St. George Illawarra halfback Kyle Flanagan has responded to his critics and those who continue to accuse his father of nepotism, while labelling the club’s 2025 NRL season a ‘case of what could have been.’
Appearing on the Unscripted podcast with Josh Mansour, 27-year-old Flanagan lamented the Dragon’s inability to close out games last season—particularly after watching the NRL grand final between the Broncos and Storm.
“I look at the grand final, we beat both of those teams during the season,” Flanagan said.
“In our best games we can definitely go toe-to-toe with the best teams, it’s just about consistency for us.”
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‘Last year was probably the most challenging for me’
Perhaps inevitably in a season that was filled with promise but ended largely in disappointment for Dragons fans, Flanagan came in for plenty of criticism as one of the team’s key playmakers—criticism that frequently revolved around the relationship with his coach, and father, Shane.
“It’s definitely hard at times, last year was probably the most challenging for me, (criticising players) can be a game to some people,” he admitted.
“When I was young it probably affected me more than it does today, but I’ve learned through my career how to deal with it.
“You just listen to the people you really care about, the coaching staff, your teammates and just focus on doing your job for the team.”
While not immune from the noise, Flanagan said becoming a father has also helped to give him greater perspective around what really matters.
“You can try and block it out as much as you want, but you can’t hide from everything,” he admitted.
“In the moment it can feel hard to get past (the criticism), but you go to bed, you wake up the next morning and see your family and you’re grateful for where you are.”
The one thing Flanagan explained does upset him is the impact on the rest of his family.
“It can affect my wife, my mum and my sisters, that’s probably the hardest part that I don’t like seeing,” he explained.
While there are plenty of outsiders quick to question Flanagan’s treatment under his father’s coaching, the player himself says re-uniting at the Dragons has helped to raise his game on the field.
“We leave that (father-son) relationship at home, all we focus on is working hard, doing our jobs and representing the Dragons the best we can,” he said.
“He definitely makes me work harder than anyone else—I feel it’s brought out my best football playing underneath him,” he said.
Flanagan is signed with the Dragons until the end of the 2027 season and has currently played 123 NRL games—considerably more than his father, he’s quick to point out.
“He (Shane) reckons he played 99 first-grade games, but apparently on Google it’s only 78,” Flanagan laughed.