by the peptide scandal into a premiership-winning outfit.
Flanagan is abrasive, but he can rebuild a club quickly. He also has the strong support of News Corp, with his name being pushed to clubs by some of its employees.
Flanagan also has a significant role with Fox Sports, as well as being Anthony Seibold’s assistant at Manly. During the peptide scandal at Cronulla, News Corp targeted Flanagan, but it appears it has forgiven him for his role in that affair. He was then banned for breaching the conditions of that suspension by having contact with people at Cronulla, so he comes with baggage.
Shane Flanagan could be the Dragons’ Plan B after Jason Ryles turned his back on their coaching job.Credit: Getty
Late in the week, there was plenty of discussion about Young and his ability to be the head coach. Flanagan’s ability is not in question.
“Shane is an excellent coach,” Seibold said. “I know I’m lucky to have someone like him here with me. He really is a first-grade coach. It’s only through his recent history that he has landed here. I know we are going to lose him eventually to a first-grade job, and he is ready to do one now. He has shown in the past that he is a winner and I’d never stand in his way.”
Ryles has finished at the Roosters and that has opened the way for Jake Friend and Boyd Cordner to start their coaching careers alongside head coach Trent Robinson.
Friend has had to shift the responsibilities in his plumbing business to take on the extra workload, while Cordner has been looking for a new career path and the coaching role may be perfect for him.
Freddy backs Teddy
Blues coach Brad Fittler has thrown his full support behind under-fire captain James Tedesco, saying he won’t even consider leaving him out of the side for Origin II in Brisbane.
Tedesco has been heavily criticised following a below-par Origin I, with every aspect of his game being attacked. He missed one tackle he should have made, was outjumped by front-rower Lindsay Collins for the match-sealing try and was marked heavily in attack. None of that has rattled his coach, though.
“James Tedesco is our captain … not for a moment will I consider dropping him,” Fittler said. “It’s not part of the thought process. He is not the reason we lost. I can’t understand the commentary saying he should be dropped. He is one of the best players to play for NSW. If he is fit, he will be in the side and he will be captain.”
Tedesco also has the backing of his club boss.
“Anyone who thinks dropping Teddy is a good idea has rocks in their head,” Roosters chairman Nick Politis said.
“He has been an absolute superstar for the Blues and he has dominated. At club level, he has been the best player in the game over a five-year period. You think about what he has done for this club, it’s remarkable. To dump him after one game that was not his very best game and say they should sack him is just stupid.”
Hynes and lows
Devastated is too strong to describe the state of Blues rookie Nicho Hynes after Origin I, but his pain was very obvious in the dressing room. He cares deeply about football and the Blues. He is a perfectionist and hard on himself in defeat.
In many years of covering the Blues, I can’t remember a player being as down on himself as Hynes. It appeared he was looking to make an early exit from the dressing rooms, and at one point he left the main room with his backpack on in the company of the team manager. He was only looking to meet up with his agent, but his distress was obvious.
“He is a great player and he shouldn’t be down on himself,” said former Blues super sub Craig Wing. “The bench role is a very tricky one, especially at Origin. He has to own the moment he was concerned about, process it and learn from it.”
Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and Queensland celebrate.Credit: Getty
Hynes was struggling to deal with the tackle he missed on Cameron Munster, which resulted in Queensland taking the lead through Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow with just seven minutes remaining. It was the key moment of the match.
“It’s such a difficult job … especially if you are coming into a game at the death when it is all on the line,” Wing said. “My attitude was that I would try and set a record for runs or tackles in that 10-minute period. I was going to go until I couldn’t breathe any more.
“I know why Nicho was so upset, because in Origin you don’t know when you are ever going to get a chance to play it again.”
Hynes does hours of extra work on his game and his mind, working closely with friend and mind coach Jarred Brown. “He will bounce back for sure,” Wing said.
Angry bird
Brandon Smith is struggling with injury and is the first to admit his form has not been up to scratch this year.
What he can’t comprehend or tolerate are viral text messages that are doing the rounds containing defamatory claims. He has been rattled by them and has had to answer questions from his family about the nature of the messages. He has also talked to players about it at other clubs.
The Roosters are standing by him.
All of what is contained in the messages is bad, but the worst part is Smith has somehow earned the ire of some teammates. He has been sent the messages and is genuinely upset by the contents. He doesn’t know what action he can take, nor do the Roosters.
Smith is not perfect and has made poor decisions in his career and life at times, but he is working on himself and told me he can’t understand why that, when he is at a low point, people are trying to tear him down further.
Moment of tooth
Was it a coincidence that Nathan Cleary was less than his clinical best in Origin I in a week when it was revealed he was having issues with his wisdom teeth.
It became a light-hearted article that was rubbished by those who only comment on stories and don’t need to break them. But then Blues adviser Greg Alexander came out on game day to say it was a genuine issue and Cleary’s face had blown up on Monday.
Nathan Cleary had a troubled preparation for Origin I.Credit: Getty
It was such an issue that four concerned Blues staff were using the torches on their mobile phones to look into his mouth to assess the damage. Alexander also said Cleary needs to get the problem addressed.
Cleary is a tough young man who has played through plenty of pain in his time. He didn’t show signs of discomfort during Origin I but last year he played a big part of the season with a shoulder that needed repairs.
The worst pain he was feeling post-match on Wednesday, however, was dissatisfaction with his own performance.
Smith out-Foxed
Those attacking Cameron Smith for his role as a Queensland assistant coach and Channel Nine commentator are very selective in their targets.
Fox Sports program NRL 360 is hosted by player manager Braith Anasta, which is a bugbear for agents and clubs throughout the NRL. There are plenty of others in the game who wear more than one hat with clubs and in the media, but they have not been singled out for similar criticism.
Anasta is a competent host, but it’s an issue for some, especially when he attacks players or clubs, which is part of his role.
Smith is a rising media star who may well be a prominent coach one day if he chooses that career path.
Evans above
Daly Cherry-Evans’ wife, Vessa, left her booking for the Adelaide Origin a bit late, so you can only imagine her surprise when she rocked up at the Pullman Hotel to check in and saw the entire Blues side there.
White Knight?
The whisper is Michael Maguire has support to take the top job at the Knights if Adam O’Brien’s team doesn’t finish the season strongly. The problem for O’Brien’s detractors is that he is doing just enough to keep his job. Knights insiders fear Maguire could be too tough for the Newcastle playing group.
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