Facing the Reality: Shane Flanagan’s Candid Response Amidst Seventh Consecutive Defeat

Shane Flanagan maintains that he is still the right person to guide the Dragons, despite the Red V suffering their seventh consecutive defeat on Saturday evening.

The Dragons started strong, leading in the first half, but conceded tries on both sides of the half-time break, even with a numerical advantage on the field.

They remained competitive until Jaydn Su’A was sent off for a reckless act, flooring Cameron Murray with about 12 minutes remaining.

Su’A is likely facing a lengthy suspension, while Jacob Liddle is also set for an extended spell on the sidelines due to a suspected hamstring injury. These setbacks certainly complicate Flanagan’s situation.

“When things go south, they really go south,” he shared with the media.

“We initially planned for Lids to start and when things go awry, they indeed do,” Flanagan added.

With mounting pressure, Flanagan was directly asked whether he still considers himself the suitable candidate for the role.

“Absolutely, it places pressure on – both me and the club,” he responded.

“Currently, we aren’t securing victories and I’m fully aware of that. This is a results-driven business, and we’re not delivering.

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“I show up to work every day, and all I can do is strive to prepare the players to the best of my ability. If it doesn’t pan out and they opt to go in a different direction, then I’ll simply have to accept that.”

Dragons captain Damien Cook, who had been benched in favour of Liddle only to be called back into the starting lineup due to the injury, stated that it’s now up to the players to help Flanagan retain his position.

“He’s done everything possible – it falls on us now,” Cook said.

“We lost our way in the yardage tonight … our discipline was lacking, and we didn’t apply adequate pressure on them.”

The Dragons are set to face the Roosters in the traditional Anzac Day clash next weekend.