Shane Flanagan says a place in the finals would be the stepping stone for St John’s NRL season.
Flanagan also confirmed that prop Hame Sele will only return from a heart problem this season if the Dragons make a long run in the post-season.
Flanagan’s first year in charge will be the Dragons’ best since 2018, despite the team being dismissed as wooden spoon contenders in pre-season.
The Saints are eighth in the standings with two games remaining in the regular season, daring to dream of a first place in the final in six years.
“We’ve got to get there, that’s the challenge now, is to win two football games and we’ll give them a passing grade (for the season),” Flanagan said. “It’s a new race and we’ll give everything to get there.”
The Dragons’ poor record and a gap of just two points to the chasing pack means they cannot afford a repeat of last week’s heavy loss at Cronulla in the next fortnight. If they lose to the Eels 16, the Dragons could find themselves 11th in the table to finish the round, with their hopes of getting back into the top 8 dependent on other teams losing.
But if they beat Parramatta and Canberra, the Dragons can’t be thrown out.
Flanagan added that “you can probably tell” Saturday’s game at CommBank Stadium was his team’s biggest of the season so far.
“We have to win and next week we have to win as well. If we don’t win tomorrow, (the final) is definitely out of our control,” he said. “It’s a really big game.
“You don’t want to stand there worrying about how the other teams are doing.” Raymond Faitala-Mariner returns for the trip to Parramatta, with Moses Suli getting a chance to make a late charge in the 17s after returning from a knee injury. Sele’s prospects are less rosy.
The prop has not played since being taken to hospital with chest pains during the Round 23 loss to Canterbury.
He was later diagnosed with pericarditis, a condition that causes inflammation of the tissue around the heart. Flanagan was hopeful after last week’s loss that Sele could return to face Parramatta, but revealed on Friday that the Dragons will not be back this year.
“I mean we would, but it’s slow, slow with Hame,” he said.
“It’s not something you can play with, he just has to gradually come back to training.
“Maybe if we go deep into the semi-finals, you might see it, but I don’t think so, certainly not this week, and most likely not next week.”
Flanagan has rubbished reports linking the Dragons with disgraced Eel Reagan Campbell-Gillard, who the Saints face this weekend. “I’ve got to worry about the 17 players down the road, I’m not too worried about the opposition or next year,” Flanagan said.