‘Felt sorry for him’: Real cause of Dragons’ woes… as recruit’s ‘dream’ turns to nightmare

The Dragons are languishing at the bottom of the NRL ladder with pressure heaping on coach Shane Flanagan and a misfiring halves pairing.

But the criticism is misguided according to Fox League’s Paul Crawley, who believes the woes of one of rugby league’s most powerful clubs comes down to their recruitment.

Flanagan joined the Red V ahead of the 2024 season, hoping to turn their fortunes around by reshaping the squad with a host of signings, especially in the halves position.

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Lachlan Ilias was billed as the Ben Hunt replacement, who departed at the end of their 2024 campaign, but failed to fire and was allowed to leave for the Titans.

Kyle Flanagan was also signed, while Lykhan King-Togia has spent time in first grade — and promising young playmaker Jonah Glover departed after not seeing a path to the NRL.

Next to land, ahead of the 2026 season, was Daniel Atkinson who was billed as the solution in the famous St George Illawarra No.7 jersey.

However, he has been shuffled to five-eighth with Kyle Flanagan once again handed the reins of a misfiring team — led by a coach who is well and truly in the firing line.

So how have they landed in this position?

“What I am saying is that hindsight has told us that their recruitment strategy is not up to scratch,” Crawley said on NRL360 on Tuesday night.

“On several fronts I think that is the case at the moment… he’s made the call this week, because unfortunately for Daniel Atkinson last week it was a point of no return.

“There was no direction, the kid looked uncomfortable, there’s so much pressure around the team. I really felt sorry for him.

“This young playmaker has been put into a position he shouldn’t have been put into, that’s how I saw it. Then all the talk starts that he is the one under pressure.

“Thankfully he has been moved to the position he should have started in.”

He also questioned why it has taken six rounds for an obvious switch to be made, saying: “Atkinson, he was bought to play seven but it was obvious to all that he’s not a natural seven, if anything, he’s a natural six.

“He’s a running six. Flanagan has been a seven throughout his career, I just don’t know why it has taken this long for it to go back to where it should have started.”

In Crawley’s opinion, Atkinson has been made the scapegoat and was given too much responsibility to turn the Dragons’ stuttering attack around.

But for The Daily Telegraph’s David Riccio, that sympathy was unfounded.

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“You have a lot of sympathy for him, he left Cronulla for an opportunity to play in a starting halves position,” he said.

“On very good money. This is an opportunity he wanted, but you’re very sympathetic.”

Once again though, the Dragons’ recruitment is the issue — because they lack an elite No.7 and their depth is consistently tested.

Young gun Kade Reed impressed during the pre-season challenge, but he has only four reserve grade appearances to his name.

Reed has been named on the Red V’s six-man bench for their Round 6 clash, but outside of him the Dragons are without another clear-cut halfback option.

“I’m sympathetic because they threw (Atkinson) into a job that he couldn’t do… that’s the problem with the Dragons. You can beat around the bush every way you want,” Crawley said.

“Their halves situation has been a problem under Shane Flanagan. It traces back to the fact they had Kyle there, Kyle has been extended.

“They let Lachie Ilias go, people might say he wasn’t the answer. Well guess what? Shane signed him. Jonah Glover was another kid who didn’t get his opportunity.

“They have no one around. Yes, Kyle is their best option for No.7 at the moment because they haven’t got anyone else.

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“And it all comes down to their recruitment over the last three years, it hasn’t been up to scratch.”

Riccio explained that it was Atkinson’s “dream” to lead a team, having played second fiddle to the pairing of Nicho Hynes and Braydon Trindall at the Sharks.

But during his time at Cronulla, Atkinson never played halfback in the NRL but had worn the No.7 jersey 20 times.

Regardless, Braith Anasta also put the focus back on the Dragons’ stuttering recruitment team.

“Just because a player says its his dream, it doesn’t mean it’s his responsibility if a team signs him and puts him in a halfback position if he’s not a halfback,” Anasta said.

“I want to win the Masters, there’s a lot of dreams I have. What I am saying to you is you’re using it as an excuse to say ‘it’s his fault, not the Dragons fault’.

“The responsibility you are putting on him, because it was his dream. But it’s on the coach and the recruitment to recruit players that are right for that position.

“Not a kid’s dream, that’s not why you go and buy someone.”