St George Illawarra young guns Tyrell Sloan and Jayden Sullivan have backflipped on their decision to leave the Dragons immediately, thanks to a startling admission from Red V powerbrokers.
Both Sloan and Sullivan had requested early releases from their contracts with the club after a lack of game time alongside other issues at the Dragons, however the pair have reportedly withdrawn their release requests after a conversation with the higher-ups at the club.
Sullivan appeared to be bound for Canterbury after Ben Hunt's re-signing left him outside their starting line-up, while Sloan had been linked with the Dolphins after failing to cement the No.1 jersey at the club, with Anthony Griffin opting for Cody Ramsey at the back.
However, it appears Anthony Griffin won't be in their way much longer.
Following George Burgess and Jack Gosiewski's scathing attacks on Griffin during their departure, WWOS reports that powerbrokers have informed Sloan and Sullivan that 2023 will be Griffin's last season at the club.
The duo both reportedly have issues with the coach, and the confirmation of his impending termination is enough to sway the pair into remaining at the club next year.
The Dragons have finished outside the finals in both seasons under 'Hook' (Griffin) during his tenure, and the club has used his future axing to convince their young stars into staying put at the Red V.
It continues a few pointy months for the Dragons, who had three of their Top 30 attend their awards night, they've lost six highly-touted juniors to rivals, as well as the comments from Burgess and Gosiewski, you can't blame Dragons fans for wanting 2022 to end already.
It's a startling look for the club, powerbrokers informing the club's young stars about the coach's impending axing within 12 months, however will continue to publicly endorse Griffin until the time comes.
It begs the question, if you're planning on Griffin's sacking in the next year, why wait?
Why spend an entire season operating alongside a coach you know you'll axe?
Dragons legend Matt Cooper had some strong words for his former club earlier this month.
“It's disgraceful. It's terrible, where the club is right now,” Cooper said to The Daily Telegraph.
“From 2001-2011 we only missed the finals twice. Since then, we've only made them twice.
“Obviously it changed when Wayne Bennett left. It all starts from the top… that's where the culture comes from.”
Both Sloan and Sullivan will stick around for the 2023 season at the Dragons, however Anthony Griffin may be a different story.
