The St George Illawarra enter 2026 with expectations rising among fans, pundits and club personnel alike.
After finishing 15th in 2025, the Dragons put together a season that, while low on ladder position, was high on effort and close contests.
The Red V fought in game after game, with around a dozen matches decided by six points or less. They competed hard against some of the competition's best, grinding out big wins over teams such as Penrith and the Melbourne Storm, showing resilience that many hadn't seen from this joint venture for a long time.
Shane Flanagan arrived as head coach in 2024 after a premiership-winning tenure with the Cronulla Sharks. The belief at the club is that Flanagan's experience, tactical nous and eye for talent can rebuild the Dragons into a long-term competitive force. He has been given control of recruitment, development pathways and playing culture, and has blooded a series of young players from the 2024 SG Ball premiership winning side that demolished the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the grand final.
Some of that young talent has already transitioned into 1st grade, and several of those players will take natural progression into 2026. The Dragons lost a few players to the Bulldogs after that SG Ball premiership, but most of the core that brought success at that level remain at the club and are pushing for NRL football already.
Despite the optimism, there are still question marks around key positions. There is genuine curiosity and pressure around whether Daniel Atkinson, a recruit from the Sharks, can solve the halfback problem at the club. There are lingering fan discussions and media noise over Kyle Flanagan's position in the halves, with some supporters referencing past nepotism claims and calling for clearer direction in the spine.
The joint venture's traditional fanbase in both Kogarah and Wollongong is passionate and vocal, and expectations are that this club should be much more competitive than their 2025 ladder position suggests.
The Dragons begin their 2026 campaign in Las Vegas against the Bulldogs, a match that could be treated almost like a grand final for both sides. For the Bulldogs it's a homecoming on the world stage, and for the Dragons it is an opportunity to beat a rival early, build confidence and set a tone for the season.
What the St George Illawarra showed in 2025 was that they could hang with strong opposition and compete across 80 minutes. What they need to improve is turning those close contests into consistent wins, finding stability in key spine positions, and converting gritty effort into football outcomes that matter on the ladder.
For that to happen, there are at least five players who will need to raise their performance in 2026. The Dragons' finals hopes, the security of the coaching staff, and the belief taking hold among supporters will hinge on those improvements.
5. Daniel Atkinson
Why his role is so important
Daniel Atkinson arrives at the Dragons in his fifth season of NRL, a career that has seen him often spend most of his time off the bench or coming into sides when key players are out with injury. He has shown he has a lot of ability and a lot of talent, and signed a significant deal with the Dragons at the end of 2024 to join them in 2026. This likely reduced the amount of game time he got at the Sharks in 2025, as they would have been tempted to look more to the future. He was often named as 18th man, which became a running joke for some pundits.
Atkinson has the versatility to play many positions, plays with high energy, and has an array of skills. It is still unclear whether he will start the season with the 6 or the 7 on his back, but he may be handed the keys to Kogarah, which carries huge responsibility. The Dragons have been crying out for stability and direction in the halves for years, and Atkinson is arriving as one of the club's biggest pieces of that plan.
What needs to improve
Atkinson will need to hit the ground running and form a quick combination with Kyle Flanagan or the other young halves coming through the system. He has shown the ability to execute at NRL level. In 2025, he recorded zero try assists but had good involvements leading to trys, and in the final round of the season he produced a perfect example of what he can offer.
After linking up out wide and receiving a clean pass from Nicho Hynes, Atkinson threw a beautiful ball to his winger, creating a clean line break and setting up a try. It was likely a planned shortside play, but he executed his role perfectly, and he has shown that ability many times throughout his career.
Defensively, he will also need to improve. While he can handle himself in defence and should only get better with time, this is the area where he will be targeted, especially early. New club, new system, new combinations, and more responsibility means opposition teams will test him.
The other factor is that Atkinson has not had the opportunity to play week in, week out football for eighty minutes, as he may be expected to do at the Dragons. His fitness and seasoning will be questioned early, because playing eighty minutes in the halves every week is a completely different challenge to being a utility or rotational player.
Why his improvement matters
Atkinson's 2026 season could be make or break for the Dragons. If he adapts quickly, stays fit, and handles the workload of a full-time halves role, he becomes the type of player the Dragons have been chasing for years, someone who brings energy, versatility, and genuine football instincts into key moments.
But if he struggles to handle the defensive pressure, or if his body cannot handle the demands of eighty-minute halves football, it will leave the Dragons right back where they have been for too long, searching for answers, shuffling combinations, and fighting to stay relevant in the finals race.
Atkinson does not need to be a superstar. He needs to be reliable, tough, and consistent, and if he becomes that player quickly, the Dragons' entire 2026 campaign becomes far more stable
