LeagueNews.co | Cooper McEnroe
St George Illawarra coach Shane Flanagan didn't hold back in his assessment of the Dragons' performance, bluntly labeling it "so bad you've got to try and laugh about it." In a tale as old as the game itself, the Dragons started brightly in the first half, leading 12-6 at the break, only to have the Bulldogs flip the script in the second half and pile on 38 unanswered points to secure a 44-12 victory at Accor Stadium.
Flanagan, no stranger to the ups and downs of Rugby League, refused to make excuses for his team's collapse, even in the face of injuries to key players like Hame Sele and Jack Bird.
Drawing on his experience and history in the sport, Flanagan remarked, "Last time I was in this room I won a comp, how things have changed.
Two halves, so different."
With the Dragons facing a grim trend of poor second half performances, Flanagan vowed to make significant changes to his team in order to turn their fortunes around.
As they say in the game, it's not how you start, but how you finish - and for the Dragons, it's clear that changes need to be made to secure a winning result.