St George Illawarra Dragons head coach has revealed he believes Zac Lomax would never have played State of Origin or for his country in 2024 without his call to move him from centre to wing.
In one of the most controversial pre-season storylines, the new Dragons' coach made the move of Lomax, a talented centre, to the wing.
It eventually wound up costing the Dragons the star, with Lomax putting in his release request and being shipped to the Parramatta Eels at the end of the campaign, despite playing both for the NSW Blues and Australian Kangaroos in the meantime.
The move came after Flanagan reportedly told Lomax, statistically speaking, he wasn't in the top 50 per cent of centres in the game.
Lomax is still no guarantee of moving back to centre at Parramatta in 2025 given his form on the flank for the Dragons, but it seems a likelihood under the coaching of Jason Ryles.
Nonetheless, Flanagan told the media he was happy for Lomax, even though the move cost his club the star.
โI'm happy for him,โ Flanagan said.
โHe's played Origin and also played for his country. That wouldn't have happened if I hadn't put him on the wing.
โAt the end of the day, I made the decision but he had to apply himself and he really tried hard.
โAs a coach, you just have to get on with it and I got great satisfaction in seeing Zac play.โ
Lomax is one of two big-name players leaving the Dragons at the end of 2024, with Ben Hunt also following him out the door.
It frees up an enormous amount of salary cap, with the Dragons instead signing a bundle of experienced players in Clint Gutherson from the Parramatta Eels, Damien Cook from the South Sydney Rabbitohs and Valentine Holmes from the North Queensland Cowboys, while they will also look to promote a number of youngsters from within their own ranks.
