Shane Flanagan’s St George Illawarra Dragons rebuild is now two seasons old, but the coming years feel like the first time the Red V will realistically be able to push for improving results.
The Dragons actually went backwards in 2025, but that wasn’t helped by the back-end of their season where they suffered an enormous injury toll.
But things are looking brighter heading into the future for the Dragons.
Daniel Atkinson arrives in 2026, and their talented crop of young forwards will be better for the run.
By 2027, it feels as if the Dragons should be on a collision course with the top eight, or maybe higher.
That said, there are still recruitment decisions to be made as Flanagan carefully constructs his squad moving forward. Ageing veterans may need to be replaced, the jury is still out on the halves, and the wings look a real issue.
Current St George Illawarra Dragons 2027 squad
Daniel Atkinson, Ryan Couchman, Toby Couchman, Dylan Egan, Kyle Flanagan, Clint Gutherson, Jacob Halangahu, Valentine Holmes, Josh Kerr, Lyhkan King-Togia, Jacob Liddle, Loko Pasifiki Tonga, Cyrus Stanley-Traill, Moses Suli, Nick Tsougranis
Off-contract at the end of 2026
Damien Cook, Mathew Feagai, Emre Guler, Lachlan Ilias, Blake Lawrie, Nathan Lawson, Luciano Leilua, Hame Sele, Tyrell Sloan, Christian Tuipulotu
Current best 17 for 2027
1. Clint Gutherson
2. No player signed.
3. Valentine Holmes
4. Moses Suli
5. No player signed.
6. Lyhkan King-Togia
7. Daniel Atkinson
8. Loko Pasiki Tonga
9. Jacob Liddle
10. Josh Kerr
11. Dylan Egan
12. Jacob Halangahu
13. Toby Couchman
Interchange
14. Kyle Flanagan
15. Ryan Couchman
16. Nick Tsougranis
17. Cyrus Stanley-Traill
As it stands, the Dragons have 13 players locked away for 2027, but absolutely zero first choice wingers.
Tyrell Sloan will likely depart at the end of 2026, Christian Tuipulotu probably won’t be re-signed until he can prove his hamstrings will last more than a few games at a time, and the jury is still out on the likes of Mathew Feagai and Nathan Lawson.
Elsewhere, the club could be in the market for a new fullback. Clint Gutherson won the club’s player of the year, but as he approaches the end of his career, fullback may not be his calling card.
The halves are still a question mark, and while there is an extremely talented crop of forwards on the way through, the Red V clearly need a forward pack leader, or maybe even two, to take them into the future.
One of the issues for the Dragons throughout 2025 for the Dragons was a lack of ability to win when it mattered, and a lot of that was down to the experience they did have in the forwards not having the agility to keep up with a game that is just getting faster and faster by the year.
That needs to be addressed in the coming recruitment window.
They will, in the meantime, be hoping to re-sign Jaydn Su’A, who has an option in his favour for 2027, but the rest of the off-contract list may well all be allowed to depart.
Option 1: Tino Fa’asuamaleaui (Gold Coast Titans)
As much as the Dragons need backline players to fill their side, we are going to start with the biggest name available – someone they simply must open the cheque book for.
The Titans star has confirmed he will hit the open market from November 1 before working out whether to take his player option on the Gold Coast.
He wants to win, and win now, and that’s something that just looks unlikely on the glitter strip.
The Dragons may not be in a ‘win now’ position, but by 2027, one would think they are going to start getting closer to it. In fact, one or two big name forwards and they might just be there.
Fa’asuamaleaui is not going to come cheap, but the Dragons have plenty of money to play with, and the Queensland Origin player could be the type of star they need to break their finals drought and become genuine contenders.
Whether he plays at lock or prop really doesn’t matter. The job he will do, and the way he will help the young forwards coming through at the club, would be enormous.
Option 2: Ryan Papenhuyzen (Melbourne Storm)
One thing that became clearer the longer 2025 went on at the Dragons was that Clint Gutherson can’t be the long-term fullback.
While he won the club’s player of the year, the concerns around his age, his knees, and the fact he doesn’t move quite as well as he did during the early part of his career have made it clear the Dragons need to go in a different direction.
That’s not to say Gutherson won’t have a role in the side, but it can’t be in the number one jumper, probably for 2026, but certainly by the time we get to 2027.
The Dragons do have money available, as already discussed, and there is no reason they shouldn’t be throwing the book at the best available option on the market.
William Kennedy and Jayden Campbell are both out of their contracts, but Ryan Papenhuyzen having an option in his favour at the Storm means he could well and truly explore his future away from the Victorian capital.
If he does become available, the Dragons would be absolutely foolish to not make a monster play for the star number one, who has played grand finals, and at the highest level for a number of seasons.
Injuries are potentially the concern, but he is a risk the Dragons should be viewing as one worth taking.
Option 3: Jye Gray (South Sydney Rabbitohs)
Speaking of star spine players, there is little to no reason the Dragons shouldn’t be making a play for Jye Gray.
The five-eighth and fullback is out of his contract at the end of 2026 with the Rabbitohs, and it’s clear given the links to Perth and the Rugby360 competition that he is going to hit November 1 as a free agent to explore his worth on the open market.
The Rabbitohs won’t have the money to go with rival clubs, and on top of that, they won’t have the role to offer him either.
Even if they were to go out and sign Ryan Papenhuyzen, the Dragons could still suggest to Gray that he could line up in the club’s number six jersey.
All the talk is that Daniel Atkinson has been signed as the new halfback, and while Lyhkan King-Togia could be the long-term five-eighth, the jury is still out on the local junior.
If there was a chance to sign Gray as the number six, it’s another move Shane Flanagan and his recruitment staff simply have to make.
Miss out on Papenhuyzen – or any of the off-contract fullbacks – and you could then suggest Gray could also line up in the number one jumper where he has seriously impressed for South Sydney to the point Wayne Bennett may consider moving Latrell Mitchell to the centres.
Option 3: Jye Gray (South Sydney Rabbitohs)
Speaking of star spine players, there is little to no reason the Dragons shouldn’t be making a play for Jye Gray.
The five-eighth and fullback is out of his contract at the end of 2026 with the Rabbitohs, and it’s clear given the links to Perth and the Rugby360 competition that he is going to hit November 1 as a free agent to explore his worth on the open market.
The Rabbitohs won’t have the money to go with rival clubs, and on top of that, they won’t have the role to offer him either.
The Dragons will.
Even if they were to go out and sign Ryan Papenhuyzen, the Dragons could still suggest to Gray that he could line up in the club’s number six jersey.
All the talk is that Daniel Atkinson has been signed as the new halfback, and while Lyhkan King-Togia could be the long-term five-eighth, the jury is still out on the local junior.
If there was a chance to sign Gray as the number six, it’s another move Shane Flanagan and his recruitment staff simply have to make.
Miss out on Papenhuyzen – or any of the off-contract fullbacks – and you could then suggest Gray could also line up in the number one jumper where he has seriously impressed for South Sydney to the point Wayne Bennett may consider moving Latrell Mitchell to the centres.
Option 4: Will Warbrick (Melbourne Storm)
As highlighted, the Dragons need wingers. Potentially two new first-grade options.
One of them should be Will Warbrick.
Whether the former Rugby Sevens international is open to leaving the club who have stuck by him during injury and concussion remains to be seen, but his powerful running game should leave plenty of clubs at the very least making contact with his management.
The Dragons should be one of them.
One thing the Red V have lacked at times is an ability to carry the ball from the back and get sets rolling onto the front foot early. Warbrick has the potential to almost fix that on his own, given his strength.
There are still rightly questions around his defence, but it is improving all the time, and when you look at the options available to the Dragons, he is certainly among the best of them.
Option 5: Josh Curran (Canterbury Bulldogs)
Back to the forwards to finish where it’s clear the Dragons have a talented crop of youngsters, but would like to add some hard-hitting experience.
Josh Curran could well and truly fill that role, but given he can play in the middle or on the edge, and adds serious punch whether starting or coming from the bench, he is the sort of player who could add plenty to the Red V.
We expect there to be a multi-club race for Curran, but none may be able to offer either the cash, or role priority the Dragons will be able to.
Even if they do sign Fa’asuamaleaui or another elite forward, Curran would likely head to the Dragons as one of the club’s most experienced forwards, and a key player for any potential charge up the ladder the Red V are going to be able to make in the coming years.
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