St George Illawarra Dragons dealing with talk of bullying in playing group

“Post-try celebrations where players are making hand signals similar to a burger is something that brings the group together when we cross the white line. To link it to any one player is completely unfactual. The more burgers the better.”

Watsford said in a podcast that the Dragons are now on the hunt for a marquee half.

The situation around Kyle is tricky because the more coach Flanagan defends his son, the worse it gets.

We told you last week about the way comments he made in the News Corp press were noted, saved and passed on by current and former players. I was chastised for saying I felt sorry for Kyle.

He is a hard trainer, a tough kid and an adequate player. He won’t be the team’s long-term halfback, and is probably a solid No.14. But there is obviously more to him.

He was let go by the Roosters and the Bulldogs, and would not be the starting No.7 at any club other than the Dragons.

‘I don’t get any flashbacks’

As he approaches Wednesday’s State of Origin series decider, Blues coach Laurie Daley says he won’t let a desire for revenge dominate his coaching.

“I don’t think anyone can want something too much, but what you need to be able to do is control yourself and make sure that you’re making the right decisions,” Daley said. “That’s what we’ve done all the way through the series, and that’s what we’ll continue to do for this one.”

Last week, we wrote that Daley could be excused for suffering post-traumatic Origin syndrome after Queensland tortured him for years. Daley won just six of 15 games in his first stint as NSW coach from 2013 to 2017, against one of the great Queensland teams of all time, but many of the losses were heartbreakers.

“I got that out of my system pretty early,” Daley said about the past. “As a coach, it’s a roller coaster, you’re up and down. But the funny thing is, like a footy player – [and] coaching is the same – once you’re back in the environment, you feel more comfortable rather than being away from it where you think too much.

“Sometimes you can overcomplicate things, too. So you’ve just got to keep it simple. I don’t get any flashbacks. But you get excited, you get anxious, you get nervous, you get a range of emotions. But I think that’s only natural.

“So for me, that’s a good thing. As a player, I used to love feeling like that. And as a coach, you want to have that feeling as well, because you’ve got to focus in on what’s important, and you’ve got a big responsibility to get the players in the right frame of mind and provide them the right environment for them to play their best.”

And if Daley gets the wobbles, he has Craig Bellamy by his side.

“I think it’s always handy to have someone like Craig Bellamy on your team; someone to ask for advice, someone that can guide you,” Daley said.

“He’s been in every situation the game’s tossed up – I think he’d have been through it. That’s why we got him on board, and that’s why he has a big part in the way that we go about planning our week … about how we go about messaging through the week, and how we handle weeks.

“Because I don’t know how many grand finals he’s coached in [nine], but he’s been there for a while and knows how to do it.”

The Bellamy appointment shows Daley has put his ego aside in a bid for Origin redemption.

“I think when you try to create a selfless environment and a selfless team, and you’ve got to put the team first, I think coaches have to do that as well,” Daley said. “And I’ve got a great group of coaches, and they all have great input. And I think it’s all about sharing success if you get it, rather than sort of identifying one individual.

“And that’s the type of team we want to be as well. We want to be a selfless team that’s committed to doing all the little things well, and regardless of who gets the credit, we all know that everyone’s contributed in some way, shape or form.”

Roo shock for Smith

The NRL is treating the man regarded as the game’s next Immortal, Cameron Smith, poorly.

He has made it known that he wants the Kangaroos coaching job, but for weeks, he has not heard a word – not even a thanks, but no thanks.

The Kangaroos are without a coach after Mal Meninga took up the job with the Perth Bears.

The delay in naming a replacement has led to questions about how invested the NRL is in the Kangaroos.

There is also a level of mystery surrounding Brad Fittler’s decision to pull out of the race for the Australian coaching job. There was widespread acknowledgement that Fittler was the right man to take over from Meninga, but Freddie’s sudden change of mind has left people looking for reasons.

Fittler was well advanced in negotiations with the NRL about the job – how he wanted it to look and the people he wanted to work with, including Smith.

I have also heard whispers that Fittler was interested in having Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo on his coaching team. That would have made quite a dynamic outfit: Ciraldo as the nuts and bolts man, while Fittler could provide the inspiration and leadership along with Smith.

The process has dragged on, and that may have been part of the reason for Fittler pulling out.

Another factor may be the always grey area of national eligibility. There is an increasing trend for players to turn their backs on the green and gold and play for Pacific nations, and that would not have sat well with any potential Australian coach. Begging players to play for Australia is not acceptable, nor an attractive prospect for a coach.

Fittler is time poor and there is no question that commentating for Channel Nine and working as a representative coach, whether at Origin level or for Australia, can have a real impact on that role. Fittler could be restricted in some of his opinions or criticism of players if he was national coach.

It is also interesting that Meninga had expressed concerns privately about the resources the Kangaroos coach would have, if it was him or someone else going forward.

The NRL has long been reluctant to spend money, and working in a cut-price environment is never pleasant.

I am not sure that Fittler ever got that far down the track – where he had discussed the details of how a Kangaroo tour would be resourced – but whoever the next coach may be, it is something that will need serious consideration.

Dogs won’t let go

Bulldogs assistant coach Chad Randall was being pushed by some Manly old boys to take over from Anthony Seibold on the northern beaches, but the Bulldogs are having none of it.

Randall has the obvious family link – his dad, Terry, is a Sea Eagles great, who played 160 games for Manly and represented NSW and Australia – but the Dogs have just re-signed Randall jnr, who is responsible for their defence.

The Bulldogs have another coach on the rise in former captain Josh Jackson. He is developing well in the system underneath Cameron Ciraldo.

Robbo’s northern exposure

Trent Robinson is a new-age coach and is always looking at different ways to develop his players and himself.

During their bye week, the Roosters coach ditched his phone and went camping with strangers in a remote part of the Northern Territory. He is comfortable roughing it and being alone with his thoughts. It’s something many of his colleagues may not be happy doing.

Trell’s golf game up to scratch

It is easy to see that Latrell Mitchell has an ambition to become a scratch golfer, such is his dedication to the sport. In the freezing cold at Leura in the Blue Mountains, and on a waterlogged course, as soon as the Blues finish training and recovery, Latrell will go to the course by himself and play until it gets dark.

He also has his own golf video blog, which he puts out now and again. He has been off the drink and on the course this season, and has never been happier.

His fitness is also the best it has been. Last we checked, he was off a handicap of 10, and that is heading down.

Mitchell has also taken on another role: the coffee man for the Blues.

Jack be nimble, and so is Baxter

Jack Elsegood was a dynamic winger in the 1990s, and we may start to see him at Bulldogs games. His nephew, Baxter Warner, has just signed with Canterbury from the Roosters. He is an emerging centre who can also play wing and fullback.

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