CRONULLA coach Shane Flanagan has devised a way to ensure his players don’t crack under pressure.

Meanwhile, contracts are on the line in Canberra, and a young South Sydney player gets a wake-up call from Greg Inglis.

Check out what your team has been up to in Summer Slog, our weekly wrap of each club’s pre-season preparations.

SHARKS

Round 19

NRL goalkickers face plenty of pressure and distractions every game in their bid to add two points to their team’s tally.

At Cronulla, coach Shane Flanagan has come up with a way to ensure his kickers are well prepared in 2018.

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During a recent pre-season training session, Flanagan had son Kyle, as well as Chad Townsend take a kick each from near the sideline.

The pair needed to slot their attempts otherwise the whole squad would’ve been “punished”.

Check out how they went in the vision below, which was captured by a Fairfax Media journalist.

So, Chad Townsend and Kyle Flanagan were under pressure after training this morning. One kick each from the sideline to avoid “punishment” for the entire squad. pic.twitter.com/ypEOFW4bvp — Andrew Parkinson (@andy_parko) January 18, 2018

DRAGONS

High profile signing James Graham has wasted little time making an impact on the playing group.

Young forward Blake Lawrie revealed he was pulled aside by the fiery Englishman early in the week after one of his first training sessions to set the standard for the team.

“Jimmy pulled me aside and we had a bit of extras at the end of the training session,” Lawrie told the Dragons website.

“You can tell how much knowledge he’s got, just every little thing he’s got a different method of how he goes about things. I just take a back step and listen to everything he has to say.”

The Dragons have increased the length of their training sessions this year in a bid to produce more consistent performances and the attitude of Graham will go a long way to helping the younger players develop.

Lawrie, 21, made five appearances in the top last year and hopes to add to that in 2018.

But with the likes of new recruits Mitchell Allgood and Jeremy Latimore joining the roster, there’s stiff competition for spots.

“He said to me after the season finished to come in and work hard and that spot will be up for grabs,” he said.

“There’s a lot of competition … all working for that spot.”

RABBITOHS

Young Rabbitohs player Tyrone Taukamo has been given a wake-up call of sorts after turning up to pre-season out of shape.

The 18-year-old powerhouse has plenty of promise, but knows he’ll need to act more professional if he’s to take the next step towards breaking into the NRL team.

Taukamo revealed a chat with Souths skipper Greg Inglis gave him the rev up he needed.

“Greggy (Inglis) and I and sat down and we spoke about how my come back wasn’t good enough, I wouldn’t say it scared me but it pushed me,” Taukamo told the Rabbitohs website.

“I always gave my best effort when I got on the field but it wasn’t good enough, and he told me it shouldn’t have taken this long to come back and keep up with all the boys.”

RAIDERS

Canberra’s recruitment boss Peter Mulholland says his club aren’t in a hurry to re-sign their stars, with pre-season and the opening rounds to play a big part in whether some will stay or go.

The Raiders have a host of regular NRL players without deals beyond 2018, including Blake Austin, Aidan Sezer, Sia Soliola, Junior Paulo, Shannon Boyd and Josh Papalii.

“Everyone’s locked in for this year so I’ll think we’ll just sit back and look at and review what their pre-season’s like and into the first four or five rounds, see where we’re up to with players and what their performances are like,” Mulholland told Fairfax Media.

“I don’t think there’s any great rush at the moment. We’ll look to lock them in, but it’ll probably be a little bit of a time frame on that.

“Everybody knows who’s coming off contract and we didn’t make the top eight last year so I don’t think anybody’s going to be clambering over us.

“Our priority’s not to look outside, our priority’s to sure up what we’ve got. And what we’ve got is a pretty good contingent, we’ve just got to wait and see how they all come back into the season.”

BRONCOS

Back-up half Todd Murphy sees an opportunity to claim the utility post left vacant following the departure of Ben Hunt and Benji Marshall.

Murphy, a product of the Broncos’ NYC system, is yet to make his NRL debut but hopes a positional switch could pave the way for his start in first grade.

Murphy has been training at hooker this pre-season with Andrew McCullough on the comeback from his ACL injury.

“Obviously there is a spot there and I have been training a bit at hooker,” Murphy told the Broncos website.

“I’ll just give my best efforts at training and see what happens there.

“I am one of the oldest in the squad at the moment so it is a bit different to back then, but good fun.

“It’s a lifelong goal to wear that jersey, so I’ll just keep training hard.”

SEA EAGLES

Jackson Hastings has one goal this year.

It’s not to own the No.6 jersey, he just wants to secure a place in the top 17 each week.

Having made nine appearances last season, the 22-year-old utility is determined to put his career back on track.

“The fact that I didn’t push harder enough to be in the NRL team every week last year was the most disappointing part for me,” Hastings told the club website.

“I know what I am capable of. Deep down, I didn’t deliver.

“To play first grade, you need to also produce your best in reserve grade and I didn’t. I’m the first to admit that.

“If I’m lucky enough to get the nod at five-eighth in the NRL side, I will grab it with two hands. But for now, my focus is on getting bigger, stronger, faster, and improving as a player.

“Hopefully that gives me the opportunity to be in the 17 every week.”

KNIGHTS

Newcastle signing Chris Heighington believes the Knights have the right mix of experience and youth in the forward pack to be successful.

Heighington has joined the club from Cronulla, with the team also welcoming other forwards like Aidan Guerra, Herman Ese’ese and Jacob Lillyman.

“You need that to be successful with young kids coming through and working really hard,” Heighington told the club website.

“The senior blokes have got to lead the way, pull them aside and help them out in any areas.

“When I or others finish up, you want to leave the young kids with something to build on to create their own careers and hopefully when they’re senior players, they can tell the younger players what to do as well.”

BULLDOGS

Canterbury’s marquee signing Kieran Foran says he’s not sure who will partner him in the halves come round one.

A spot has opened up in the halves following Josh Reynolds’ departure and Moses Mbye’s shift to fullback.

The likes of Josh Cleeland and Matt Frawley are in the running for the role.

“(Coach Dean Pay) hasn’t given too much away,” Foran told the club website.

“We’ve had a few guys training in halfback or five-eighth.

“He’s trialling a few different combinations there and just seeing what works best for the side.”

STORM

Melbourne forward Tim Glasby says his side are taking their preparations for the World Club Challenge as serious as ever.

The Storm will meet Super League champions Leeds in the annual fixture which this year is held at AAMI Park on February 16.

“We’re looking forward to competing against Leeds, they’re a really good team,” Glasby told SEN News from Geelong Grammar where the club have set up camp for the next two weeks.

“ ... To take home a World Club Challenge would be really great.

“We’re really aiming for that game, to be crowned the No.1 team in the world would be fantastic.

“I know it’s a new year, but it would top off what was a fantastic season for us last year winning the minor premiership then the premiership.”

Ready to get to work at @GeelongGrammar - good to be back! #purplepride pic.twitter.com/bnepIQ9so1 — Melbourne Storm (@storm) January 15, 2018

COWBOYS

North Queensland half Michael Morgan is in the dark on what style the club will play this year with Johnathan Thurston returning from injury.

Without Thurston due to a shoulder issue, Morgan’s form exploded as their chief playmaker, steering the team to the grand final last year.

With Te Maire Martin also in the mix, Morgan is unsure on how the halves will play.

“The way we’ve been playing the last couple of years is that the halfback was on the ball a lot more and a lot more involved,” Morgan said.

“It led on from the year I had at fullback, that we fell back to the role where JT was the main half and we had myself and Cootey (fullback Lachlan Coote) either side and playing out the back sweeping role.

“What way we’re going to go to make sure, I don’t know if there’s going to be one main dominant person, or if we’ll share it around a bit.”

WARRIORS

The Warriors have ensured fans they’ll be doing everything they can to re-sign star fullback Roger Tuivasa-Sheck.

The Kiwi international is off-contract at the end of the season and has already been linked with moves to rival clubs and rugby union.

“The local tennis club will be ringing him, he is that type of player so there will be significant interest in him,” Warriors CEO Cameron George told NRL.com.

“We have had initial discussions with Roger and his management, he is a priority for us and at this stage we are just letting Roger focus on the off-season.

“His manager and I are in constant contact and hopefully at the appropriate time in the near future we can progress those discussions.”

PANTHERS

Penrith this week moved their pre-season training to Port Macquarie.

It’s the club’s first official visit to the region since hosting a trial game against Newcastle Knights at Port Macquarie Regional Stadium in 2012.

Aside from training the players have also been mingling with local footy fans.

Great to meet so many talented footy players at the Panthers Junior Clinic in Port Macquarie! 👌🏽#pantherpride 🐾 pic.twitter.com/uxfemnpAeL — Penrith Panthers (@PenrithPanthers) January 18, 2018

TITANS

Following groin, ankle and shoulder surgeries in the off-season, Gold Coast forward Jarrod Wallace is doing everything he can to get his body right for his first game of the season.

The prop is suspended until round three due to suspension, but has been putting in extra work which has impressed Titans coaching staff, including head of athletic performance Hayden Knowles.

“I have a couple of extra additions to the staff, Craig Catterick and Steve Driscoll, who are looking after Jarrod’s rehab in a way that I don’t think he’s had before and they have worked him really hard,” Knowles told NRL.com.

“Over the Christmas break (trainer Steve Driscoll) worked with Jarrod who had asked for the extra work, which tells you how much it means to him this year.

“Jarrod knew he was behind and he and Steve were catching up on Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve and all those days when no-one else was training.”

EELS

Parramatta coach Brad Arthur says he’s happy with Jarryd Hayne’s preparation for the upcoming season.

There were rumours Hayne wasn’t up to standard when he checked in at Eels HQ, but Arthur put them to bed.

“His training has been great. He’s brought another edge to us in our skill acquisition and class factor,” Arthur told Sky Sports Big Breakfast.

“He’s been good with his effort areas and attitude toward conditioning.

“Our expectations of him — he’s not going to come here and win a 2km time trial, but in a 20-30 metre sprint he’s going to be in the best couple.

“They’re all different athletes and I just want him to continue to work hard and give him every opportunity to get the miles in his legs so he can be more effective in those 20-30 metre sprints.”

ROOSTERS

New Roosters recruit Reece Robinson says it’s been an easy transition back into rugby league following a two-year stint in rugby union.

The flyer, who has joined the Tricolours for 2018, played for Brisbane, Canberra and Parramatta before signing with the Waratahs.

“It’s been all right,” Robinson told the Roosters website.

“I’ve grown up playing rugby league my whole life, so it’s been really good.

“I’ve been really enjoying getting back into the rugby league side of things.”

TIGERS

Young Wests Tigers playmaker Connelly Lemuelu says he’s been trying to learn as much as he can from childhood hero Benji Marshall during his first full-time pre-season with the NRL squad.

The 19-year-old Papatoetoe junior went to school at Keebra Park, the same school as Marshall, and debuted in last year’s under 20s side.

“I’ve been watching Benji ever since I was young,” Lemuelu told the Tigers website.

“He went to Keebra as well, so we’ve had a pretty similar story and I’ve been able to pick some stuff from his brain and add it to my game, which has been enjoyable and a bit surreal at times.

“Being in full-time, I’m learning as much as I can and hopefully in 20s I can be like Benji for the younger boys that are coming through so they can learn some stuff from me as well”.