Shane Flanagan, due to a combination of inclement weather and his busy schedule as Sharks NRL coach, was forced to cancel his training visit to the St John Bosco Bulldogs under 13's on a handful of occasions.
Having offered his advice and advanced coaching skills to the other 13 Cronulla-Sutherland junior league clubs throughout the year, Flanagan was determined to make good his promise to attend a training session and to spend some time passing on his rugby league knowledge to each and every local club in the area.
So this week, after re-scheduling a Fox Sports media appearance to ensure he could make good on his promise and as a compensation for the earlier postponements, Flanagan invited the Bosco boys to train on the main field at Southern Cross Group Stadium earlier this week.
With the Bosco and De La Salle clubs the last two of his 14 junior league coaching visits, Flanagan has now engaged with teams right across the local district.
While targeting the under 13's, for Flanagan it was more about upskilling players from ages 12 to 15 in increasing their enjoyment of the game and in hoping to see them keeping playing rugby league in the years to come.
"I was keen to spend some time with kids and coaches in the 13's, 14's and 15's," Flanagan said. "We tend to lose a few players at this age but in looking to improve their skills, their enjoyment of the game and to encourage them to keep playing the game in future years, I thought helping the kids in these age groups was important."
Flanagan's coaching of the junior league teams focused on all aspects of the game, but more specifically on catch pass, tackling technique and defensive structures.
