Jaydn Su’A Dismissed for ‘Unsportsmanlike’ Tackle as Shane Flanagan Faces Growing Crisis After Dragons’ Seventh Consecutive Defeat

On a night when Dragons coach Shane Flanagan would have traded almost anything for a solid performance and a victory to possibly salvage his career, he ended up with the complete opposite.

Having held the lead for a considerable portion of the first half, the Red V slipped to their seventh consecutive defeat, falling 30-12 to the Rabbitohs at Accor Stadium.

Additionally, they’ll likely be missing key players Jacob Liddle and Jaydn Su’A for a significant period due to injury and suspension.

Flanagan’s difficulties began even before the match kicked off, as Liddle appeared to suffer a hamstring injury during the warm-up. He was seen receiving treatment from a trainer before being declared out of the game.

Shortly after the match commenced, the Dragons found themselves behind when Latrell Mitchell scored in just the fifth minute.

However, by the 30-minute mark, they had surged ahead following tries from Cook and Stewart.

The Dragons received a boost when Rabbitohs substitute Peter Mamouzelos was sin-binned for a hip-drop tackle on David Fale.

Yet instead of taking advantage of the extra player, the Bunnies struck back with a try from Alex Johnston just before the half-time siren. Mitchell converted to give the Rabbitohs a 16-12 lead at the break.

“That’s a crushing setback for the Dragons – leading, an extra man, but Souths score just before half-time and convert,” quipped Ginnane.

With Mamouzelos still off the field, Matt Dufty managed to score in his first NRL game in 1420 days.

As they continued to trail nearing the 70-minute mark, Su’A attempted to galvanise the Dragons by charging out of the defensive line to tackle Cameron Murray. Unfortunately, he miscalculated and struck Murray straight in the head with his shoulder.

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Remarkably, Murray, who has a history of concussions, shook it off and got back up unhurt.

“Not here for discussion… direct contact shoulder to the head, off you go,” stated referee Ziggy Przeklasa-Adamski.

The Rabbitohs supporters erupted as the decision was made.

“Su’A has been booed off by the Rabbitohs fans, who view this as a dirty move,” Ginnane commented during the broadcast.

“Su’A, in an attempt to change the game’s momentum, got it horribly wrong. It’s a miracle Murray escaped unharmed.”

Su’A became the first player to be sent off since Justin Olam from the Tigers in Round 22 of 2024, marking a low point in his career.

After the match, Dragons captain Damien Cook appeared at a loss for words.

“At half-time we thought we were in a good position… It’s difficult to pinpoint where we slipped,” he shared with Fox Sports following the game.

“The effort was evident; we just need to put in the hard yards during training and keep showing up,” he noted.

Regarding Su’A’s tackle, Cook acknowledged the intention behind it but stated he simply “misjudged it”.

“I understood his thought process… perhaps trying to force an error and create a chance,” he remarked.

“That’s the risk you take when you’re struggling to secure wins. The pressure mounts and sometimes we stray from our systems and make mistakes.”

When asked if he believed the club would remain loyal to Flanagan, Cook replied, “I think they will, honestly. Our focus is to keep turning up on Monday and striving to improve.”

“The boys’ attitude is strong. We haven’t been getting the results lately, but I can assure you that we’re doing the right things throughout the week,” he added.

“We just need to sustain that effort, and hopefully, both for our members and fans and for ourselves, we can turn this situation around.”

In other news, Latrell Mitchell had a standout performance, scoring four tries while Johnston and Dufty added the other two. However, Mitchell struggled with his kicking, converting only two of six attempts and adding a penalty goal.

The Rabbitohs are set to face the Storm next weekend, while the Dragons prepare to take on the Roosters.