Will the Dragons cope without their stars?

Over the first 12 rounds of the 2018 NRL season the St George Illawarra Dragons 2018 have set the benchmark for the competition.

Showing an entertaining attacking style while remaining hard-nosed and resilient has seen the Dragons sit atop the ladder from the early rounds, and as we enter the representative and bye rounds, the Dragons sit equal first on points with the Penrith Panthers.

There is no denying that to this point in the season the Red V have looked every part a premiership threat, but with the looming selection of a host of key players for their state or country coupled with a ‘tricky’ draw over the next 4-6 games, the Dragons may face an uphill battle to maintain their status as premiership favourites.

The heartbeat of the Dragons 2018 side has been their tireless forwards turning up week in, week out and grinding opposition packs out of the contest. The work rate of players like James Graham and Jack De Belin combined with high-impact plays from the likes of Tyson Frizell, Paul Vaughan, and Tariq Sims has been the cornerstone of the Dragons game early in the season.

Off the back of the forward momentum and platform provided, classy halves pairing Gareth Widdop and Ben Hunt appear to be playing with confidence and poise. The combination of tough forward play and creative halves has provided plenty of opportunity for strike weapons Matt Dufty, Tim Lafai and Euan Aitken to showcase their attacking ability.

A big part of the dragons success has obviously come due to the form of key players in their side, but with good individual form comes recognition and call-up for representative honours. So it will be bitter-sweet for the Dragons club to see so many of their form players play at both state and country level.

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Before the State of Origin sides were named on Monday, pundits had as many as seven Dragons players pencilled into respective state sides. Unfortunately for Tariq Sims, Euan Aitken and Cameron McInnes, they were overlooked. But a trio of forwards including Paul Vaughan, Tyson Frizell, Jack De Belin were selected in Brad Fittler’s Blues line-up, while Ben Hunt will wear the number seven for Kevin Walters’ Maroons.

Another representative game will be played in the coming weeks with New Zealand taking on the England national side in Denver, USA. The Dragons can expect to be without Gareth Widdop and James Graham, who will take their place in the Wayne Bennett-coached England team. Legendary clubman and prolific try-scorer Jason Nightingale could also find himself on a plane to Denver with new coach Michael Maguire’s Kiwi side.

With a total player count of seven starters missing from the team at various times over the next month or so, the Dragons depth and roster quality will certainly be questioned and may consequently decide where they finish on the ladder come September.

A player who can expect plenty of responsibility during this period is utility Kurt Mann. Mann has filled a number of roles for the Dragons since joining in 2016 but has ultimately failed to lock down a starting position. It’s a safe bet that Mann will secure plenty of minutes over the next few games and could even take control of the side in the halves.

The ever-reliable Leeson Ah Mau should run out in the starting forward pack to fill a void left by those playing in sky blue. Ah Mau has been in great form from the interchange bench in 2018 and will look to continue.

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Another man who will shoulder responsibility in the engine room is journeyman Jeremy Latimore. Latimore is another interchange forward to who has played an important role for the Red V in 2018. He will need to rely on every bit of experience he posses to keep the Dragons forward pack on a roll.

Young forwards Hame Sele, Jacob Host and Luciano Leilua could also see more game time as coach Paul McGregor will look to negotiate a tricky draw over the next few rounds.

Off the back of a devastating loss to the Penrith Panthers, the Dragons have a bye in Round 13 followed by an away clash against the Bulldogs and games against Manly, Parramatta, Melbourne and the Tigers. While this may seem a relatively easy draw – I don’t believe there are any easy games in the NRL – with only one top-eight opponent, sides like Parramatta and the Bulldogs have little more to play for in 2018 than pride. Recent seasons have proven that teams in this position are dangerous opponents and quite often impact the final make-up of the top eight

I believe that while the players would be disappointed, the fact that hooker Cameron McInnes, strike weapon Euan Aitken and inspirational back-rower Tariq Sims were all overlooked for rep honours is a blessing for McGregor’s Dragons.

Along with plenty of depth in their forward pack and a simple game plan, this should be enough to see the Dragons through this period and remain firmly implanted in the top four by the time their stars return from rep duty.