Kyle Flanagan has publicly broken his silence following a nasty split between his father, Shane Flanagan, and the St George Illawarra Dragons.
Seven straight losses to start the Red V's 2026 campaign in April marked the end of Shane's time as head coach, being replaced by Dean Young for the remainder of the season until a long-term replacement is finalised.
Following his departure, Young made the switch to blood 20-year-old young gun Kade Reed as the starting chief playmaker for the Dragons in their annual Anzac Day clash with the Sydney Roosters, leaving Flanagan on the six-man bench.
Reed was immediately sidelined with finger surgery, and Flanagan returned to the halves to steer the ship.
“It's definitely been a challenge,” Flanagan said of his father's departure from the club.
“The old man's sort of come out the last couple of weeks and said his part in it. For me, I'll probably touch on it a bit further down the track.
“There have been a few challenges thrown at the club and different individuals, but you come to work to get better and do your job for the team. That is the way I approached every day - come here, be a better man and go home to my family.
“I'm just focused on doing my absolute best for the team. I love competing with my teammates and helping this team and this club win, that's what my focus is.”
Flanagan played 79 games across his time at the Cronulla Sharks, Sydney Roosters and the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs before linking up with his dad in Wollongong.
The Dragons snapped their 15-game losing streak, which started last year, to defeat the Brisbane Broncos on Sunday, marking 295 days between drinks.
Flanagan was at the helm for the Dragons and steered the side around to victory despite the increasing pressure he has faced in the halfback jersey.
Finding his feet at the Dragons, Flanagan reverts to his childhood dream to stay resilient during tough times throughout his career.
“I just keep bringing it back to why I started playing the game of rugby league. I love playing,” he said.
“I think it always comes back to why you started and the goals you have within the game. What's your why? What's your reason why you want to get out of bed every morning and come down here to Wollongong? That all motivates me to keep playing, keep training hard and keep getting better as a person.
“It is definitely a good feeling up at Suncorp, we've had a few good results going up there,” Flanagan added.
“Something the Dragons haven't been good at is winning on the road. This club wants to focus on is putting back-to-back performances together.
“The last couple of weeks have been up and down in the way we have played, so backing it up against the Sharks, a local derby, there is no excuse to not turn up.”
The Red V has made remarkable moves in the player market, securing Connor Watson, Keaon Koloamatangi, Luke Metcalf, Scott Drinkwater and Phillip Sami for next season after identifying their attack as a weakness within the side.
Their next challenge is facing the Cronulla Sharks in their local derby at Ocean Protect Stadium on Sunday.
