Shane Flanagan has started his St George Illawarra coaching tenure at the helm of a gutsy and brilliant 28-4 win over Gold Coast, with fullback Tyrell Sloan scoring a hat-trick.
It was a win that had Flanagan’s fingerprints all over it in his first head-coaching gig since 2018 with Cronulla. The Dragons defended their tryline for most of the first half with grit and gusto and made the hosts pay after the break with scintillating attack at Cbus Super Stadium in front of 14,537 fans.
Flanagan has already managed to get the best out of several of the previous enigmas in his squad with Sloan, winger Zac Lomax and centre Mosese Suli all superb in career-best displays.
On the flip side, new Titans coach Des Hasler has plenty of work to do with a squad that was near perfect with the ball in the first half, before turning in an error-riddled fiasco in the second stanza.
Gold Coast suffered a blow before kick-off with veteran No.6 Kieran Foran a late withdrawal with a hamstring injury.
The Titans lacked polish at the end of their sets with halves Tom Weaver and Tanah Boyd unable to make the most of a mountain of possession in the first 40 minutes.
The Dragons started on fire with Sloan scoring in the third minute after a crafty offload by new signing Raymond Faitala-Mariner.
Weaver, Foran’s replacement, snuck a slick grubber kick in off-the-cuff for speed demon Alofiana Khan-Pereira to swoop in response.
Dragons five-eighth Kyle Flanagan, recruited from Canterbury, made the crucial play in the 47th minute with a classic show and go to slide under the sticks and give his side a 12-4 lead.
It was set up for Sloan at that point and he did not disappoint, chiming into the line with two more tries that showcased his speed and instinct.
Flanagan has found something special in Suli.
The blockbusting centre was sensational with the ball but his defensive plays to snuff out bombs and Titans attacking raids was first class.
Lomax ran for 255m, scored a try and roamed around the field with intent and impact in a masterclass display.
Gold Coast received an inspirational display from captain and prop Tino Fa’asuamaleaui who played the opening 47 minutes where he ran for 187m and was a virtual one-man band.
When the skipper left the field the Dragons led 6-4. He came back on in the 68th minute but the game was gone.
farkurnell
Roar Rookie
Sorry, geez I reckons English ain’t ones of me strung suites.
farkurnell
Roar Rookie
Fine I agree about Hunt n Flanno. I don’t dislike the Drags compared to some other clubs.
Glory Bound
Roar Rookie
Round 1 of course and too late. The Dragons are no longer on top of the ladder. Did you get a screenshot before the Cowboys jumped your Dragons? :silly:
Duvall
Roar Rookie
PS. It's "you're" not "your".
Duvall
Roar Rookie
I am not a Dragons supporter. I just like Flanno and Hunt – is that OK? I suspect I support the same club you do.
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
Are you offering that for R1 or R25??
farkurnell
Roar Rookie
Lap it up now while your on a roll. Poor Flanno doesn't know what he's in for when the Drags fans turn on him after a drubbing from a Top 4 side , even worse if the Sharks put them to the sword.
Glory Bound
Roar Rookie
Would you rather swap the Charity Shield for 2 competition points and 1st place other NRL ladder? I know which one I would rather have mate. :thumbup:
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
You just had to toss the Charity Shield game into the mix, didn't you??
aerial lizard
Roar Rookie
I can't see how it's going to improve? Dave Fifita has been very inconsistent. Might be a long year for titties fans.
aerial lizard
Roar Rookie
League is not exactly brimming with halves either to replace Foran, maybe they could talk to Grub?
aerial lizard
Roar Rookie
Plus if Liddle continues his ascent we should be able to play him for 80 and free up a bench spot for a big crittur.
Duvall
Roar Rookie
Delighted for Flanno. A great bloke and he sure can coach - knows that it all stems from defence and he's got them very fit. Dragons unrecognisable in defence from last year and attack flows from good defence as we saw last night. Hunt is a happy man too.
Tony
Roar Guru
It won't be pretty
Tony
Roar Guru
Definitely fitter
danwain
Roar Rookie
For someone that is apparently disgruntled, he was very keen to get involved and show his worth
Nat
Roar Guru
I'm wondering why Smith Shields hasn't been mentioned. I'd give him a shot over Brimson and Kelly.
KenW
Roar Rookie
They might be in for a tough year if they're going to be as reliant on Foran for structure as yesterday suggested. As good as he can be the cold facts are he hasn't strung 2 good years together in a very long time and he's getting on a bit to think that's going to change now.
KenW
Roar Rookie
Oh yeah, great spot to be in. Will mean that they should always be fielding a strong bench, even when down a few players. Much different to the last few years.
KenW
Roar Rookie
I've been quite bullish about the Dragons coming into this year, seemed clear to me that they would be different than 2023. Almost every element seems in a much better place.. The exception is spine depth, that could be an achilles heel, but the additions to the forwards seem to be bringing out the best in the existing guys. Early days, don't want to let the enthusiasm run wild because of 1 decent game - against an opponent I think has been over-rated - but good signs. Last year, they would have lost that game before half-time, a couple of close calls went against them, they got a case of the dropsies, but this time they held firm. Gave them the opportunity to turn the tide and reap the rewards in the 2nd half.