He's set to play a more high-pressure role than initially planned, but Kyle Flanagan's competitive nature ensures he'll have no problem winning over the Dragons faithful.
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That's opinion of his father Shane, who's set to coach his son for the first time at NRL level come round one next season, where he's odds-on to partner Ben Hunt in the halves.
It's quite the deviation from the bargain-buy utility role he was originally slated to play but, with Talatau Amone found guilty of a rooftop hammer attack in Wollongong Court in October, and Jayden Sullivan released, the club's drastically under-stocked in the halves.
It leaves Flanagan the only established half on the club's books outside Hunt. Playing such a pivotal role under his father in the face of a famously demanding fanbase is a potential pressure point.
It's something Jake Arthur unfairly felt the brunt of in his time at Parramatta under father Brad, but Flanagan senior is confident there'll be no such drama with Dragons fans.
"I like to think Dragons fans are smarter than that," Flanagan told the Mercury.
"Kyle's going to play in a team where he's not going to be the number one half, it's going to be Ben. There'll be a lot of pressure taken off him.
"My relationship with Kyle at work is work. He knows that and all the players would be seeing that at the moment. I know what I can get out of him, he'll play his best football for me.
"If we're losing football games, it's not going to be because of him. I haven't got any problems with that and any honest Dragons fans won't be singling him out.
"If I had to do a job [reference] on Kyle, it would be he's just a really hard competitor, and that's all we're asking of him."
Having endured a bumpy ride through his career thus far, Flanagan junior may yet prove one of the buys of the season should he make a fist of the opportunity.
It now looks a shrewd buy under current circumstances, with Flanagan saying the 25-year-old has already been a valuable presence in preseason in the absence of Hunt, who isn't due back at training until January.
"We're lucky we got him to be really honest because, at the moment, we're short in that area in the halves with Ben away and Junior (Amone) not at training," Flanagan said.
"We brought him in to potentially to be that number 14, he can play in the halves, can play at hooker, can fill a spot anywhere. My thoughts, and a lot of people whose opinions I respect, were that he'd develop into a good hooker.
"He started a couple of games at the Bulldogs at hooker. In one against Penrith he played 80 minutes and did a pretty good job for his first game ever in that position. That was a big test and he did a good job.
"I know what he can do, he's a tough kid, we'll just have to assess that. It could change a little bit with the Junior Amone situation, but at the moment he's training at halfback and he's doing a good job."
The Dragons are also facing a drain on hooking depth despite Jacob Liddle establishing himself in the No. 9 last season, with Connor Muhleisen debuting and playing six games at the back end of the campaign.
Flanagan says both will need to find another gear in 2024, but he believes he has the right mix at dummy-half.
"The two dummy-halves did a good job last year in Jacob Liddle and Connor Muhleisen," Flanagan said.
"They're going to have to hold their hands up and get better again next year. Their form might keep Kyle in the halves, but if they don't do a good job, Kyle can play at hooker.
"There's a lot of pressure on everyone I feel and that's a good thing to have at this time of year."
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Mitch Jennings
Sports writer. Sport is my passion, rugby league my first love.
Sports writer. Sport is my passion, rugby league my first love.
