St George Illawarra will head into 2025 with a completely new-look leadership group and it’s headlined by two former Rabbitohs stars.
After the departure of Ben Hunt, the club have been moving forward in the recruitment space, signing a halfback replacement in the form of Lachlan Ilias.
But perhaps the even bigger decision for coach Shane Flanagan to make was around the captaincy, with no clear standout among the roster from his first year in charge.
When he extended his tenure with the Dragons for another two years, videos on social media emerged of star back-rower Jaydn Su’A jokingly saying he will be the new captain.
Unfortunately, that doesn’t look like it will be the case – but he is still “relishing” the opportunity to become a senior member of the Red V unit.
“My hand was up, but it got pulled down straight away,” he said on Wednesday.
“I won’t be in the running for that but I’m looking forward to that announcement.
“Some of the younger guys sort of gravitate towards me and I think that’s a big step in my development, understanding that role. I’m 27 now and one of the older heads here – I’m kinda relishing it and looking forward to it.”
Su’A had a career-best season under Flanagan, cementing himself as one of the game’s best edge forwards and earning a State of Origin recall in the process.
His time as Dragons captain will have to wait for now though, with new recruits Damien Cook and Clint Gutherson set to share the role, as publicly confirmed by Flanagan.
“Does he want to have a word with me about it?” Cook joked.
“When I first left here, I was a young kid and wanted to be an NRL player. I went away and came back as a senior player and that’s something I have strived to be.
“I hope I can bring some of my experience and leadership down here – there’s a lot of great young boys down here. It’s a bright future here and I hope that along with Gutho and Val, I can bring that experience.”
Cook and Su’A share a strong friendship from their time together at South Sydney and they aren’t the only ones who have made the jump in recent years.
Hame Sele joined the Saints in 2024 but had an interrupted season due to injuries and illness, while the aforementioned Ilias will line up for the side next year.
Hame Sele joined the Saints in 2024 but had an interrupted season due to injuries and illness, while the aforementioned Ilias will line up for the side next year.
The pair, alongside Cook and Su’A, have started to make the commute down from Sydney to Wollongong together as a group and it’s already prompted plenty of sledging.
“Su’A and myself are doing most of the driving and Hame was able to shout his first coffee today two weeks in,” Cook said.
“We’ve got a little WhatsApp group going … there’s a bit of a rotation, six or seven guys.
“It’s about 50 minutes to get down – I’m really enjoying it. Those little connections, you would be surprised how much they actually work their way onto the field.”
Su’A had a different recollection of events and joked he would start making the drive solo if things didn’t change at the cafe.
“Did he [Cook] talk about coffee or anything? My partner, she’s not happy,” he said.
“It’s coming out of my account every day so far. Him and Hame need to pull their weight, otherwise I will be driving by myself.
“We’ve obviously got a good connection, we were all together at Souths … it’s made their transition a lot easier. He is a bit of a pest, but I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
