Fifteen years after he tasted Chatham Cup glory with Dunedin Technical, Flaws is again within sight of New Zealand football's greatest prize.
Dunedin Technical plays its Christchurch namesake, defending champion Cashmere Technical, in a quarterfinal at the Caledonian Ground on Sunday.
Flaws (34) and player-coach Aaron Burgess are the survivors from the class of 1999 that swept to the club's first Chatham Cup win in imperious fashion.
Back then, Flaws was a fresh-faced 19-year-old right winger in his first season of premier football with Dunedin Technical, having joined from Green Island.
His memory of the cup run is hazy until about the quarterfinal stage, when Technical beat Miramar 4-3 at Sunnyvale.
''That was a pretty freaky experience for a 19-year-old,'' Flaws recalled.
''We got Napier in the semis, and we knocked them off, and we're in the final.''
Technical thumped Waitakere 4-0 in the final at North Harbour Stadium, Flaws scoring the third goal - a header from a Jon Smith free kick - in the second half.
''Tactically, we were pretty well prepared by our coach, Roger Brooks. A couple of guys had been to see Waitakere, so we knew exactly how they were going to play.
''It was one of those games where everything worked. Everything we touched turned to gold, basically.
''We had a really nice balance in that team. The squad was really strong and really deep.
''David Johnston, on the left, was basically a carbon copy of me. We had lots of pace. Burgess was a bit quicker then, as well.''
The 1999 side is now spread around the globe and has never had a reunion.
Flaws carried on at Dunedin Technical for two seasons after the Cup win before moving to Wellington, where he played for Miramar, Wellington United and Olympic. A couple of years in London followed before he returned to Dunedin in 2009. He now works for the Dunedin City Council in web design/development.
Dunedin Technical might have home advantage on Sunday but a powerful Cashmere side will start favourite as it seeks to become the first back-to-back winner since Central United in 1997-1998.
''We've got a pretty inexperienced team, and we're up against a good team,'' Flaws said.
''It's basically the Canterbury United team. We're massive underdogs, let's be honest.''
Flaws, a passionate Liverpool fan whose first footballing hero was John Barnes, still plays on the right of midfield but now relies more on smarts, not pace, to keep his starting position.
''I tend to retire after each season, but get back into it when pre-season rolls around.
''I think this season will be my last. So every Chatham Cup game could be my last.''
