{"id":388227,"date":"2026-04-20T04:51:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T04:51:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/388227\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T04:51:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T04:51:09","slug":"dragons-take-swipe-at-media-after-shane-flanagan-sacking-press-conference-interim-coach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/388227\/","title":{"rendered":"Dragons take swipe at media after Shane Flanagan sacking, press conference, interim coach"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dragons chairman Andrew Lancaster has taken a swipe at the media while insisting the club came to a \u201cmutual agreement\u201d with Shane Flanagan after his departure was announced<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Watch every game of every round of the Premiership Season LIVE with no ad-breaks during play on FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Flanagan was fired as Dragons coach on Monday after the club called a press conference with Lancaster and chief executive Tim Watsford fronting the media.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

While they were able to answer most of the questions posed by journalists, details about Flanagan\u2019s immediate replacement will be revealed following Tuesday\u2019s board meeting.<\/p>\n

Flanagan is the second NRL coach gone this season, with general manager of football Ben Haran also departing the club.<\/p>\n

The official line is that both men are leaving St George Illawarra \u201cby mutual agreement\u201d and Lancaster was quick to emphasise that line on multiple occasions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been talking to Shane the whole time,\u201d Lancaster said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an organisation. It\u2019s a sporting club. We talked to our head coach on a regular basis. So these conversations, whilst we didn\u2019t get to an outcome this morning, have been taking place.\u201d<\/p>\n

When another journalist posed a question at Lancaster which included the words \u201cmoving on\u201d, he was again quick to jump in and correct the reporter by repeating it was a \u201cmutual agreement\u201d.<\/p>\n

That is despite Flanagan continuing to vow to turn the club\u2019s fortunes around this season, although there did seem to be a level of resignation on his end that time was running out.<\/p>\n

Plus, given he was contracted until 2028 there had to be some level of an agreement for him to depart early, although that isn\u2019t to say he necessarily was on board with exiting in the first place.<\/p>\n

Assistant coaches Dean Young and Michael Ennis are contenders to replace Flanagan at least in the interim<\/a>, with whoever comes in set to face a baptism of fire against the Roosters on Anzac Day. <\/p>\n

For the time being, who that person is remains unknown.<\/p>\n

Get all the latest NRL news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!!<\/a><\/p>\n

‘Can’t control outside noise’ | 11:20<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re meeting with the coaching staff after this meeting. Obviously this is not something that has moved slowly,\u201d Lancaster said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve made decisions this morning. We\u2019ll be talking to the staff and come back with that position shortly.\u201d<\/p>\n

While most of Monday\u2019s press conference went as expected, there was one interesting moment where Lancaster took aim at some of the media coverage surrounding the club.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s been a lot of media coverage over the Dragons these past few weeks,\u201d Lancaster said. <\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of it was absolutely deserved. Some of it was poor, and some of it was about personal agendas. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been in media longer than most. Our coverage of this great game and of this great club should be better. Readers, viewers, and listeners do deserve better.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Dragons have the worst attacking record this season with just 14 points per game, with club officials needing to nail their next appointment as they look to end a finals drought that goes back to 2018. <\/p>\n

\u201cThese are not decisions anyone takes lightly,\u201d Watsford said. <\/p>\n

\u201cShane and Ben have both worked hard for the club, and on behalf of the Dragons, I want to thank them for their efforts, professionalism and commitment during their time here. We wish Shane, Ben, and their families all the best for the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is clearly a significant moment for the club. We understand the disappointment and frustration our members and our fans feel, and we know that results and performances have not met expectations for this proud club. Our focus now is what happens next. <\/p>\n

\u201cFirst, this means providing stability for our playing group and our staff and supporting them through this transition. <\/p>\n

\u201cSecondly, it means making sure the team is as prepared as possible for the weeks ahead, starting this week with the Anzac Round clash against the Roosters at Allianz Stadium.<\/p>\n

MORE DRAGONS NEWS<\/p>\n

CRAWLEY: Brutal Dragons reality that Flanagan sacking can\u2019t mask<\/a><\/p>\n

CONTENDERS: Who could replace Flanagan… and why obvious choice isn\u2019t a lock<\/a><\/p>\n

Dragons assistant coaches Dean Young and Michael Ennis are in the mix to replace Flanagan. Picture: Mark Metcalfe\/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will communicate our interim coaching arrangements following discussions with our coaching staff today. <\/p>\n

\u201cBeyond that, we will continue to undertake a thorough evaluation of our football department, including the appointment of an NRL head coach in due course. We will do that carefully, efficiently, and with the long-term interests of the Dragons at the centre of every decision. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis club knows the standards that are expected of it, and we know that we are not meeting them. Our job now is to take the necessary steps to move the football program forward and give our members and supporters confidence in the club\u2019s direction.\u201d<\/p>\n

The man who guided the Sharks to their drought-breaking premiership victory a decade ago will follow Sea Eagles counterpart Anthony Seibold, who was sacked after three winless matches, with his departure sparking an incredible turnaround.<\/p>\n

Flanno defiant about Dragons future | 02:03<\/p>\n

While finals are dead and buried at St George Illawarra, the Red V faithful will be hoping that Flanagan\u2019s departure can do something similar for a proud club that has lost 11 on the trot going back to last year.<\/p>\n

Flanagan joined the Dragons in 2024 but won just 19 of his 55 matches in charge, with recruitment and retention a major issue for a team that has struggled for an attacking spark after stars Ben Hunt and Zac Lomax moved on.<\/p>\n

The veteran coach signed a two-year extension last August, with the second paragraph of the media release proving to be nothing more than a pipe dream. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis extension reaffirms the club\u2019s commitment to stability, growth and a long-term vision for success both on and off the field,\u201d the August 8 release read.<\/p>\n

Dragons fans have become growlingly frustrated with the direction the club was heading, with their recruitment strategy in the spotlight after the opening seven rounds.<\/p>\n

Get all the latest NRL news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!!<\/a><\/p>\n

Su’a SENT OFF after huge hit on Murray | 00:50<\/p>\n

Valentine Holmes missed 13 tackles against Souths on the weekend, Daniel Atkinson hasn\u2019t registered a try assist in his past three games, while it\u2019s unclear whether Clint Gutherson will play fullback when he returns from injury.<\/p>\n

Star edge forward Jaydn Su\u2019A was sent off on Saturday and is facing a lengthy ban, while he won\u2019t even be at the club next year after agreeing to join the Eels.<\/p>\n

The Dragons have also had to deal with disgruntled young players like Loko Pasifiki Tonga. whose request for an early release was knocked back earlier this month and led to his management leaking emails to the media.<\/p>\n

The decision can\u2019t be easy on Kyle Flanagan, who has had to watch his dad lose his job while at the same time deal with public criticism over his attacking output in the halves. <\/p>\n

\u201cKyle is a contracted player through to the end of 2027. And yes, we\u2019ll provide every means possible to support Kyle,\u201d Watsford said. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd as we happen, we\u2019ll continue to support Shane. To Andrew\u2019s point, it hasn\u2019t been overly great in terms of how they\u2019ve both been treated, but we\u2019ll continue to wrap our arms around him as a club and move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dragons chairman Andrew Lancaster has taken a swipe at the media while insisting the club came to a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":388228,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[111,139,69,213],"class_list":["post-388227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/388227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=388227"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/388227\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/388228"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=388227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=388227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=388227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}