huge setback: St George Illawarra Dragons head coach Shane Flanagan has been fired with…..

St George Illawarra Dragons coach Shane Flanagan described his team’s second-half performance as “so bad you’ve got to try and laugh about it” and hinted at making significant changes to the lineup.

The Dragons started strong, leading 12-6 at halftime, but the Bulldogs turned the game around, scoring 38 unanswered points to secure a 44-12 victory at Accor Stadium.

Despite injuries to Hame Sele and Jack Bird, Flanagan did not use these as excuses for the team’s collapse, emphasizing accountability instead.

“Last time I was in this room, I won a comp, how things have changed,” Flanagan remarked during the post-match press conference.

“Two halves, so different. We were really good in the first half. I thought we ran hard, missed three tackles, and competed really hard. I thought if we continued to do what we did in the first half, we’d win the football game. Credit to them, they did exactly what we did to them in the first half. Some of the numbers out of the game, you haven’t seen them too often. We only had eight sets; they had 26. Possession killed us. Then when we did finally get possession, we turned it over or gave penalties away, so our own worst enemy.”

This second-half collapse highlighted a concerning pattern for the Dragons, who have conceded an average of 39.6 points per game in their six losses this season.

Flanagan admitted he hasn’t pinpointed the cause of these collapses but acknowledged the need to address it.

“It’s a tricky one,” Flanagan said. “There’s a number of different things I’m thinking about why. Maybe we’re pushing the limits, and I’m squeezing the lemon on a couple of them. You can’t do it in one half and not do it in the other half, so it’s something we’ve got to work on.”

Flanagan also did not rule out significant changes to the squad for the next game against the Penrith Panthers, suggesting he might consider players from the Dragons’ NSW Cup side.

“If you keep getting these results and you keep picking the same side, they’ll find a new coach,” Flanagan noted.