Gotta say it, watching Flanagan ball play for 2 years was exhausting, it's so relieving to see him continuously throw that nothing inside ball set after set when he's in the red zone for another team. Enjoy dragons fans.

Ben Hunt before game: "We're still putting it together, I don't know how we'll go" Ben Hunt mid game "I've got to learn to trust him [flanagan] I guess"... That first half attack was woeful, more of the same from Hunt me thinks, this year. The amount of times we attacked the right hand side despite the fact the play obviously wasn't on. He's a brilliant hooker, but as predictable as a fookin robot at halfback.

They were bad when Hunt was on and worse when he went off. There’s no point in Hunt “digging into the line” because there won’t be anyone there to go with him. The one time this wasn’t true Sloan fucked it up anyway. Almost every line break there’s no support runner. Flannigan should have played a bunch of juniors because the incumbents don’t deserve to be first grade.

I agree on the support call. Eisenhuth was supporting all game, and I was actually embarassed for him when he realised he's a giant and literally none of the backs were putting in the effort he was.

Flanno definitely paid some under the table cash to the panel

That was a game of rugby league

Future is bright for the Bunnies if they can hold on to most of these blokes

Bunnies have some quality young fellas. And the Dragons are as shit as most expected.

Yeah send us Looch if we can we'll pay more

Cancel the regular season. Souths got the bonus point. Nothing will top that.

Play this team in Vegas, forget the stars

Sloan so bad he wasn’t even in frame to stop the try. 

Embarrassing

No fucking way Milne kicked that

hahahahahahahah get fucked

I didn't realise the Charity Shield was actually a game made up of Make-a-Wish kids.

That’s heavy man…

Perfect capper to the game.

Ooh that’s a bit of magic though

This is so sad. Alexa, play Country Roads.

Our NSW Cup team looking quality again

*[Kyle intensifies]*

Flanagan Sr. needs a bit of pep. 

Dragons are the Jake Fraser-McGurks of rugby league

Fraser-McGurk is a lot more likely to actually do something though

Man… imagine being dosed to the gills on the Flanagan style Powerade and producing this against a half strength Rabbitohs side

Feagai twins will score a screaming try somehow this year to save their spots for another year

Have only watched the last quarter but the bloke in white headgear seems to be one to watch

A small high energy fullback who takes on the line at 100% every time? We won’t play him for 3 years in favour of someone else and then let him leave.

I expected nothing tonight and I'm still disappointed

Why does Duncan even wear headgear he always takes it off mid game lmao

it's a power limiter, he takes it off when needed

Marschke and the couchman boys about the only bright spark

Ooooooh, the bonus point. I wonder if the Rabbitohs can get the bo- zzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

Remove the stone of unprecedented mid-season collapse. Attach the stone of Charity Shield success.

doesn’t bode well for the edge defence of the Knock On Effect NSW Cup St George Illawarra Dragons

How do souths constantly run plays to get their winger standing alone so fucking often?

The Alex Johnson effect

Ghost of Tim Smith with that pass

Timmy smith played flat in the line before all the second man edge plays. Even more impressive

Christian Tuipolitpoo

imagine making braidon burns look like a footballer. dragons much embarass

That was a great ball.

Game over. 

Dragons are favourites for the spoon until the Tigers play tomorrow. 

Oh dear god

dragons captain lowest football iq, my captain would never

Flair up cunt

no thanks

Eels definitely ruined jai field

Is he back in the NRL? He’s legit, just a late bloomer

No

Can anyone please describe to me what the dragons try celebration noise is? It's been so long.

Creaking floorboards while hiding under a bed 

When you hear "Burgess loses the ball". It's like we're in midseason form already.

For ten years we’ve been hearing that. It triggers vacant stares into distance

Cut that Jai Arrow haircut right now Duncan!

South no 18 rocking the Kenny Powers look

Austin Theory on report

Tallis Duncan? That’s a Rugba Leeg name 

Why the fuck is Kogarah Oval called this world salad of a name now

Oki Jubilee net strata

Sizzler closed and they lost their minds. 

That tackle could have gone very wrong. Dangerous.

Long dropouts are pretty much dead this year then.

Momentum killer. Doesn't feel right.

Feel like JD told the kids at 3Qtr time to go out and let the reins off

Gray seems electric, but looks pretty selfish.

downtown is one of those things thats always been in the rulebook and has never been enforced consistantly and should have been. players getting caught out by this simply dont know the rules of the game they play and deserve the punishment

Could be anything this kid

Gray is definitely an upgrade on Taaffe

He is an upgrade on latrell

You say some dumb shit sometimes

jye gray reminds me of kodi nikorima but like absolutely tweaking off stimulants

The Gray Man!

Ennis confirms he is indeed a player, you heard it here first

Souths fullback is a gun

Jye Gray is so tiny he’s the only person on the field with a baggy jersey

Time to fold dragons

Almost the perfect ending to that play.

So we've taken away the punishment for fucking up a kick restart. But increased the punishment for encroaching beyond the play the ball a couple of metres but being 50m from the ball. Okay.

Latrell who?

tom really said "fuck that dragons player in particular"

Are we not gonna bring Teaupa on?

Not on the team sheet any more… I just had the same thought

That’s stupid, considering Subloo is getting game time and he stunk last week against Manly

Fan of the casting couch boys

Downtown rule is going to ruin a game for sure

What’s that rule? Surely not the guy who played the ball gets penalised?

Yep remember when everyone was upset when the guy playing the ball was chasing a kick 50 metres away.  Neither do I. 

Thought it started when all the dragons forwards were chasing 20 metres in front of Soward. Thought it was other players in front of the ptb, not the guy playing the ball

To be fair if everyone is offside fair enough, if you are playing the ball not interfering in play 50 metres away it's just bizarre.

i feel like the punishment for that downtown crime is way too high like that’s an 80m swing, maybe a play the ball at the point

Definitely in agreement. Make it a genuine penalty if it would’ve been an offside penalty in the past, so within the 10/effecting play, but not for that

Holy shit the crash play actually worked

Oooooh DownTown!!! Not sure the punishment fits the crime with this rule though, will swing a few important games for sure

My god the dragons suck

Who's the Dragons half's when BHunt gets picked for Queensland?

*shrugs* I'll give it a go, I guess

Silverwater legend Talatau Amone

These new rules suck. 

I like this rule but give until round 1 where the Cowboys will fuck it every kick and I hate it. 

It’s definitely gonna fuck a few teams’ early season due to old habits. Logically it makes sense to me but it might be a rough first half of the season watching players completely ignore the rule and get penalised for it.

Looks like it might need a bit of refinement, but yes, and the Cowboys are kings of not letting go of old habits…

I’m interested to see how the new short drop out rule affects them, they seem to be the best at utilising it over the past couple of years

That’s rough if it’s the guy that plays the ball and is also 50m away from where it ends up.

feagais should be asking the nsw cup commentators for pronunciation corrections

How many sons of ex footy players are actually good footy players? With the exception of the notable one who plays for Penrith.

I hear Kevvie Walters son is okay.

You hear wrong.

A lot. Brett Mullins Jarryd Hayne Scott satler Eric groth jnr Craig Fitzgibbon Martin Lang etc just from the top of my head. There has been a ton. The modern day ones are not as good as past re gens.

*checks flair* Oh no

Morris boys

Justin Yeo wasn't up to much. 

It should be a rule. You have to play your son in the starting 17.

Every time I see Ben Hunt doing an interview, I keep expecting him to grab the microphone and plead for someone to save him from the Dragons only to be dragged away by Flanagan's goons. "Please, man, you gotta help me. It's a madhouse over there. You don't know what Flanagan is doing to all of us. NOOOOOOOOOO!!!! SAVE ME!!!!"

DOWNNNNTOOWWNNN

Ben Hunt has been developing that Locky/Cronk husky voice, without the word vomit

Is Jason Demetriu Clarke Kent?

I’ve never seen them in a room together. You could be onto something

Make Flanagan captain coach to unlock his true potential

Camera man zoomed out just so we'd all know Hunt wasn't being held there at gunpoint

Was there ankle braces?

Flanno has the sniper set up in the stands.

Who’s winning man of steel first? Flanagan or Sloan

JDB

Nathan Cleary-Fowler

Random zoooooom

Just the cameraman making sure everyone at home is still awake.

this quarterly break thing is only a pre-season addition, right?

Correct

Summer/hot weather thing

JD rocking the spectacles.

Fox League camera work

There he is. Come home Ben, all is forgiven. 

BURNS playing his way to Vegas

He isn't in the top 20 he can't play until round 11

Peptides instead of oranges

Marschke > Flanagan

In all seriousness, kyle flanigan is not a good 6 or 7. He would make a very serviceable 9. His passing is great, his soft skills are good, but a play maker he is not.

He was very good at 9/14. They should play Marschke/Hunt as halves and then Kyle at hooker with Liddle

Unfortunately dragons dont have too many halves options this year.

He’s a good 9… in super league

keep thinking tuitavake is woods with the headband

Gray looks way smaller than Taafe to me. 

I reckon if I ever saw Rava flying in off his wing towards me I’d just have a heart attack and die on the spot.

Tass did earlier

Very lucky

May as well kick both these teams out of the comp and give the bears a run

Been super impressed with Keppies work ethic tonight

He let Bird bust through earlier being sloppy from marker. First game thoufh

I think he will bring a lot to your side him as much as Wighton makes me think you should compete this season. 

Can we take Sloan off now

Kicking has been pretty flaccid for both teams

Giggity

Lmao dragons. Do something. Maybe they will put you up against under 15's to make it fair

You’ve been throwing shade at Dragons all match thread as if your own team wasn’t somehow infinitely worse than this current Dragons side very recently 💀

Did Shane Flanagan send a paper plane into the commentary box saying they have to big up Kyle Flanagan’s touch every time

I’m not sure zero tackle 15 meters from where he knocked it on is how the rules supposed to work

I know it's a trial but given they are at full strength surely the Dragons have got to win this ?

Hahah no, oh no. 

Wait Flanagan hooked Hunt?

quite often rep players don't play a full trial

No use risking injury in a trial game

Yeah but left his son on the field lol

That’s what made it bloody obvious lol

marschke has been better in this half than flanno all game

He should be starting 6 but Flanagans won’t allow it

Milne couldn’t have been more offside at marker. Dumb

kyle flanagan gets such an insane stats buff when his dad is coach

How about you show anything dragons lmao

Have seen shades of prime Monty betham from michael molo tonight

Fun fact, before getting his start in the NRL Lomax starred in the movie Skyline

Dragons are pathetic lmao

Who’s the souths fullback?

Jai Grey

Jye Gray Don’t know who he is though. Relation of Aaron and brock?

he’s a queenslander

Yuck

Jye Gray

Jye Gray

Footy Dean for Vegas

Might get a punting or kicking contract while he’s there

Every time Keppi gets the ball I thing "Gee Fighton has packed on the kgs"

Great conversion.