Latest news with #ShaneFlanagan
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
NRL's response to Shane Flanagan ref spray questioned as 'precedent' singled out
Rugby League great Greg Alexander has questioned why the NRL has decided not to fine Shane Flanagan for his blow-up at officials after the Dragons' 20-18 loss to Canterbury last weekend. An enraged Flanagan singled out a couple of refereeing decisions that he said were 'wrong' and potentially cost his side a chance to play finals footy this season. The Dragons coach took aim at two controversial calls during the final minutes of the two-point defeat. He accused Jacob Kiraz of planting the ball before he got to his feet and described the ensuing penalty against Luciano Leilua for ruck interference as 'outrageous'. The Dragons coach also claimed that Viliame Kikau knocked the ball forward into Tyrell Sloan when attempting a bat-on pass moments later, and was furious that the Dogs were allowed to play on. It proved costly as Lachlan Galvin set up the match-winning try with a superb cut-out ball to Jethro Rinakama that denied the Dragons a win and left them six points out of finals contention with just seven games left to play. "The Luciano Leilua decision was outrageous," Flanagan fumed in his post-match press conference. "He's got to get to his feet before he plants the ball. You can't be falling sideways. You can't ball-plant... but tonight we ball-planted and we lost the game because of it." And about the decision not to pull up Kikau for a knock-on, he added: "Kikau passes the ball, hit Sloan and goes forward, so in the collision that's a knock-on. Ever since 100 years, that's a knock-on and that was at the 78-minute mark... They're a good side the Bulldogs, they compete hard, but it was some decisions tonight that cost us two competition points and could cost us an opportunity to play semi-finals." NRL backs officials, decides not to fine Shane Flanagan However, the NRL backed their officials over both calls, citing footage that showed Leilua denied Kiraz an opportunity to play the ball correctly by grabbing the winger's arm before his foot dislodged the ball. The NRL also ruled there was insufficient evidence to prove that Kikau knocked the ball forward into Sloan. Both were viewed as 50/50 calls that could have gone either way and it's for that very reason that Alexander believes Flanagan wasn't fined for his outburst. The Penrith great pointed out that the NRL announced a blanket ban on coaches questioning refereeing decisions at the start of the year and suggested league bosses erred on their tough stance by not fining Flanagan. 'The precedent had been set and there was a directive from the NRL that you can't question decisions,' Alexander said on SEN 1170 Breakfast. 'I thought Flanagan was in control of what he was saying. He didn't lose it but there's no doubt he was questioning the decision. 'He even said the decisions were outrageous. The NRL are hedging their bets. Normally, they would've fined a coach and they have fined coaches this year for questioning referee decisions." But Alexander insists coaches 'should be allowed to' air their grievances in the manner Flanagan did, without being sanctioned. RELATED: Scary Panthers detail that backs up legend's huge premiership call Tigers star linked with switch to rival clubs as medical detail emerges Broncos' cap squeeze could claim another star as 'formal' offers touted '(The NRL made the decision) not to fine him because it was a 50/50 call and it could've easily gone the way of the Dragons," he added. "Is that off-putting to some? Why can't a coach say that? As long as a coach handles themselves in the way that Shane Flanagan did. He wasn't saying that they'd been robbed. He said it in a matter which I believe coaches should be allowed to do.' However, the situation appears to fly in the face of what NRL head of football operations Graham Annesley said earlier in the year, when clarifying what coaches are not allowed to say about the referees. "They can't make derogatory comments about match officials, they can't attack their performance or integrity," he told Wide World of Sports. "They can't do anything that brings into question the integrity or the performance of the referee but they can disagree with individual decisions."
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ugly truth for Storm and Dragons fans amid claims they were both 'robbed'
OPINION Dragons and Storm fans were both left crying foul on Saturday night amid claims they were 'robbed' by contentious calls in their NRL losses to the Bulldogs and Sea Eagles. For the Dragons it was what Shane Flanagan described as an 'outrageous' penalty given to the Bulldogs that allowed them to march downfield and score the match-winning try at the death. And it was also a penalty awarded to Manly that had Melbourne fans up in arms. But in both instances, one could make a very good argument they both had themselves to blame. I'm a diehard Dragons fan, and I completely agree the Bunker got it wrong when Luciano Leilua was deemed to have crowded the ruck and caused Jacob Kiraz to lose the ball with five minutes to play. Leilua was simply standing up rather than "moving his foot forward" as the Bunker official claimed, and Kiraz should have paid the price for showing no care for the ball while trying to play it quickly. It also looked like Kiraz didn't get to his feet properly before trying to play it. Kiraz is on his knees and tries to play the ball I thought that wasn't allowed ?#NRLBulldogsDragons — ClippersSeason (@FunnyCants) July 19, 2025 What should have been a knock-on and Dragons ball in good field position was instead a Bulldogs penalty that allowed them to go downfield and score the winner. But the truth of the matter is the Dragons still should have won if not for a couple of diabolical decisions they made. Corey Allan inexplicably dived back into his own in-goal with three minutes remaining to force a line drop-out, rather than diving forward into the field of play to retain possession. Captain Clint Gutherson then made a questionable decision to attempt a short drop-out rather than pump it long - gifting the Bulldogs the ball just 10m out when it didn't go the distance. Why on earth Gutherson didn't go for a long drop-out and make the Bulldogs try and score from long-range is anyone's guess. Not to mention Tyrell Sloan rushing in from his wing and leaving Jethro Rinakama unmarked to score the match-winning try. Jethro Rinakama scores the match-winner! 🤯Telstra Moment of the Match — NRL (@NRL) July 19, 2025 Dragons' poor decision-making late in games The penalty call on the Kiraz dropped ball was a shocker, but the Dragons shot themselves in the foot with how they responded. They've lost three games by a single point this season, and another by two points. At times they've been desperately unlucky, but their decision-making late in games hasn't been good enough. They were certifiably robbed in Round 18 against Canberra when a try was disallowed for a forward pass that was nowhere near forward, which saw the touch-judge axed for the remainder of the season. But Saturday night's loss to the Bulldogs wasn't the same. Damien Cook also questioned a try that was disallowed for Sloan pushing Rinakama in the back. But the Dragons winger has gotten away with the same act multiple times this season, and it caught up with him on Saturday night. Bunker got it exactly right to penalise Harry Grant As for the Storm, the Bunker official got it exactly right when he pinged Harry Grant for running through the kicking leg of Luke Brooks on an attempted field-goal. The ensuing penalty allowed the Sea Eagles to kick two points for a 20-18 victory. Storm fans claimed it was a soft penalty and questioned the rule, but Lachlan Ilias' broken leg last year shows why it's needed. And once again the Storm only had themselves to blame. Nelson Asofa-Solomona's elbow to the head of Jake Simpkin proved a game-changing moment when a try for Grant was overturned because of it. If Asofa-Solomona hadn't lashed out, the Storm would have reduced the deficit and gone on to win. Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy admitted his side's ill-discipline was a bigger factor than any refereeing decision. 'You just see the error rate, at half-time our completions was 65 per cent and theirs was 92 per cent or something, so it's hard to be competitive if you're completing at that and the opposition is completing at that high rate,' Bellamy said. 'I don't know whether we were looking for a soft performance, but having said that, you've got to give a lot of credit to Manly too. How we started, it's like we were looking for short cuts straight away." On the Grant penalty late in the game, the Storm coach said: "I suppose, within what the rules say, that's what it was."
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
NRL coach Shane Flanagan lashes out at officials over 'outrageous' call that may have cost Dragons finals
An enraged Shane Flanagan believes some 'wrong' refereeing decisions in St George Illawarra's loss to Canterbury may have cost the Dragons a spot in the NRL finals. Flanagan was as angry as any coach in a post-match press conference this season on Saturday night, taking particular aim at two calls from the final minutes of the 20-18 defeat in Homebush. 'I was really proud of the effort they put in and the way they played, but the game was taken away from us from I believe wrong decisions,' the Dragons coach said. Flanagan was incensed that the Bulldogs used their captain's challenge to earn a penalty with five minutes left after the bunker ruled Luciano Leilua had interfered in the ruck as Jacob Kiraz played the ball. The coach accused Kiraz of ball-planting, an illegal move when a player puts the ball on the ground and attempts to play it without regaining their footing. 'The Luciano Leilua decision was outrageous,' Flanagan said. 'He's got to get to his feet before he plants the ball. 'You can't be falling sideways. You can't ball-plant ... but tonight we ball-planted and we lost the game because of it.' As the Bulldogs attacked the line on the back of their penalty, Flanagan thought Viliame Kikau batted the ball into Tyrell Sloan as he attempted a quick pass on the left edge. But the possible knock-on was missed and the Bulldogs continued to attack the line, with Lachlan Galvin throwing the match-winning pass for Jethro Rinakama to score moments later. 'Kikau passes the ball, hit Sloan and goes forward, so in the collision that's a knock-on. Ever since 100 years, that's a knock-on and that was at the 78-minute mark,' he said. The Saints are set to finish the weekend three wins behind eighth spot, their NRL finals hopes now relying on mathematical possibilities. To finish the season with a winning record, they must claim victory in all of their last seven games - and they face Penrith, Canberra, Cronulla and the Warriors in that stretch. 'They're trying so hard,' Flanagan said. 'They're a good side the Bulldogs, they compete hard, but it was some decisions tonight that cost us two competition points and could cost us an opportunity to play semi-finals.' Flanagan confirmed he would seek clarity from the NRL about the decisions. 'I'll go through those channels, but in the end we don't get these two competition points,' he said.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ref calls may have cost Dragons finals: Flanagan
An enraged Shane Flanagan believes some "wrong" refereeing decisions in St George Illawarra's loss to Canterbury may have cost the Dragons a spot in the NRL finals. Flanagan was as angry as any coach in a post-match press conference this season on Saturday night, taking particular aim at two calls from the final minutes of the 20-18 defeat in Homebush. "I was really proud of the effort they put in and the way they played, but the game was taken away from us from I believe wrong decisions," the Dragons coach said. Flanagan was incensed that the Bulldogs used their captain's challenge to earn a penalty with five minutes left after the bunker ruled Luciano Leilua had interfered in the ruck as Jacob Kiraz played the ball. The coach accused Kiraz of ball-planting, an illegal move when a player puts the ball on the ground and attempts to play it without regaining their footing. "The Luciano Leilua decision was outrageous," Flanagan said. "He's got to get to his feet before he plants the ball. "You can't be falling sideways. You can't ball-plant ... but tonight we ball-planted and we lost the game because of it." As the Bulldogs attacked the line on the back of their penalty, Flanagan thought Viliame Kikau batted the ball into Tyrell Sloan as he attempted a quick pass on the left edge. But the possible knock-on was missed and the Bulldogs continued to attack the line, with Lachlan Galvin throwing the match-winning pass for Jethro Rinakama to score moments later. "Kikau passes the ball, hit Sloan and goes forward, so in the collision that's a knock-on. Ever since 100 years, that's a knock-on and that was at the 78-minute mark," he said. Watch all the highlights as the Bulldogs take on the Dragons in Round 20! 🎥 — NRL (@NRL) July 19, 2025 The Saints are set to finish the weekend three wins behind eighth spot, their NRL finals hopes now relying on mathematical possibilities. To finish the season with a winning record, they must claim victory in all of their last seven games - and they face Penrith, Canberra, Cronulla and the Warriors in that stretch. "They're trying so hard," Flanagan said. "They're a good side the Bulldogs, they compete hard, but it was some decisions tonight that cost us two competition points and could cost us an opportunity to play semi-finals." Flanagan confirmed he would seek clarity from the NRL about the decisions. "I'll go through those channels, but in the end we don't get these two competition points," he said.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Roosters could lose key figure to Dragons after signing leaves NRL rivals 'fuming'
The Dragons are reportedly targeting Daniel Anderson to head up their recruitment department as the shake-up at St George Illawarra continues. Anderson is currently Trent Robinson's head of recruitment at the Roosters but the Tri Colours recently signed Raiders recruitment guru Joel Carbone, in a move that's said to have left Canberra 'fuming'. However, the move opens the door for former Eels and Warriors coach Anderson to make the switch to Shane Flanagan's Dragons, who have been on the lookout for a recruitment boss for a number of years. And St George Illawarra - who recently installed Tim Watsford as the club's new CEO - are understood to have made Anderson their No.1 target. league reporter Michael Chammas revealed on Nine's 100% Footy on Monday night that the Dragons have spoken with a number of potential candidates but 'Anderson was the clear favourite'. He said: "Daniel Anderson, he's the recruitment boss at the Roosters there at the moment, he's in conversations with the Dragons. He is their preferred candidate. "Now nothing is finalised. Daniel has been at the Roosters for a long time, he's coached in the NRL and had some success. And now the Dragons are in conversations about bringing him to the club... but if things progress as they have in the last few weeks then Daniel Anderson could be at the Dragons." St George Illawarra are keen to install an experienced figure to take pressure of coach Flanagan and help build a playing roster that will deliver a return to finals footy. The last time the Dragons made the top-eight was in 2018 when former coach Paul McGregor was in charge, and veteran league journalist David Riccio says the club's search for a suitable head of recruitment has gone on for several years now. "As far as the Dragons are concerned, this is a mission they've been on for some time," Riccio told SEN radio on Tuesday. "I'm talking two years in an attempt to find a head of recruitment that can oversee that roster management alongside Shane Flanagan, his staff and obviously the new CEO (Tim Watsford). "You can go back to their approach for Peter O'Sullivan, who moved from the Dolphins to the Newcastle Knights. It was either the Knights or the Dragons and O'Sullivan chose the Knights... but it goes back further. The problem is - not only for the Dragons but the game - is the head of recruitment officers, they don't fall out of trees. "They very much get recycled and recirculated because it is a very specific role. And it's critical that they boast the best relationships in the game with both player managers, rival clubs and players... and that's where the Saints are at. They've been very delicate and patient in wanting to find the best option and I'd say Daniel would be a more than suitable and more than qualified appointment." RELATED: Latrell Mitchell footage that hints at huge NSW switch for Origin 3 Isaah Yeo speaks out as NSW set to ditch tradition Origin decider Cam Smith responds as NRL considers breaking rule for Wayne Bennett And it explains why Raiders officials were reportedly 'fuming' about losing their recruitment guru Carbone to the Roosters, which has opened the door for the Dragons to pounce on Anderson. Carbone has been integral to Ricky Stuart's rebuild at Canberra and the club's astute recruitment has been a major factor behind their rise to the top of the NRL ladder. Canberra have had a clear strategy around developing young talent and club juniors, as well as identifying players from less traditional competitions, such as the English Super League. And Carbone has been key to that approach, meaning the Raiders - who've historically struggled to attract big names to the nation's capital - are now searching for someone else to continue the club's successful strategy.
