Once tipped as St George Illawarra's long-term fullback, Tyrell Sloan instead spent 2022 battling for a spot on Anthony Griffin's interchange bench, a narrative his teammates believe he'll shed this season.
Sloan only managed 8 appearances for the Dragons last year, with half of them on the wing or off the bench due to Cody Ramsey's instalment at fullback.
The 20-year-old's dropping from the first-grade side led many to believe Sloan had become unhappy at the club, however former New South Wales prop forward, Aaron Woods believes it has lit a fire in the young Dragon's belly.
“He's come back in really good knick, there was a lot of pressure on him in the off-season, is he going to be here, is he not, obviously Wayne was sniffing around trying to get him to Redcliffe,” Woods said via Foxsports.com.au.
“But to his credit, he's come back flying, he's winning fitness, he looks bigger, he's starting to go from that kid's body to a man's body.
“And his attention to detail has just been phenomenal, last year he was probably happy to be here, but this year you can really see he wants that No.1 jersey.”
The unfortunate sideling of Ramsey for the 2023 season due to ulcerative colitis has left Sloan to compete with former Queensland utility, Moses Mbye for the fullback slot.
However, Mbye was quick to back Sloan for a big year.
"He's come in with a really good attitude, he kind of felt a little bit hard-done-by last year in a couple of areas, but I think he has really narrowed his focus," Bye told Fox Sports.
“He's realised that he has got a great opportunity at his feet, and he is really up for it, he's been super impressive around his training.
“He's getting a lot stronger and bigger and more powerful."
Aaron Woods echoed the sentiment.
“No disrespect to Cody Ramsey, he's injured, so for Sloan that's one competitor that he was fighting with,” Woods continued.
“He needed to work hard, and I don't need to tell him because he has come back and done it, working with the assistants and ‘Hook' (Griffin).
“Hook's the biggest fan of him, but he always wants more from you, I think that's where Sloan sort of realised, he isn't a kid anymore, he needs to be a man and we are in a man's industry.
“He has just been outstanding, you can't fault him one bit his pre-season has been absolutely phenomenal this year.”
Sloan will feature for the Indigenous side against the Maori in next week's All-Stars clash at Rotorua International Stadium.
