Incoming Dragons coach Shane Flanagan has made a big decision to shake-up the team’s training routine.
For the first time in over a decade, the Dragons will relocate training to their Sydney home — Netstrata Jubilee Stadium in Kogarah — next season.
That is according to News Corp, who revealed Flanagan wants to reconnect with the St George district.
“The club is St George Illawarra. I’m treating it like that through all facets of the club.”
The Dragons train in Wollongong with their Kogarah base only used occasionally. But next season the team will reportedly train there every Friday during pre-season and will maintain a presence throughout the rest of the year.
Sydney-based players — like Ben Hunt, Jaydn Su’A and new recruit Hame Sele — will also be given the option to spend one other day during the week training there rather than travelling to Wollongong.
Flanagan also reportedly sees it as a way to not only ease the load on those players living in Sydney, but also attract players who have been put off signing in the past due to training being in Wollongong.
“That’s been a bugbear of the Sydney-based players, that they have to travel to Wollongong every day,” News Corp journalist Michael Carayannis told NRL 360.
“I think it will help (with recruitment) a little bit because if you can cut your travel time and not have to move… Some players want to live in Sydney.”
However Fox League’s James Hooper indicated that the frustration from players might stem from the dire on-field results.
“I never heard any of this when Wayne Bennett was the coach and they were winning. When they were winning minor premierships, when they won the 2010 premiership, there was no talk about players blowing up about having to spend an hour in the car,” he said.
“Wayne tapped into the Dragons DNA, he rediscovered what that Red V means and that fixes everything. I think that’s what ‘Flanno’ is trying to do by showing a bit of balance and trying to be fair to both sides.”
Brisbane skipper Adam Reynolds has been injured at training and appeared in serious discomfort as he limped off the field in Brisbane on Monday.
Reynolds is reportedly on the cusp of signing a one-year extension until the end of 2025, but there have been questions around the veteran’s long-term fitness.
The 33-year-old missed several games last year with calf injuries and footage shows Reynolds hobbling off the field on Monday without being able to put any pressure on his right leg.
A Broncos club official told the Courier Mail the injury was not believed to be serious but as yet the full extent of the damage is not known.
According to the report, the injury occurred when Reynolds landed on the foot of a teammate.
Rabbitohs coach Jason Demetriou has shut down talk of Latrell Mitchell switching positions this year.
In an interview with News Corp, Demetriou confirmed Mitchell will play fullback.
It comes after a hot-and-cold 2023 season for the South Sydney star in which he only played 16 games.
Mitchell battled a calf injury mid-season that sidelined him for two months. He returned in Round 22 but struggled to find consistent form.
His season ended on a sour note with the 26-year-old missing the Rabbitohs’ must-win game against the Roosters in the final round of the season due to a suspension.
Pundits have often floated the idea of shifting Mitchell to the centres — where he won two premierships with the Roosters.
