Shane Flanagan fires back at ‘ridiculous' Dragons nepotism claim as son Kyle's form called into question

News.com.au

16-06-2025

St George Illawarra coach Shane Flanagan has defended his son and Dragons playmaker Kyle Flanagan amid claims he would have been dropped if not for nepotism.
The Red V have lost their last two games and looked completely lost in both attack and defence.
They were run off the park by a rampant Dolphins 56-6 before going on to throw away a halftime lead against the Sharks, in their 30-18 loss on the weekend.
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After similar struggles earlier in the season, Flanagan decided to drop halfback recruit Lachlan Ilias instead of his son, promoting young gun Lykhan King-Togia in his place.
On the weekend, King-Togia was one of their best, but the combination with Flanagan has been underwhelming, winning just two of their six games together.
And it saw veteran journalist Phil Rothfield mention the elephant in the room, that Flanagan appears to remain off the chopping block for one main reason.
'It can be really difficult when the coach, no one can ever question Shane Flanagan's coaching credentials, but his son Kyle is not one of the leading halves in the competition,' Rothfield said on the Big Sports Breakfast on Monday.
'They have been belted by the Dolphins, then had a second-half capitulation against the Sharks on Thursday night.
'Lachlan Ilias, who was dropped at halfback, is going well in NSW Cup. They have won six straight games since he has been there.
'The fans have gone ballistic on social media. Shane Flanagan will pick the best side to win every week, but there is a debate out there about whether Kyle Flanagan should be in the side.
'He's never going to be the flashiest halfback, he's solid, he's steady … halfbacks aren't paid to tackle, but he's the best defensive halfback in the competition.'
In response Flanagan came out firing in defence of his son, declaring claims his position is anything but safe 'ridiculous'.
'To say Kyle is under pressure is ridiculous,' Flanagan said to Code Sports.
'I think people are looking in the wrong ­direction.
'He's been among our best players all year. It's not me, ask the other players and coaches. I'm probably harder on Kyle than any other player.'
Flanagan has the fewest missed tackles of any No. 7 this season at an average of just 1.3 and also has 18 try involvements.
However, the claims of 'nepotism' won't be going away any time soon as the reality is irrespective of what the stat sheet shows, the Red V are clearly lacking direction and Flanagan is hardly an offensive spark.
'You've got to look at what other alternatives are there. You can bring Lachlan Ilias in, do you drop Kyle to the bench?' Rothfield said.
'The season is slipping away quick and because it's such a congested competition table, they aren't done yet. A lot of teams who have struggled are still an outside chance.
'But at the end of the day St George should be in the market for a really big playmaker.
'Nepotism is such a tough claim, a father naturally loves his son and we went through this with Brad Arthur and Jake up at Parramatta.
'I'm glad Ricky Stuart has brought his boy into the side, Jed Stuart. The senior players in the Canberra side before they went to Las Vegas had to approach Ricky because it can work in reverse.
'Because these guys are dads, they can often make it harder for their son because they don't want to be seen as doing any favours.'