St George Illawarra Dragons second-rower Luciano Leilua has revealed he wants to remain at the club beyond 2026, having at one point considered retirement.
The forward's form in 2025 was poor, but a big off-season heading into a contract year has seen his form turn a corner.
His start to the year saw him among the most involved Dragons, but his future has been anything but secure throughout the opening months of the campaign.
The Dragons have a number of forwards coming through their ranks, with Dylan Egan, Ryan Couchman and Jacob Halangahu all pushing for minutes.
The Red V have lost Jaydn Su'A to the Parramatta Eels at the end of the year, mounting the argument that Leilua could be retained from an experience point of view, but he would still potentially hold back the juniors.
Leilua said he wasn't sure, but wants to remain at the Dragons in an interview with Fox Sports.
“For sure, I would love to (remain at the Dragons). I just let my manager handle all that but all I can do is just go out there and play good footy,” Leilua told the publication.
“I'm not too sure at the moment. I haven't really spoken to anyone or the club yet and I'm just trying to play good footy for the moment.”
The forward revealed his form throughout 2025, and indeed during seasons prior to that, had him actively questioning whether he was going to remain in the NRL or hang up the boots.
“I just thought my form wasn't really good last year or the last couple of years,” Leilua said.
“I sort of fell out of love with the game and wasn't really on par with everyone.”
Leilua, a former representative player, has been among the Dragons' best at times over his journey with the club, but with no movement on his future, the publication are reporting rival clubs are monitoring the situation.
It's unclear who those clubs are, however, the Perth Bears, and others in Sydney, could well be all in the mix if he does head to the open market.
