Mark Flanagan terms Simmons appointed as head coach of St Helens influence behind his joining Saints
St Helens newly signed forwards’ player, Mark Flanagan, has admitted that Royce Simmons appointment as head coach at the club has been the key factor in his decision to return to the Northern Hemisphere. Earlier on Tuesday, July 19, English Professional
Rugby League side, St Helens had announced the signing of Flanagan on a two-year deal from the Australian National Rugby League side, West Tigers.
Providing details regarding his move to the Saints, Flanagan said, “With my contract coming to an end with the Tigers I started looking around at opportunities elsewhere, where I'd be getting regular first team action.”
Flanagan has praised the Tigers support during his stay at the club. He played a few games for the Tigers in the second year of his two-year contract. However, his performance for Tigers during the 2010 season was nothing extraordinary.
The 23-year-old Flanagan had his rugby league debut with Bradford Bulls in 2004. He remained at the Bulls until the end of the 2006 Engage Super League season. In 2007, he signed a new two-year contract with the Wigan based English Professional Rugby League
side, Wigan Warriors.
Unfortunately, Flanagan only played 10 games in his two-year stay at the Warriors and scored just five points, which came through a try. At the end of the 2009 season, he decided to move to the Northern Hemisphere side to further develop his skills and get
new playing experience.
The Oldham born Flanagan joined Wests Tigers on a two-year contract, and played his first match in Manly, Sydney Football Stadium on March 15, 2010. He made 22 appearances for Tigers and scored 8 points, during his stay at the club.
Flanagan has previously worked with Simmons at the Tigers. Simmons was the assistant coach at the club before he took his new role of head coach at St Helens.
Flanagan has termed the decision to join Saints as a “good fit.” He added, “With working with Royce Simmons at the Tigers, and looking at home, St Helens seemed to be a good opportunity.”
Newly appointed St Helens head coach, Simmons, has praised Flanagan’s skills and physical attributes. He said, “the player is tough and versatile and can play in the middle or on an edge and can cover at hooker if need be."
Saints are currently placed at the third position in the 2011 Super League table. They have won 13 of their 22 games in the season and have secured 29 points in the season so far.
Flanagan added that the club is moving in the right direction to become a winning unit. He expressed his hope that the club can soon regain their trophy winning momentum.
Flanagan has praised the club’s recent recruitment drive to strengthen their squad for next season. He said, “Some of the signings they've made next year, with Anthony Laffranchi and Lance Hohaia, and with some of the players they've got on the books there,
they seem to be going in the right direction.”
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