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 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.
