Hunt drops Flanagan bombshell after 'stressful' win

1 year ago 96

Dragons skipper Ben Hunt has fixed the strongest denotation yet Shane Flanagan volition beryllium astatine the helm of the Red V adjacent season, revealing the erstwhile Sharks premiership manager told him helium astatine "wanted" to instrumentality the job.

Speaking to media aft the Dragons survived a precocious blitz from the Rabbitohs to notch up their 4th triumph of the season, Hunt confirmed he'd had conversations Flanagan done the week.

"I had a tiny chat with Flanno (about) his intentions, that helium wanted to travel successful and coach, and if helium did get the job, helium would privation maine to play halfback," Hunt said.

FOLLOW LIVE: NRL Round 15 Saturday

Flanagan has continued to shorten arsenic favourite to instrumentality connected the caput relation astatine the Dragons pursuing the departure of Anthony Griffin, and the consequent rejection from Jason Ryles.

The Dragons observe Michael Molo's effort against South Sydney. (NRL Images)

Hunt said the Dragons seat Andrew Lancaster and main enforcement Ryan Webb were keeping him successful the loop.

Flanagan, presently an adjunct nether Anthony Seibold astatine the Sea Eagles, has besides reportedly met with Dragons president Andrew Lancaster and manager Ben Creagh.

Flanagan and Hunt person known each different since Flanagan was an adjunct nether Paul McGregor. He was besides Dragons database manager during negotiations of Hunt's two-year declaration hold which is acceptable to support Hunt astatine the Dragons until the extremity of adjacent season.

Stream the NRL premiership 2023 unrecorded and escaped on 9Now

In the meantime, Hunt backed interim manager Ryan Carr to stay for the remainder of the 2023 season.

Shane Flanagan earlier this year. (Cameron Spencer via Getty Images)

"I deliberation it's got to proceed this mode ... (Carr) is doing a bully job, he's got the locker country down there, the boys admit him.

"As you tin see, successful the past period we've been playing immoderate bully footy, I don't deliberation we request to upset that."

Earlier, the Dragons survived a miraculous precocious blitz from the Rabbitohs to grounds conscionable their 4th triumph of the season.

In beforehand of a sold-out assemblage astatine Kogarah, the Dragons looked to beryllium location and hosed erstwhile a Jaiyden Hunt effort and Zac Lomax' consequent conversion stretched their pb to 22 points with astir six minutes to play.

But tries to Jacob Host, Lachlan Ilias and Campbell Graham got the Bunnies wrong touching distance.

They were connected the march again wrong the last infinitesimal earlier Siliva Havili spilled it connected his ain 30m line, ending the miraculous fightback. The Dragons held connected 36-30.

Hunt sets Kogarah alight

After the game, Dragons skipper Hunt admitted his broadside intelligibly felt the triumph was successful the bag.

Hunt said the connection aft the Rabbitohs scored the archetypal of those last 3 tries was to hunker down and implicit their sets, but they didn't get the shot backmost until determination were conscionable 15 seconds to go.

"Souths threw a batch astatine us, but we needed to beryllium amended than that defensively," helium told Fox Sports aft the game.

"I deliberation we got a spot comfy erstwhile we got a spot of a pb and we took our ft off. You can't bash that against a bully side."

In a six tries apiece match, the six constituent quality came down to 2 elements - Blake Taaffe's (three from six) lacklustre kicking, and a encephalon drawback from Isaiah Tass minutes aft scoring his ain try.

A regularisation footwear from the Dragons enactment Alex Johnston nether immoderate pressure, but Tass decided to escort Zac Lomax disconnected the ball, costing his squad a penalty. The Dragons scored disconnected the pursuing play.

NRL Highlights: Dragons v Rabbitohs - Round 15

"That was conscionable silly from Tass … textbook illustration of what an escort is," Corey Parker said for Fox Sports.

"That's conscionable dumb. Doesn't request to bash it."

Despite the precocious scare, interim Dragons manager Ryan Carr said helium would beryllium telling his players to bask the win.

"We've conscionable got to support gathering connected it and get amended each week," helium said.

The Rabbitohs are yet to person a bye successful 2023, and manager Jason Demetriou said his players volition payment greatly from the week disconnected adjacent weekend.

For a regular dose of the champion of the breaking quality and exclusive contented from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!