‘Disappointing’: Bulldogs coach Trent Barrett opens up on Kyle Flanagan scrutiny

Kyle Flanagan’s NRL recall has grabbed the headlines this week and there’s a simple reason why the saga has disappointed his coach Trent Barrett.

Trent Barrett has defended the club's decision to recall Kyle Flanagan.

Bulldogs coach Trent Barrett says it has been “disappointing” that the club’s decision to recall Kyle Flanagan has attracted such intense criticism and insists the young halfback is first-grade ready.

The son of premiership-winning coach Shane, Flanagan was recruited from the Roosters last season but spent time out of the NRL side and did not feature in any of the Bulldogs’ first four games in 2022.

The Bulldogs are yet to decide who will partner star recruit Matt Burton in the halves long term and have opted to give Flanagan a chance to prove himself against the reigning premiers this weekend.

The Penrith Panthers are the only team still undefeated in 2022, and the Bulldogs have been criticised for handing Flanagan such a difficult assignment for his first game back.

Journalist Paul Crawley called the move “a disgrace”, while Paul Kent likened it to “getting a hand grenade for your birthday”.

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Bulldogs general manager of football Phil Gould subsequently rushed to Flanagan’s defence and Barrett did the same on Friday, saying Flanagan had shown he was ready for an NRL recall.

“Our reserve grade side, NSW Cup, is undefeated and he’s been a big part of that,” Barrett said.

“It’s pretty hard to ignore that sort of form. He’s scored a lot of points, he’s kicking well and his attitude’s been really good.

“I’m really happy for him. He deserves his spot to come back in and what better way than against Penrith.”

Kye Flanagan is preparing to play his first NRL game since August. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images

Barrett admitted it was “disappointing” that discussion about Flanagan’s recall hadn’t been more positive.

“We would like to be looking at the other side of it, celebrating how hard Kyle has worked to get back in the team,” Barrett said.

“He’s been knocking on the door for a month now. (Recalling him) was always the plan. We had a plan in and around it. He’s done really well. The boys are happy for him. I’m looking forward to watching him play.

“When we pick teams, we don’t just pull the names out of a hat. There’s a fair bit that goes into it. I want to win too. That’s what is so comical about (the scrutiny), I suppose.”

Barrett refuted claims that Flanagan had not trained with the first grade side all season.

“We’ve got a top 30 (squad) and four development players and they all train together every day,” he said.

“(Jake) Averillo and (Brandon) Wakeham have been the halves in Kyle’s position for the last month, so obviously they’re going to be doing a lot of the ball work in there, but our top 30 train together every day.

“There’s no issue there.”

Trent Barrett says Flanagan has worked hard to get back into the team. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images

Barrett stopped short of saying he would guarantee Flanagan a place in the first grade side going forward.

“We don’t have to have those conversations,” he said.

“Kyle’s a grown man. All our players want to be in first grade. We all need to perform, we all need to play well.

“You need stability in your halves, obviously, and we would have loved to have had that. But again, we’ve got to pick teams that we think can win on the weekend and give us our best chance of winning.

“The onus is on our players too, not just Kyle, all of our players. You have to perform well.”

Sunday’s clash will be Burton, Tevita Pangai Jr and Brent Naden’s first against the Panthers since leaving Penrith to link with Barrett, who previously served as an assistant coach at the club.

Barrett said his time at the Panthers wouldn’t necessarily give the Bulldogs an edge, adding that the premiers had evolved since he left the club in 2020.

“They’re probably a better side. They’ve developed over the last three years into what they are. They’re the premiers for a reason. They’re particularly good defensively. They’re hard to break down,” he said.

“They’ve got a lot of good players there who we know well … it gives us a bit of an insight into them I suppose, but I think everyone’s known pretty well what they’ve been doing over the last three years.

“I’m more focused on what we can do.”

Originally published as ‘Disappointing’: Bulldogs coach Trent Barrett opens up on Kyle Flanagan scrutiny