HUMAN EMERGENCY SERVICE: Storm Crisis No. 1, Fa’alogo suffers a hamstring injury

“I don’t care about improving results and things like that,” he said.

“I don’t want to get into that because it’s a pipe dream. I’m frustrated that we won’t play in the semi-finals.

“Falling at the final hurdle is something we have to deal with and do. I can guarantee it won’t happen next year.”

The Dragons have lost three of their last four matches, having suffered defeats and wins since Round 14, and could lose the finals by a single win or points, depending on the results of the other final rounds.

Full-back Savelio Tamale, who will join the Raiders next season, will make his NRL debut against Kogarah on Saturday after Jack Bird withdrew with a back problem.

Flanagan admitted Bird had likely played his last game for the club, having been given permission to look elsewhere. Bird met with Wests Tigers on Tuesday.

But Flanagan played down suggestions of any split with captain Hunt after dressing room cameras captured the pair having an animated conversation following last week’s crushing four-point defeat to Parramatta that ended their run to the finals.

Hunt wanted to leave the Dragons at various stages of the campaign, but Flanagan said the interaction was “not even close to a spray” and there were no problems between them.

“If people are going to say it was spray, they should be able to lip-read,” Flanagan said.

“It wasn’t even close to spraying.

“It was an explanation of what I thought should have happened in the last play of the game that we practiced.”