The St. George Illawarra Dragons are in the midst of a rollercoaster of a season, with emphatic wins against title contenders mixed in with disappointing meltdowns in key moments.
One individual who has received a large share of the criticism directed at the team has been halfback Kyle Flanagan, with some fans believing that he may be receiving favourable treatment from his father and head coach Shane.
But the Dragons boss has denied that his child has been the cause of the team's woes, saying that he believes the 26-year-old has been one of their top performers.
Shane Flanagan defends embattled halfback son
Dragons coach Shane Flanagan has bristled at suggestions that he has overlooked poor performance from his son and starting halfback, instead claiming that the issues in the side lie elsewhere.
While he did admit that the team was not performing to expectations as a whole, he pushed back against criticism that he has given Kyle Flanagan preferential treatment.
"To say Kyle is under pressure is ridiculous," Flanagan said.
"I think people are looking in the wrong direction.
"He’s been among our best players all year. It’s not me, ask the other players and coaches. I’m probably harder on Kyle than any other player.
"In the last couple of weeks against the Dolphins and in the second half against Cronulla we’ve been steam rolled in the middle.
"We know where our problems are, and we’re going to address them. As for Kyle, we’re comfortable with what he’s been doing.
"Yes, from a performance perspective, he can play better. Without a doubt he can do better offensively but week in, week out he competes hard and defends well."
The Dragons are coming off of blowing an 18-6 halftime lead against the Cronulla sharks, giving up 24 unanswered points to fall to 12th on the ladder with a 5-8 record.
After a bye this week, the team will then take on the Parramatta Eels and attempt to claim revenge for a one-point loss in early April.