With Trent Merrin moving to the Panthers from 2016 – reportedly on a deal worth $750,000 per year – the Dragons have freed up vital space in their salary cap after this year.
Many have predicted the Dragons to struggle this year, but next year could be worse.
Coach Paul McGregor (three years), Jack De Belin (three years), Josh Dugan (three years), Gareth Widdop (three years) and Tyson Frizell (four years) are the only major long-term contracts that the Dragons have.
The following players are off contract at the end of 2015:
Captain Ben Creagh, Leeson Ah Mau, Mike Cooper, George Rose, Shannon Wakeman, Rulon Nutira, Will Mathews, Jake Marketo, Kris Keating, Craig Garvey, Heath L’Estrange, Jason Nightingale, Euan Aitken, Nathan Green, Shannon Crook, Yaw Kiti Glymin, Eto Nabuli, Beau Henry, Justin Hunt and Peter Mata’utia.
With 20 players off contract at the end of the year, the Dragons are going to have to be quick to work out who they are going to keep and sign them up early.
Nabuli is one player who has already put his hand up for a contract and will be keenly sought by other clubs. Junior players such as Aitken, Crook, Kiti Glymin, Wakeman and Nutira may impress this year and be keenly sought after.
Of the veterans, Rose has started the year strongly and may have another year in him. Creagh and Nightingale, 2011 grand final winners, are also reportedly seeking contract extensions. Will they too make way to create salary cap room, following Australian winger Brett Morris and Merrin out the door?
The Dragons need to address these issues, otherwise any progress made this season may be lost.
Renegade
Guest
There's no way they've signed him for $750k.... if so, they are paying massive overs.
The RiffMarn Stew Moses
Roar Guru
Big difference between PG structures a deal at Penrith & how previous management structured a deal at Penrith - no doubt this deal won't all be on the cap unlike some of the players he had to offload who were all on the cap with no 3rd party deal utilisation
Tricky Ricky
Guest
Craig the bush is hurting. Nutira was brought in from the Gundagai Tigers. There'd be plenty of players from Group 9 and Group 20 in the Riverina willing to have a crack for $80k. I hope they at least keep Nightingale. As a Dragons fan I am saddened to see talented long term players will plenty still left in the tank and up and coming juniors moving on to greener pastures. Like you and I Dragons fans are hurting by the lack of on field success and ongoing mismanagent of the club.
Walter Penninger
Roar Guru
Sorry the original title got changed. My concern was that if the Dragons had a good season they would be in trouble if they did not tie up players quickly. I am expecting a good season from Ah Mau for one, Nabuli is another obvious one, Mata'utai seems to be out of favour at the moment but could come back in contention. Wakeman could also develop.
Charles NSW
Guest
Disagree with that as each position has their strengths and weakneses depending on what you want to achieve!
Superstar superhuman
Guest
Lock and prop are the same these days. 13, 8 and 10 are all just a numbers.
Craig Watson
Guest
Yes Tricky. It is infuriating is it not. Love it "K Mart Red Lite Specials. Gold. Who in your opinion will we keep and who will we discard? I would like them to give Mike Cooper another contract. Has made a good fist of his first NRL stint.
Craig Watson
Guest
Spot on Charles. Creagh is a far better lock than prop. Mary put him there because Bennet had shifted Merrin from prop. For mine that was a big mistake.Creagh has played lock for most of his career. Could Creagh be the Dragon's last one club man? Interesting times ahead. Who do you see going and staying?
Tricky Ricky
Guest
With Merrin off to the Panthers at the end of this season Doust and his cronies can again rummage through the bargain bin of 80k per season players. Doing the math they should be able to pick up another half dozen K-Mart "Red Light Specials" for 2016! Two Dollar Shop Dragons.
pjm
Roar Rookie
None will, no other club would want them.
Charles NSW
Guest
Now is the time over the next few months to look at the Dragons roster and see who they have that is worth keeping. Dugan, Widdop, Marshalll and Rein are a spine which will only get better this year and should remain intact. There are a number of players holding there own such as Nigthingale and Creagh who should be better at lock than at front row. Front row and centres are up for grabs if players are keen enough to make it their own.
The eye
Guest
apologies..still not brave enough to tip them..hope Mary doesnt spit the dummy though and gets every ounce out of Merrin in his final year.
Jim
Guest
Dragons are playing at Home the eye.
The eye
Guest
reportedly signed with souths yesterday...Mike Cooper is the interesting one from those coming off contract other than Nabuli,honeymoons over for him,Dragons need him and Frizelle fired up but still cant see them beating the Storm down there..
Pot Stirrer
Guest
Whats going on at the Dragons, i dont get why they cant recruit. Wollongong is one of the best cities in Aust especially for young blokes. If they are struggling for cash they shoud talk to Koucash or what ever hus name is. I bet hed get them back to the top within 3 yrs.
curaeus
Guest
There's a rumour that young Nathan Brown from the Tigers might be headed to Saints. Solid young prop with lots of improvement in him and relatively inexpensive if he does make the move. Too many guys in front of him at the Tiges seems to be the reason. Other rumour is that WT and St George are going to do a swap-Leeson Ah Mau for Brown!
curaeus
Guest
Way way too much for a solid but not brilliant footballer and no matchwinner!
Squidward
Roar Rookie
The only player worth poaching now of the off contract mob is nightingale and he's gettin old anyway. Maybe a matautai
Ken
Guest
Walter, is there really any indication that anyone will be following him out? Without going on a long search I would think that, at this time of year, having a large number of players off-contract at the end of any given season would be fairly normal - surely there's many other teams in the same boat? What to believe on Merrin? Malcontent or just knew he could do better? Either way there's no connection to Morris or reason to believe that these two constitute a trend of players leaving. We have a glut of promising young backs so it's odds on that we will probably lose 1 or 2 of them - unfortunate but you can't play them all in first grade so you can hardly blame them when they leave for top grade contracts and positions. Surely Merrin leaving has relaxed the salary cap pressure somewhat, they would have had to have had a decent chunk of money set aside for his next contract ($600k was the rumour)
Ken
Guest
Haha, let it go, round 1 is here we can all have something real to talk about soon!