A defiant Shane Flanagan insists he\u2019s still the best man to lead the Dragons, with the veteran coach not wishing the intense scrutiny he\u2019s faced in recent weeks on anyone else as he looks to pick up his first win of the season on Friday night.<\/p>\n
The Dragons are 0-5 and were booed off the field after they were held scoreless by the Cowboys last week, with Kyle Flanagan set to return against Manly following a sickening head knock back in round four.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve never been through this experience, but I\u2019ve just got to battle on,\u201d Flanagan said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll I can do is my best, and that\u2019s what I\u2019m doing at the moment. I turn up to work every day, prepare the team the best we can and look after the staff as best I can. That\u2019s all I can do.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not worried about my future. I\u2019ve got more important things to worry about at this stage of my career.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve got to worry about the club, and I value the stability, the team and the whole organisation, rather than self.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve just got to do my best. I\u2019m not worried about me. If I do my job and we get through it, then that\u2019s great. If we don\u2019t, I can walk away and say I did my best.\u201d<\/p>\n
The intense scrutiny on his future comes just two weeks after Manly sacked coach Anthony Seibold, with Flanagan able to ease some of the pressure if his team can knock off the Sea Eagles in Wollongong. <\/p>\n
The outside noise has been constant, with the 2016 premiership-winning coach accepting it comes with the territory. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the NRL. If you don\u2019t win, it\u2019s going to come,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t believe the way that we attack each other in this great game of ours. I love the game, I love the people I\u2019ve met through it and I love the players that I\u2019ve coached.<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand it (the pressure), but I don\u2019t enjoy it and I don\u2019t encourage what\u2019s going on. I wouldn\u2019t wish what\u2019s going on with me over the last few weeks on anyone.\u201d <\/p>\n
The Dragons will be without skipper Clint Gutherson (hamstring) for the crucial clash, while there\u2019s a major switch in the halves with key recruit Daniel Atkinson moving from halfback to five-eighth. <\/p>\n
Atkinson\u2019s kicking game was poor against North Queensland, but his coach hopes the move to the No.6 jersey will allow him to focus on his running game. <\/p>\n
\u201cAs time\u2019s gone on, we just feel that Kyle\u2019s strength is to organise the team and get them around the park,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel\u2019s probably felt a bit of pressure, especially last week with Kyle not there, to do both. His strength is his running game and his kicking (even though) he kicked a couple dead last week, but that was probably under pressure being on his own.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019ll take the pressure off Daniel and we\u2019ll go back to Kyle\u2019s strength about getting the team around the park. So I think it\u2019s just a change in number, but it\u2019s also a change in mindset.\u201d<\/p>\n
Flanagan could have made more changes to his squad this week, with the club still reeling from the sudden departures of stars like Ben Hunt and Zac Lomax which has set them back. <\/p>\n
The juniors coming through have already shown they have long futures in the game, with Flanagan backing his son to take control of their attack after overcoming the serious head knock. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s our best halfback in the club and he competes hard,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou can ask all our other coaches who have got some qualifications behind them, Mick Ennis and Dean Young and Willie Talau. <\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t go pick Kyle because of his surname. He\u2019s got to do a job and he is within our top three or four players \u2013 competitive wise \u2013 week in, week out. He\u2019s our best halfback in the club at the moment, so we pick him.\u201d<\/p>\n