It only took three games for rising star Tyrell Sloan to be axed by Anthony Griffin last season — but the fullback will play a key role in the Dragons’ success this year.
That’s according to veteran prop Aaron Woods, who said his 20-year-old teammate has been “phenomenal” this summer, taking the demons of his 2022 campaign in his stride.
Griffin’s decision to drop Sloan came after a disastrous performance in wet conditions against the Sharks as they were thumped 36-12 by their cross-town rivals.
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The move was met with heavy criticism, but Griffin was adamant he was only taking care of his young talent who has a massive future in the NRL.
It would have been easy for Sloan to kick stones and leave, with Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett circling the young gun, but instead he returned with a renewed focus in 2023.
“He’s come back in really good knick, there was a lot of pressure on him in the off-season, is he going to be here, is he not, obviously Wayne was sniffing around trying to get him to Redcliffe,” Woods said to Foxsports.com.au.
“But to his credit, he’s come back flying, he’s winning fitness, he looks bigger, he’s starting to go from that kid’s body to a man’s body.
“And his attention to detail has just been phenomenal, last year he was probably happy to be here, but this year you can really see he wants that No.1 jersey.”
Veteran utility Moses Mbye, who was handed the No.1 jersey after Sloan’s early axing, echoed his teammate’s opinion.
“He’s come in with a really good attitude, he kind of felt a little bit hard-done by last year in a couple of areas, but I think he has really narrowed his focus,” Mbye said to Foxsports.com.au.
“He’s realised that he has got a great opportunity at his feet, and he is really up for it, he’s been super impressive around his training.
“He’s getting a lot stronger and bigger and more powerful.”
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Cody Ramsey was also handed the fullback spot at the back-end of the season, but has since been ruled out for 2023 while he deals with a serious illness, ulcerative colitis.
Woods believes Sloan has realised why Griffin made the call to drop him — because he “wants more” from his players.
“No disrespect to Cody Ramsey, he’s injured, so for Sloan that’s one competitor that he was fighting with,” Woods said.
“He needed to work hard, and I don’t need to tell him because he has come back and done it, working with the assistants and ‘Hook’.
“Hook’s the biggest fan of him, but he always wants more from you, I think that’s where Sloan sort of realised, he isn’t a kid anymore, he needs to be a man and we are in a man’s industry.
“He has just been outstanding, you can’t fault him one bit his pre-season has been absolutely phenomenal this year.”
Mbye also recognised being axed would have been a tough pill to swallow after being billed as the club’s long-term fullback – and now he has become a better player for “riding the wave”.
“It is really hard to digest when you are young and you’re coming into first grade, especially now a lot of players don’t really get time to fail and learn,” Mbye said.
“It is a pretty high-pressure environment, which is why we do it, and that sometimes wears away at you and as a youngster, the hype is there and you still aren’t sure how it’s going to go because you haven’t been out there yet.
“I think the key thing for Sloan was just to be patient, everyone knows how good he is and once he got it all right, he was going to be the No.1 for the Dragons.
“I think now, he understands that and he has ridden that wave, gone through a bit of a storm and it has certainly made him a better person and I can nearly guarantee it has made him a better player.”
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Meanwhile, the Dragons have been unable to deliver consistent performances under Anthony Griffin and have missed the finals in his two years in charge.
The Red V’s woes also extend back five years, having last finished in the top eight in 2018.
Woods believes if the Dragons want to improve on their 10th places finish in 2022, Sloan, among other young guns, need to provide other attacking outlets and take the focus off Ben Hunt.
“We need him, if we are going to have a big one we need him firing,” Woods said.
When asked if he is key to the Dragons’ season Woods said: “Big time, he is our link, when everyone talks about the Dragons you talk about Ben Hunt.
“For Sloan to come out and kill it, it just takes so much pressure off Hunt and he becomes a second option for us.
“Because a lot of the time, if Ben Hunt plays well the Dragons go well, but we need to get to the point where if Ben Hunt’s quiet and Sloan plays well, the Dragons win.”
