Shane Flanagan has been criticised for hanging Lachlan Ilias out to dry after the Dragons surrendered a 12-point lead to lose to the Rabbitohs and it could backfire on the coach.
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Ilias had nine run metres, from one run, a try assist, an error and 18 tackles with two misses against the Rabbitohs, but it was his inability to close out the game which caused Flanagan to throw him under the bus in an emotional press conference.
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Veteran journalist Paul Crawley believes Flanagan has been around a long time and should have known better than to feed a young playmaker to the wolves.
“It was an emotional response, but he is not a rookie coach and he’s got to be smarter than that,” Crawley said.
“You are dealing with a young man who had his heart broken last year at Souths and then suffered a broken leg.
“You’ve brought him to the club as your halfback. You are two games into the season and there is no question in the world he had an off day, but he wasn’t on his own.
“When that game was there to be won there was a lot of experience out there that didn’t push them in the right direction.
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“Yes Lachie blew it with that kick when he went across field instead of the for the field goal, but I just thought it was ordinary for your coach to hang you out to dry like he did.”
Gorden Tallis recalls being absolutely berated by master coach Wayne Bennett behind closed doors, but noted the master coach’s ability to protect his players from public scrutiny.
“He’s a rookie and you have got to read the room,” Tallis said.
“Some things should be behind closed doors and Wayne Bennett used to rip us, but in the media he tries to keep you away from it so the public don’t hammer you.”
Braith Anasta, who manages Ilias, believes Flanagan should have left his criticism of Ilias to the dressing room between coach and player alone.
“I think you do it behind closed doors,” Anasta said.
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“I would have given Lachie a spray and told him he didn’t handle the last 15 minutes well enough. Told him exactly where he went wrong. Tore him a knew one, but behind closed doors.”
Anasta clarified that halves need to be willing and able to cop criticism, but believes doing so in the public domain had the potential to backfire on Flanagan and the Dragons.
“He doesn’t need to apologise to him, but what he did is put a bullseye on his halfback.
“He has a young half who is struggling with his confidence, which in our game and in sport is everything, but particularly for halves.
“He’s brought him there and he’s trying to build him up and he’s made him his halfback and they have just lost the game by a point. He didn’t do his job but a lot of them didn’t.
“He’s put a bullseye on him and he has singled him out as a young half. I just think it is not going to help Flanno.”
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Anasta revealed he spoke to Ilias after the game and the young playmaker was devastated by his performance, which is even more reason for Flanagan to tread carefully with his chief playmaker, who is only just returning from a long-term injury.
“He was devastated,” Anasta said.
“He knew what he did wrong. He knew he didn’t take the game by the scruff of the neck. He knew he should have went for a field goal. He missed a tackle on Walker. We went through the whole thing. He got sprayed by Flanno and he is fine with that. He is a grown man.
“But the public think different and I know that feeling because I have been there and a lot of other halves have.
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“When you are older and more experienced and you have played rep footy and can handle yourself you don’t give a shit what anyone says
“But when its your own coach and you are going through a patch when you are not quite there yet, you want your coach to believe in you and back you and yes criticise you and tell you how you went constructively, I just think do it behind closed doors.”
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