NRL 2022: Kyle Flanagan return, Bulldogs back halfback to help unlock their attack
Bulldogs players have rallied around recalled teammate Kyle Flanagan amid a storm of debate over the timing of the maligned halfback’s return to the top grade.
NRL
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Kyle Flanagan may be among the most maligned players in the competition but his teammates have rallied around the recalled No.7, with Josh Addo-Carr telling him “we have your back”.
Flanagan will play his first NRL game of the season on Sunday, becoming Canterbury’s third halfback already this year.
His inclusion has sparked raging debate with pundits questioning if recalling Flanagan to play the defending premiers Penrith was the right time.
Stream every game of every round of the 2022 NRL Telstra Premiership Season Live & Ad-Break Free In Play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Try 14-Days Free Now >
After impressing in reserve grade – amassing 42 points already this season – Flanagan left Bulldogs coach Trent Barrett with little option but to turn to the 23-year-old in a bid to spark his team’s faltering attack.
Addo-Carr, who spent time in the off-season training with Flanagan, put his arms around him this week and delivered a simple message.
“Once I found out he was in the side I made sure that I told him everyone has his back,” Addo-Carr said. “It is a team sport and we need everyone to play their best so Kyle can play his best.
“He is a natural half. Everyone saw what he did at the Roosters. That is the Kyle that we need this weekend. It’s a perfect challenge coming against Penrith. If I was Kyle, I’d be seeing it as a huge challenge and trying to face that challenge.”
🦊 Addo-Carr full of confidence Flanagan will step up in his first appearance of the season.#NRLBulldogsPanthers
— Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (@NRL_Bulldogs) April 6, 2022
Jake Averillo was given the first two rounds at halfback before Brandon Wakeham lasted just two games. Both are in the 17 to play Penrith, with Averillo switching to centre and Wakeham to the bench.
Canterbury skipper Josh Jackson rubbished suggestions Flanagan was under more scrutiny than anyone else.
“Not here,” Jackson said. “Maybe from (the media). I don’t understand why. It’s not (justified). From what we see, he is a good bloke. He comes in and trains hard and does all the right things. His attitude has been fantastic.
“He has put his head down after not getting a start at the beginning of the year and has led that reserve grade team. That’s what you want to see from players in that situation.
“A lot of people could get down (not getting picked) but he has worked hard and earnt his spot back.”
While Barrett has rotated through halfbacks the rest of the spine have been secure. Matt Dufty, Matt Burton and Jeremy Marshall-King have been constants.
Dufty said Flanagan would help unlock Burton as the Bulldogs five-eighth prepares to play his former club for the first time on Sunday.
“He will take a bit of pressure off (Matt Burton) from being that organiser,” Dufty said. “Burto is still young and he has that X-Factor. We need to take pressure off him so he can play his normal game.
“Flanno will do that. He is what we need at the moment — a bit of direction and someone who can steer the team around. In pre-season we all train together. We are struggling to find points. That comes down to combination.”
COMMENT
Set up to fail: Dogs disgraceful Flanno call
-Paul Crawley
Trent Barrett’s decision to recall Kyle Flanagan borders on coaching incompetence.
It is Barrett’s job to know the strengths and weaknesses of every player and then make judgment on who he rates the best in each position to give the team the best chance of winning football games.
Barrett had all summer and all pre-season to make a call on whether it should be Jake Averillo, Brandon Wakeham or Flanagan wearing the No.7 jumper this season.
Yet here we are five rounds in and Barrett is now on his third halfback.
It is not only disgraceful treatment of Flanagan sending him to take on the unbeaten premiers Penrith in his NRL return, but equally poor treatment of Averillo and Wakeham who each got only two weeks to prove their worth before they were dumped.
But if things go pear-shaped again on Sunday it should be the coach who is the next to be made accountable.
Club members and fans are entitled to answers from the board and administration as to what direction Barrett is taking this team.
It also needs to be made clear what, if any, input Bulldogs general manager of football Phil Gould had on the selections.
For all his critics, Gould is rightly regarded as one of the smartest football brains in the game.
Yet he has watched over this debacle without putting a stop to it.
Anyone with any clue about the game knows how vitally important it is to have stability in the spine.
It is the common denominator with all the best teams.
Combinations and confidence are built over time and come through knowing the ins and outs of how each other plays.
Yet Barrett is now using his third halfback in a spine that also includes a new five-eighth in Matt Burton and a new fullback in Matt Dufty.
It certainly won’t help Flanagan’s confidence knowing the Panthers have pinned a target on him previously with Jarome Luai in particular taking great delight in humiliating Flanagan.
Without giving any credibility to the conspiracy theory doing the rounds that this is the Bulldogs’ latest attempt to put Flanagan in a position where he is left with no option but to walk away from the remainder of his contract to free up salary cap space, Barrett is off his rocker if he thinks this is how you get the best out of any young players who have clearly been struggling with confidence.
In Flanagan’s case, he did not get a single minute playing in the halves beside Burton during the trials.
Former Bulldogs premiership-winning five-eighth Braith Anasta was shaking his head when he learned of Flanagan’s call up shortly before NRL 360 went to air on Tuesday night.
Anasta clearly did not want to bag his old club but could barely hide his disbelief.
He made it clear that he had said publicly throughout the pre-season that he always thought Flanagan was the Bulldogs’ best choice to wear the No.7 jumper this year ahead of Averillo because of Flanagan’s ability to manage a game.
But he said to throw him in now after having no chance to work on combinations over the summer or during the trials was basically just setting Flanagan up to fail.
“I feel sorry for him,” Anasta said.
“He has been hammered pillar to post. His confidence has been battered. They didn’t give him a second, let alone a minute with Burton in the trials.
“They get to round five and they play the premiership heavyweights, the best team in the competition right now by a long way, and they go ‘here you, buddy’.”
Asked directly if he thought there was any chance Flanagan could in one week fast track this partnership and make it a success against the comp’s best team, Anasta added: “I’d love to say yes but you know what my thoughts are, no.”
That’s coming from a man who won a comp with the Bulldogs wearing the No.6 jumper, and to this day is paid to watch every single game and give his expert analysis on it.
The club can spin Flanagan’s selection any way they want to try and make this out to be a media beat up.
But there is just no way of justifying why Barrett has now used three halfbacks in five weeks.
It borders on coaching incompetence.
More Coverage
Originally published as NRL 2022: Kyle Flanagan return, Bulldogs back halfback to help unlock their attack
Ex-NRL star’s impressive heavyweight KO
Alex Leapai Jr, a promising NRL front-rower before making the switch to boxing, has impressed with a dominant knockout.
Bulldogs ramp up Hunt chase after missing out on Storm star
The Bulldogs are set to turn their attention back to Ben Hunt, after Canterbury supremo Phil Gould failed in a secret last-ditch attempt to poach Melbourne Storm star Ryan Papenhuyzen.