The Dragons have already lost two players ahead of the 2023 season and now face a huge top 30 headache with the regular season kicking off in only 31 days.
According to The Daily Telegraph’s Phil Rothfield, the St George Illawarra club only have 27 players in their top 30 squad.
Fullback Cody Ramsey has also been ruled out for the season while he recovers from ulcerative colitis illness, while five-eighth Junior Amone has been stood down after he was hit with a raft of charges relating to an alleged hammer attack.
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Both Ramsey and Amone are a part of the 27 players signed, leaving Anthony Griffin with only 25 players available to take the field.
As per NRL rules, every club must have 30 players signed to their first grade squad, but as it stands the Dragons will have to make a handful of signings before March 2.
The Red V also have “plenty of cash” to spend according to Rothfield and have also requested salary cap relief as Amone fights his assault charges.
“Their roster is a really interesting story, all listeners know you need a 30 man roster, and most clubs have signed 28 or 29 by now, I know the Melbourne Storm have closed their books,” Rothfield said on the Big Sports Breakfast.
“But the Dragons have signed 27, but included in those positions are Cody Ramsey, who has been ruled out for the season, and Junior Amone who is facing very serious assault charges and his availability will be determined by the courts over the next couple of months.
“As it stands now, the Dragons need five new players to fill that 30 man squad, with Amone gone Jayden Sullivan will play five-eighth and Tyrell Sloan fullback for Cody Ramsey.
“But without those five players there are serious questions about their depth, you look around and there’s not at this stage (players out there), I think there’s 31 sleeps to go until the competition starts.
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“There will be movement during the trials, there’ll be fallouts and roster tightening, you can see all the action at Canterbury at the moment with players being moved and signed.
“Look they have plenty of cash, it is a good position to be in, but you know the Dolphins are competing with them, they have four spots open.
“Anthony Griffin certainly has to get that roster sorted ASAP.”
Head coach Anthony Griffin’s position also came under the microscope last season after the Dragons failed to make the finals.
Superstar playmaker Ben Hunt admitted after the 2022 season, if his side didn’t start strong, Griffin will be facing the axe.
The Dragons’ club culture also was heavily criticised after only three players attended the annual presentation night, while both Tyrell Sloan and Jayden Sullivan reportedly put in requests for an early release before withdrawing them.
However, according to Rothfield Griffin is backing himself to last the season and return his team to finals football.
Griffin also believes there are no issues regarding the club’s culture.
“I put it to him, I said ‘mate, you’ve got eight games’ and he said ‘no I don’t, I have 24 games’,” Rothfield said.
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“He’s really confident, and look if the board was confident in ‘Hook’ they would have extended him, but he’s starting the season well and truly under the pump.
“Same as Adam O’Brien in Newcastle, Justin Holbrook, Kevin Walters, you look at the coaches and we lose three or four every year.
“The interesting part of the story I found, he was really confident there was nothing wrong with the culture.
“Last year… only three players turned up to their presentation night, Ben Hunt, Zac Lomax and Michael Molo, the interesting thing ‘Hook’ said, he organised a Christmas party in December at a south coast surf club, he told all the players.
“150 turned up, every single player, every wife, partner, child, all the board, all the senior management.
“He walked out of that function convinced what happened at the presentation night was just, you know all these players were unavailable five weeks after the season and that he does have a rock solid group there that let their hair down that night.”
