Shane Flanagan delivered his first spray as St George Illawarra coach, and it had the desired result as his side overran noted frontrunners Penrith on Saturday night.
The Panthers were seemingly hurtling towards a victory that would have taken them to the top of the table for the first time this year, despite the absence of Jarome Luai, Isaah Yeo, Liam Martin, Brian To’o and, quad willing, Dylan Edwards due to Blues duty.
However, St George Illawarra produced a stunning second half, producing 22 unanswered points for a much-needed win. It marks just the second time in 80 games that the Panthers have been overrun after opening up a double-digit first-half lead.
After being told everyone wanted to know what he said to his troops, Flanagan said: “No you don’t. It wasn’t pretty, especially to a few individuals.