DRAGONS FANS. Read that again and let it sink in, because we are officially one month away from footy and the familiar feeling is back. That nervous excitement. That cautious optimism. That deep-rooted love for a club that has put us through everything and still has us standing here, hearts open, ready to believe all over again. Everyone wants our beloved Dragons to make finals. Everyone talks about it in group chats, at the pub, online, in whispers filled with hope and fear. But nobody — absolutely nobody — wants it more than Shane Flanagan.
This isn’t just another preseason. This isn’t just another “wait and see” year. This is the continuation of a reset that’s been honest, sometimes painful, but necessary. Flanagan didn’t come here to babysit a rebuild or coast through mediocrity. He came here with standards. With scars. With experience earned the hard way. He knows what it takes to turn belief into results, and he knows how unforgiving this competition is when standards slip even slightly. That hunger you see when he speaks isn’t for headlines or praise — it’s for respect. For this club to be feared again. For the Dragons to matter when September rolls around.
The players feel it. You can tell by the way they talk now. The way training intensity has shifted. The way accountability is no longer optional. There’s a different tone around the group — quieter, sharper, more focused. No one is promising the world. No one is thumping their chest. They’re working. They’re learning. They’re buying into something that doesn’t give shortcuts. And that’s how it should be.
For too long, this club has carried the weight of expectations without the structure to support them. We’ve seen false dawns. We’ve heard the same phrases recycled every year. We’ve been told to be patient while our passion never faded. Dragons fans don’t jump ship. We endure. We argue. We hurt. And then we turn up again. That’s what makes this fanbase special. That’s why when success finally comes, it means more here than almost anywhere else.
2026 doesn’t need to be perfect. It needs to be honest. Effort every week. Competing for 80 minutes. No fading when pressure hits. No excuses when injuries come. Wins will feel sweeter because they’re earned, and losses will hurt less if the jersey is defended properly. Finals football is the goal, yes — but respect is the foundation. Finals don’t come without belief, and belief doesn’t come without unity.
This is where we come in. The fans. The lifeblood of this club. Standing behind the boys doesn’t mean blind praise when things go wrong. It means backing effort. It means turning up when the ladder isn’t kind. It means lifting them at home and making away games feel uncomfortable for opponents. It means remembering who we are and what this badge represents. A proud club. A resilient club. A club that has fallen but refuses to stay down.
Every team starts the year equal on the ladder, but not equal in hunger. Not equal in buy-in. Not equal in desire to prove people wrong. The Dragons are carrying something this year — a quiet edge. The type that doesn’t scream but sharpens over time. Shane Flanagan carries it. The senior players carry it. The young blokes are learning what it means to wear this jersey properly. And you can sense that something is building, even if it’s not loud yet.
Footy is back soon. The countdown is real now. Jerseys will come out of wardrobes. Superstitions will return. Hearts will race at kickoff. And once again, we’ll ride every high and every low together. That’s the deal we signed when we fell in love with this club. Win, lose or draw, we’re Dragons fans. We don’t disappear when things get tough. We lean in harder.
So let’s set the tone early. Let’s make Kogarah and Wollongong feel alive again. Let’s remind the competition that this club still has teeth. Let’s trust the process without losing the fire. Let’s be patient without being passive. And most of all, let’s believe — not because it’s easy, but because belief is what this club has always been built on.
One month to go. One month until the whistle blows and hope turns into action. Stand behind the boys. Stand behind the coach. Stand behind the jersey. 2026 is here. And whatever comes, we face it together. 🔴⚪🐉
