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As part of a series profiling the expected Round 1 sides for all 17 NRL clubs in 2025, it’s time to see how St George Illawarra are stacking up after an off-season of upheaval.
Shane Flanagan has laid the groundwork for his Dragons rebuild in the off-season but he’s still missing the foundational piece of the team for 2025 and beyond.
After more than 12 months of agitating for a release, captain Ben Hunt was cut adrift so he could rejoin Brisbane and the club’s only other Australian representative, Zac Lomax, has also hit the road, landing at Parramatta.
Flanagan has brought in an influx of veterans in Cowboys centre Valentine Holmes, Eels fullback Clint Gutherson and Souths hooker Damien Cook as well as Rabbitohs halfback Lachlan Ilias late in the piece.
After looking like they would make an unexpected trip to the playoffs last season in Flanagan’s first year as coach before losing their final three matches to finish 11th with an 11-13 record, they have been installed as favourites to collect the wooden spoon in 2025.
Here’s how their team is shaping up for Round 1.
The Dragons are likely to have three new members of their starting spine for Round 1 with Gutherson slotting in at fullback with Tyrell Sloan switching to the wing, Ilias partnering Kyle Flanagan in the halves and Cook starting at hooker with Jacob Liddle reverting to a bench utility role.
Holmes’ arrival offsets the departure of Lomax as a strike weapon out wide and goal-kicker with the 29-year-old set to line up at left centre with Moses Suli on the right edge.
The Dragons have also signed Australian rugby sevens speedster Nathan Lawson but he is unlikely to get any NRL game time, at least for the first half of the season as he picks up the nuances of league.
Lomax and Hunt were St George Illawarra’s two most potent attacking weapons but the club took a stand with each player, basically showing them the door when they became more trouble than they were worth.
Dragons officials ensured they would not be paying a cent for either player to head elsewhere as part of their early releases.
Veteran utility Jack Bird was allowed to depart to the Wests Tigers after an injury-riddled stint at his junior club while young outside backs Savelio Tamale (Raiders) and Max Feagai (Dolphins) have also exited Wollongong.
The Dragons have also cut a few fringe first-graders in Alec Tuitavake (Leigh Leopards), Dan Russell (Warrington) and Jesse Marschke (North Sydney).
Clint Gutherson celebrates scoring a try. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
With new faces in three of the four spine positions, coach Flanagan’s task in the off-season is to get the recruits to combine with each other and the returning players.
Gutherson playing fullback with Sloan switching to wing should improve their goal-line defence and Cook is still a capable operator from dummy-half despite being in the twilight of his career at 33.
The main question mark is over Ilias at halfback after injuries and patchy form cost him the No.7 jersey at South Sydney.
St George Illawarra’s roster is skinny for playmakers so unless they can jag an experienced back-up before March, they may have to play Gutherson in the halves or put faith in teenager Lyhkan King-Togia if Ilias or Flanagan are out.
1 Clint Gutherson
2 Tyrell Sloan
3 Moses Suli
4 Valentine Holmes
5 Christian Tuipolotu
6 Kyle Flanagan
7 Lachlan Ilias
8 Francis Molo
9 Damien Cook
10 Toby Couchman
11 Jaydn Su’A
12 Luciano Leilua
13 Jack de Belin
Interchange
14 Jacob Liddle
15 Raymond Faitala-Mariner
16 Blake Lawrie
17 Ryan Couchman
Other squad members: Tom Eisenhuth, Mat Feagai, Corey Allan, Dylan Egan, Finau Latu, Hamish Stewart, Loko Tonga, Hame Sele, Michael Molo, Mikaele Ravalawa, Sione Finau, Viliami Fifita, Ben Murdoch-Masila, Lyhkan King-Togia
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