Buzz Rothfield v Kyle Flanagan: the interview that made Roosters nervous
He’s played just nine NRL games and has the pressure of replacing Cooper Cronk, no wonder the Sydney Roosters went to such lengths to protect Kyle Flanagan in a one-on-one interview.
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It’s never easy to replace a champion playmaker in rugby league.
Ask Parramatta, who took over 30 years to replace Peter Sterling with someone even close to his ability in Mitchell Moses.
Brisbane still haven’t fully recovered from Darren Lockyer calling it a day in 2011.
It’s why Kyle Flanagan is under such extreme pressure this year.
And why the Sydney Roosters were on edge when The Daily Telegraph asked to sit down with the 21-year-old to discuss his move from Cronulla to the premiers.
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This is an interview the Roosters were not overly keen about.
There’s enough pressure on the youngster without the publicity.
Media manager Alex Phillips sits there listening to every word as Flanagan explains his role.
“I’ve always known there was going to be pressure and spotlight,” he says.
“NRL is a high pressure game for everyone, not just me.
“I’m just trying to build brick by brick. It mightn’t happen straight away. I’m just going to build my game and try to do the simple things well like defence and kicking.
“Playing consistent is what I’m aiming for. Six good games rather than a blinder and five average performances. You don’t need to be a superstar every week.”
It’s a very level-headed attitude for someone who has played just nine first grade games.
When the Tricolours ran onto Totally Wicked Stadium here in the north of England on Sunday morning for the 20-12 World Club Challenge victory against St Helens, the former Roosters ball-boy was wearing Cooper Cronk’s old No.7 jumper.
More pressure.
The premiership-winning halfback from the last three grand finals, who is now on the Moore Park coaching staff as Flanagan’s mentor.
The former Cronulla Sharks young gun, who was solid in his Roosters debut, says he understands the pressure and expectation but is not fazed by it. He’s just grateful to have Cronk there.
“Cooper has been an unbelievable help with every aspect of my game,” Flanagan said.
“The biggest thing has been tips about my mindset and game management. What he knows … it’s another level.
“To pick the brain of a halfback who has won three straight grand finals, it’s pretty special.
“Cooper and Mitchell Pearce have been my idols and they’ve been the Roosters’ last two halves.”
Flanagan was a ball boy at the Roosters when his dad worked as an assistant coach under Ricky Stuart in the early 2000s.
He’d run the tee to current assistant coach Craig Fitzgibbon and was there for Freddy Fittler’s 300th game alongside another youngster who would become an NRL star, Nathan Cleary.
You can tell he is already picking up on the professionalism around the NRL’s benchmark club.
He has watched videos of every Roosters game last year to get a better understanding of the team — and the culture.
“The massive change from the Sharks is in how the organisation is run,” Flanagan said.
“They haven’t won two straight premierships here by accident. Everything involves being professional and working hard. They don’t accept anything less.”
Still it was a tough decision to walk out on the Sharks and the boys he’d played alongside all his junior career like Jayden and Blayke Brailey and his best mate Bronson Xerri.
The dismissal of his father, the 2016 premiership-winning coach, made it easier to leave the Shire.
“Dad’s issues played a part in me going,” Flanagan said.
“A massive opportunity came up at the Roosters and I grabbed it.
“Probably getting out of the Shire gets me out of my comfort zone and I feel like I’m growing up.”
With his father now on the coaching staff at St George Illawarra, the footy talk around home won’t be as open as what it used to be.
“Last year when Dad wasn’t working he craved a footy chat at home,” Flanagan said.
“He’s been there since I started as a kid in juniors and he’ll always be there for me with great advice.
“But I’ve got to listen to Robbo and the coaching staff here. We play them on Anzac Day so I guess we won’t be talking too much that week.”
This trip to the north of England via a training camp in Barcelona has been a mind-blowing experience.
Certainly a step up from the Sharks’ more budget conscious pre-season training camps in Kiama on the south coast.
“I’d never even been to Europe until this trip,” Flanagan said.
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“It’s good bonding. I’m sharing a room with Luke (Keary) and getting to know more about the boys.”
And it’s more appealing than his first away trip with the Roosters on a brutal training camp in Queenstown.
“I did the Kokoda trail a few years ago and it was easily the hardest thing I’d ever done,” Flanagan said.
“But Queenstown was honestly another level. As brutal as it gets. They pushed us so hard mentally and physically. To get through it gives you confidence.”