Lachlan Ilias act piles pressure on Shane Flanagan after brutal Dragons snub
Lachlan Ilias has responded to his axing having starred in the NSW Cup for his club with the Dragons going down to the Wests Tigers at NRL level. Dragons fans were left divided last week when coach Shane Flanagan opted to drop Ilias back to NSW Cup after their mauling at the hands of the Roosters.
The coach admitted a number of players could consider themselves fortunate not to be dropped, but Ilias was snubbed. This was controversial considering many felt Shane's son, Kyle Flanagan, was not living up to the hype in the No.6 jersey. Instead, it was the halfback that made way for Lyhkan King-Togia.
King-Togia put in a solid performance for the Dragons against the Wests Tigers and showed he is meant to play in the NRL. He recorded two try assists and two line break assists with his ball-playing a real highlight.
However, the Tigers still prevailed 34-28 and left the Dragons stranded on eight points. In the meantime, Ilias was a star in the Dragons' 60-26 win over the Magpies in NSW Cup.
Flanagan admitted Ilias would return to first-grade if he was able to find confidence again and it appears the youngster has started on the right path. Ilias found his running groove having scored two tries and ran for 102 metres in the victory. He also recorded a try assist of his own.
And it will be interesting to see how Flanagan reacts to Ilias' display. There were plenty of calls for King-Togia to remain in the No.6 jersey for the Dragons after the young star showed plenty of promising signs in his first game of NRL in 2025.
But if Ilias continues to find his form, and the Dragons don't, then it could be Kyle Flanagan facing the axe. Regardless, coach Flanagan has more selection decisions to make heading into round 10 as the Dragons take on the high-flying Warriors at home.
Egan, Stewart and king-Togia were our stand out players
— Justin Murphy (@Murphy220687) May 3, 2025
King togia got speed , good kick game and good vision looks to have a solid future
— 46VET🇼🇸🇦🇺 (@46vet_) May 3, 2025
After plenty of speculation to why Ilias made way after the Roosters game, Flanagan said he wanted Ilias to rediscover his confidence back at NSW Cup level. "He's a first grade halfback, and he just needs to go and find a little bit of form and a bit of confidence," Flanagan said ahead of Magic Round.
"He's trying really hard, his kicking's been good and he'll go back. He's got a real good attitude, no one wants to get dropped but he'll go back and work hard and we'll see him again."
Ilias was at fault for an attempted 40/20 kick that went out on the full against Parramatta, and helped hand the Eels victory in golden point in round five. He also copped a public reprimand from the coach for failing to ice victory late on against Souths in round two, resulting in Braith Anasta to make a shock admission about his client's hopes of hanging onto the No.7 jersey.
And Ilias axing at the hands of King-Togia comes as a double-blow after the young gun signed a contract extension this week that shows he's part of the club's plans moving forward. Regardless, Flanagan was made to defend his decision and explained why his son held onto his jersey in the halves after the latest loss to the Roosters.
'But Kyle has been one of our best players this year,' the Dragons coach told . 'When that happens, it does make it easier. Kyle has scored four tries, and he's been setting up tries. His form has been fine... If he doesn't play well, he doesn't play. He'd be gone. There's no difference. I treat Kyle exactly the same as everyone else.'
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