Grade: B
Season so far: The Dragons could be sitting inside the top four right now if not for three one-point losses, against Souths, Parramatta and the Warriors. But Shane Flanagan’s men have rallied in recent weeks to clinch back-to-back wins and force their way into the top eight. The wins have aligned with Flanagan axing halfback Lachlan Ilias for rising star Lyhkan King-Togia who looks like he’s got a huge future in front of him.
Standout player: Clint Gutherson is making a strong case for buy of the season. The former Eels skipper was shown the door so new coach Jason Ryles could stamp his mark on the side, but one club’s loss is another’s gain and Gutherson has been superb for the Dragons. The classy fullback has played all 11 games this season, scored six tries and averaged 174 run metres per game. Gutherson sat 7th on the Dally M leaderboard before it went behind closed doors.
Where’s it gone wrong: Game management in the close ones. The reason Ilias got dropped was because when the game was on the line in the one-point losses against the Rabbitohs and Eels, he couldn’t get the job done. The Dragons led by 12 points in both of those games but went on to lose in what Flanagan hopes won’t come back to haunt his side later in the year.
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