Updated ,first published
St George Illawarra co-captain Damien Cook has thrown his support behind recalled halfback Kyle Flanagan after rookie playmaker Kade Reed was ruled out for up to three months with a hand injury.
Reed had surgery on a ruptured tendon in one of his fingers on Tuesday, forcing the winless Dragons into another reshuffle of their halves against Penrith on Sunday to close out the NRLโs Magic Round at Suncorp Stadium.
In his absence, Flanagan will reclaim the No.7 jumper, partnering Daniel Atkinson, who has also been carrying a hand injury and missed Saturdayโs defeat to Newcastle.
Flanagan, who has been picked on an extended bench the past two matches, has not played since his dad Shane Flanagan stepped down from his role as head coach last month.
โThe way he has handled himself has been great,โ Cook said of Flanagan on Tuesday. โObviously, his dad being the coach, it would be hard to go through. The way he has carried himself around the club has been really good.
โHeโs been on the extended bench possibly to come on if I needed to [come off or] swap position. Heโs been really good just jumping in wherever heโs needed at training.
โI canโt fault that. Not many people would ever have to go through that situation in the game where their dad goes through that, plus you spend a couple of weeks not starting.
โI feel for him but [Iโm] definitely impressed with how heโs handled it.โ
Fellow co-captain Clint Gutherson will resume his place at fullback after a forgettable outing at centre against the Knights while forward Luciano Leilua returns from suspension on the bench.
It was less than three weeks ago that 20-year-old Reed made his NRL debut on Anzac Day in it was a baptism of fire.
The Dragons were destroyed 62-16 by the Sydney Roosters before being blown away 44-10 by Newcastle last Saturday.
โItโs been a tough start for him [Reed],โ Cook said. โGreat to get your debut in a massive game on Anzac Day. It wasnโt the way we wanted it to go.
โTo his credit, he hid [the injury] well. I had no idea. They obviously donโt know how long itโs going to be [out of the game] โฆ hopefully itโs a short period.โ
Cook said Reed should not be discouraged about surrendering his position.
โHe had that spot and he was trying to really get a few games under his belt,โ he said. โBut I know the type of kid he is, I know how hard he works. I wouldnโt be worried โฆ Iโd make sure you get it right, make sure you get it right, recover well and come back better for it.โ
In news that Queensland coach Billy Slater will have an interest in, Dragons centre Valentine Holmes completed a full training session on Tuesday despite emerging from the clash against the Knights with a shoulder injury.
He has had an indifferent start to the season in a struggling team, admitting his form hasnโt been up to scratch.
But the 30-year-old is a proven performer at State of Origin level and may still figure in Slaterโs squad for the first game of the series, which he will announce on Monday.
Cook said Holmes would be fine to take his place against the Panthers in Brisbane.
โItโs just the way he plays, he tries to hit hard and play above his weight,โ he said.
โSome of the targets he takes on โฆ I know he took on [Manly forward] Haumole [Olakauโatu] a couple of weeks ago, trying to rush out of line. Heโs tough.
โHe was defending out there [at training] today. The backs had a real solid session. He got through that fine. He looked good out there today.โ
Chris Barrett is a senior sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former South-East Asia correspondent for the Herald and The Age.Connect via X or email.
