The Dragons’ culture is again under fire after centre Moses Suli’s comments that he didn’t want to be at the club when he made the switch form the Manly Sea Eagles.
Two of Suli’s former Manly teammates Viliame Fifita and Alec Tuitavake recently joined the Dragons in a swap deal that sent Aaron Woods to the Sea Eagles.
Suli revealed Fifita didn’t want to join the Dragons and that he felt the same when he made the switch in 2022 after four seasons with Manly.
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Suli’s brutal honesty regarding Dragons | 01:27
Braith Anasta was amazed by Suli’s comments on NRL 360.
“I was stunned when I watched the press conference,” Anasta said on NRL 360.
“Moses Suli was brutally honest to say the least.”
Paul Kent defended Suli after he was put on the spot, but believes his comments are an indictment on where the struggling Dragons club is at.
“I feel sorry for him there because I think he handled that question and I think he would have walked away and thought, I handled that pretty well there,” Kent said.
“Anthony Griffin would have his head in his hands right now and his agent is hiding under the doona and the club is sitting there saying, what have we done?
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“We had that problem last year where three people turned up at the presentation night and they have told us over the summer it has all been Kumbaya and they are all back together and it is all great again.
“Now this guy is saying he didn’t want to come and I didn’t want to be here either.”
The Daily Telegraph’s Dave Riccio believes Suli’s comments are a poor look in the wake of the club’s 40-8 thrashing in Round 4 and the turmoil surrounding Anthony Griffin’s tenure at the embattled club.
“It is shocking timing it really is in the current climate at St George Illawarra,” Riccio said.
“It is terrible. It is not a good look at all.”
However, Paul Crawley defended Suli and commended him for his honesty, while he believes the comments are an indictment on the NRL and managers for treating young players as cash cows.
“But it is honest,” Crawley said.
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Star reveals honest detail in shock swap | 00:36
“He is telling us he really had no say in going to the Dragons. His manager made the decision for him and he was sent there.”
“But it is not good for the club is it?” Anasta interjected.
“It is not good for the young players in the game if that is the case,” Crawley shot back.
However, Paul Kent believes the soul of rugby league is at stake if players no longer feel connected to their clubs and are just playing for money.
“I tell you what it is not good for the soul of the game,” Kent said.
“People sit there and not literally, but people bleed for their colours and they bleed for their club.
“Saints fans are sitting here now and saying, hang on we have got two blokes here now who don’t even want to be there.
“There are guys who would give their left arm to play for St George Illawarra and have the Red V on their chest and to so many people it means so much to them.
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“There was a time when players played and their club did mean something to them and now we have got two players who basically don’t want to be at the club, who are basically there because it the best business opportunity for them.
“That is just going to disappoint myriads of fans.”
Anasta believes Suli owes his teammates an explanation given they are beside him very week on the training paddock and on the field trying to win for the club.
“It is also going to disappoint his teammates,” Anasta said.
“I have thought about this some more and you say he is being honest, but he is also being pretty stupid.
“He has got his teammates there who train with him and they probably think that he likes to be there and who want to put their heart and soul on the line every week to go out there and try and win at all costs and you have got a guy saying I don’t want to be here.”
