St George Illawarra Dragons head coach Shane Flanagan has slapped down any suggestion he should consider axing his son Kyle Flanagan from the under-performing joint-venture's first-grade side.
The Dragons have been nothing short of abysmal over the last fortnight, being hammered by the Dolphins two weeks ago, and then letting a first-half lead slip against the Cronulla Sharks in the local derby on Thursday evening in the Shire.
Despite some strong performances in a handful of Dragons wins, Flanagan, who started the year at five-eighth and then shuffled to halfback once Lachlan Ilias was dropped to reserve grade, has struggled to lead the kicking game in recent weeks alongside young halves partner Lyhkan King-Togia.
The Red V are now outside the top eight and will need a winning second half of the year to be a chance of factoring in the top eight equation come September, but the coach, speaking to Code Sports, said his son wasn't the issue.
"To say Kyle is under pressure is ridiculous," Flanagan told the publication.
"I think people are looking in the wrong ยญdirection.
"He's been among our best players all year. It's not me, ask the other players and coaches. I'm probably harder on Kyle than any other player."
The coach instead laid the blame at the feet of his stuttering forward pack, who have been completely and utterly overrun in the last fortnight.
Part of that must come back to the kicking game, though, with depth of kicks, and positioning, a constant problem for the Red V this year.
Adding to the issues for Flanagan and the club's frustrated fan base is the fact that the NSW Cup team have cruised towards the top of the ladder since Ilias was dropped.
The former Rabbitoh has been in excellent form for the NSW Cup outfit alongside young half Jonah Glover, who has kept playing strongly despite shuffling to the number six jumper to accommodate Ilias' axing.
Glover, who has been linked to the Wests Tigers next year, could be lost to the Dragons given the blanket refusal to give him a first-grade debut.
Well, he would say that wouldn’t he?