New Coach. New Halfback. New Rules - Dragons Draw Line In The Sand

It’s a start to the season that has some fans covering their eyes in fear. Following a whopping 7 losses to start the year, the St George Illawarra Dragons made the tough decision to let go off multiple members of their senior staff.

 

It’s certainly no secret that Shane Flanagan’s job at St George was in doubt after the clubs awful start. However, fans and pundits alike were shocked to hear that the club will not only be moving on from Flanagan but his assistant coach and former Bulldogs great Michael Ennis. Alongside the departure of these two, the General manager of Football Ben Haran will also be stepping away from the club.

It seems that the decision has allowed for a sigh of relief to be let out by Dragons fans across the country as Flanagan’s sacking is confirmed. Despite his coaching acumen, Flanagan was unable to produce a positive record at the club winning only 19 of 55 games.

The announcement of former Dragons legend as Dean Young as the teams interim coach has certainly seemed to light a spark in the heart of Dragons fans as they get ready to face the high-flying Roosters in their annual Anzac Day clash.

Young brings a strong pedigree to the club and has done his ‘apprenticeship’ working under the likes of Laurie Daley and Todd Payten and will be raring for his team to get the win on Saturday.

Young has made his arrival at the club all the more dramatic by deciding to drop Flanagan’s son Kyle and call up local junior and young gun Kade Reed for this weekends clash. A decision that has definitely added another layer of intrigue and drama. Reed came to stardom where he was a standout in the Pre Season for the Dragons scoring a fabulous try and an impressive try saving tackle on Sandon Smith.

While the season is just eight rounds old, it already looks like it will be one of the most closely contested in recent memory. The Dragons will be hoping for a response similar to that of the Manly Sea Eagles following the sacking of their coach just weeks ago.

But for now, all attention shifts to Saturday.

New Coach. New Halfback. New Rules.