Axed halfback Kyle Flanagan needs to go back to NSW Cup and learn to play "ad-lib" football if he's to salvage his reputation as one of the game's promising young playmakers, says Eighth Immortal Andrew Johns.
The 22-year-old was hooked by coach Trent Barrett in the Bulldogs' loss to the Dragons last weekend culminating in an emotional press conference on Tuesday when Flanagan broke down in front of media, and was dropped for Magic Round.
It puts Flanagan at a pivotal crossroads in his young career, and Johns, arguably the greatest halfback to grace the game, believes the Bulldog would do best to wear his situation, make the most of reserve grade and develop the lagging facets of his game.
"It was tough to watch, it was really hard. Good on him for fronting up," Johns told Wide World of Sports' Immortal Behaviour.
"But it goes with the territory. If you're going to play NRL football, with money comes expectation, and you wear the No.7 jersey, you've got to own the result. I thought he was poor in the first half. A couple of poor options. A kick on play one – if you're gong to do that you've got to nail that.
"You can see he's hurting, which shows he cares, but he needs to work on his game. There are areas of his game he needs to work on. I think the best thing for Kyle, go back to NSW Cup, go and work on your game, try things, not too many people watching, no pressure and build your game back into first-grade.
"Get out of the spotlight, go back to NSW Cup and work on your game and build different areas. Go back there and take some risks. The game is slower."
Johns ultimately believed Flanagan was a product of coaching styles overly focussed on structured play during his junior years, leaving him unable to flourish in the faster game.
"It looks to me like Kyle has grown up playing structured footy," Johns said.
"From the time he was probably in his early teens, which is a lot of players now. And then when that doesn't work with the quicker ruck-speed and that sort of stuff, there isn't that ability to play ab-lib footy because they haven't been taught that.
"I don't see him playing outside the structure, so that's what he needs to go back and work on in reserve grade. Just playing ad-lib."
Johns believed the meteoric rise of Roosters young-gun Sam Walker may also be a factor weighing on Flanagan's mind following his ruthless axing from the Tricolours last season.
"It probably does (justify the Roosters decision to axe Flanagan)," Johns said.
"They obviously saw the ability and skill of Sam walker even at training. I had people talking last year to me, saying 'wait until you see Sam walker play, you're going to love him'.
"They saw Sam and his emergence, and they make the ruthless calls there at the Roosters.
"I don't know if that's a by-product of (Flanagan) watching Sam walker and seeing how he plays and trying to emulate how he plays but I thought defensively he was pretty poor."
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from WWOS https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/kyle-flanagan-dropped-catnerbury-bulldogs-nsw-cup-sam-walker-andrew-johns/34b42de0-41ef-4ef4-98c2-2bd03c71f3e0
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