St George Illawarra coach Shane Flanagan has received support for his decision to ban winger Christian Tuipulotu from performing flashy try celebrations.
Tuipulotu has entertained fans but also drawn criticism with his flamboyant “show me the money” gestures after scoring four tries in the first two rounds. However, Flanagan was unimpressed, particularly since the celebrations occurred during games the Dragons ultimately lost.
“He won’t be doing them again, trust me,” Flanagan told CODE Sports this week. “He’ll be told, don’t worry about that. I don’t know where it’s come from, but it won’t happen again. We’ll address it.”
The NRL 360 panel discussed the matter on Wednesday night and backed Flanagan’s comments that Tuipulotu should channel his energy into other aspects of his game.
NRL legend and former Dragons player Gorden Tallis noted that Tuipulotu’s timing was off, as he performed the celebrations even when the Dragons were trailing heavily against the Bulldogs in Round 1.
“If he scores an 80-metre try to win the game, go for it,” Tallis said. “But they were 18 points down against the Dogs… so it’s all about timing. I like try celebrations, especially when they help raise money during specific rounds, but not every time.”
Tuipulotu repeated the celebrations against South Sydney last weekend when the Dragons were leading, but they went on to blow a 12-point lead and lose.
NRL 360 host Braith Anasta referenced Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett’s post-match comments, suggesting the Dragons acted as if they had already won. “If you’re going to do that sort of stuff, you’ve got to back it up,”Anasta said.
