Promising playmaker Lyhkan King-Togia is poised to replace the axed Lachlan Ilias, and it’s unlikely to be the only change in the St George Illawarra line-up.
Despite scoring a slashing try in the Anzac Day loss to the Roosters, Dragons winger Sione Finau is poised to be another casualty for Saturday’s clash with Wests Tigers. Corey Allan, who made one State of Origin appearance for the Maroons in 2020, is tipped to make his Dragons debut after overcoming an ACL injury that wiped out his entire 2024 season.
King-Togia has made four NRL appearances to date and recently signed a contract extension that will result in him progressing to the club’s top-30 squads for the 2026 and 2027 seasons.
Once the decision was made to drop Ilias, coach Shane Flanagan pondered whether to promote King-Togia or his NSW Cup halves partner Jonah Glover. Ultimately, King-Togia won the race to partner Kyle Flanagan in the halves.
There’s expected to be a shake-up in the South Sydney halves as well, with Lewis Dodd likely to partner Bud Sullivan at the scrumbase. Dodd has made two brief NRL appearances for the Rabbitohs coming off the bench, but will get the chance to show what he can do for an injury-hit Souths line-up. Latrell Mitchell is unavailable due to suspension.
Lyhkan King-Togia has been called up to the NRL.
Josh Schuster is edging closer to making his Rabbitohs debut, but won’t be called up for the clash against the Knights.
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