Shane Flanagan has warned a scary surge could be on the cards for the Dragons, referencing his premiership-winning campaign with the Sharks in 2016 which begun similar to his 2025 season.
The Red V slumped to a third-straight defeat to start their year against the Eels in a contest, going down 30-20 in a contest there for the taking.
However, their ugly form slump isn’t a cause for concern according to Flanagan, who has been in this position in the past — albeit with “not a similar team”.
WHAT’S GAMBLING REALLY COSTING YOU? Set a deposit limit. For Free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.
Watch every game of every round of the Premiership Season LIVE with no ad-breaks during play on FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.
“But you know, I look back and this is not a similar team, but I think I lost three in-a-row in 2016 and we won 15 in-a-row,” Flanagan said.
“So don’t worry, certain sides are going to lose three in-a-row during the year. Unfortunately, we’ve lost three at the start.
“Maybe it’s a really good kickstart for us, that’s the way I’ll be using it.
“It’s not what we wanted, but you know, we’ve got no one else to blame our ourselves and we’ll be looking at it that way.”
The Dragons held 52 per cent of possession and won the territory battle with 61 per cent, while also missing 10 less tackles than their opponent.
But while Flanagan’s outfit had the chances to seal a maiden win in 2026, they were unable to capitalise on moments that were “frustrating” to watch.
Get all the latest NRL news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!!
Moses: ‘He said he didnt hear me!’ | 05:46
“We just beat ourselves to be really honest,” Flanagan said.
“Fought hard, efforts there, created opportunities, beat ourselves with errors… There was quite a few of those you know, frustrating to watch.
“We had an opportunity, we just didn’t execute. Credit to them, they scrambled. But you know, as I said the first thing, we beat ourselves.
“We should have executed a few things. We stripped them for numbers a couple of times and just couldn’t get it done.
“We made more line breaks, every stat that was there we were in front. But we didn’t win on the scoreboard, that’s all that matters.”
Skipper Damien Cook echoed his coach’s opinion, delivering a similar sentiment to that of his emotional sideline interview after the Dragons’ golden point heartbreak in Las Vegas.
Pezet penalty-try sparks debate | 00:29
MORE NRL NEWS
TIGERS NIGHTMARE: Unsung Souths hero stars as Tigers lose both halves
‘YOU HAVEN’T GOT THE MESSAGE’: Wayne defends Latrell in classic presser
‘DOESN’T LOOK GOOD’: Tigers facing crisis after Benji’s injury reveal on star duo
“We’ve just got to be smart enough, we’ve got to be happy to not try and score every time,” he said.
“We’ve got to be more disciplined, we are just finishing down there and just being resilient and doing that set after set and building pressure.
“The amount of times we just let the pressure off, Parra are going to get a lift out of that.
“We looked really good at the start, playing some good footy. Like coach said, there was a lot of effort there, but it means nothing when you lose.”
As for the Jonah Pezet penalty try that opened the scoring, Flanagan had no concerns.
“Probably thought there was enough. I probably thought Clint Gutherson would have got to him, but I understand what he was looking at,” he said.
“But yeah, I’m not going to whinge about referee’s decisions.”
Discussion about this post