NRL 2021: Dragons close in on Jaydn Su’A, George Burgess to replace Paul Vaughan

The off-field woes continue for the Dragons — although there has been some good news in the shape of some key signins.

Zac Lomax 2021 NRL Round 04 - Newcastle Knights v St. George Illawarra Dragons, McDonald Jones Stadium, 2021-04-04. Digital image by Shane Myers � NRL Photos

St George Illawarra’s already disjointed preparations to play Manly next week have taken another hit with the club yet to be cleared by the NRL to return to training.

But the off-field woes have been eased a little with the Dragons landing Maroons back-rower Jaydn Su’A for the next three years while they close in on English forward George Burgess.

The Dragons are awaiting clearance from the NRL for their players to re-join the bubble with a decision unlikely before Friday.

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The Dragons appear to have secured Jaydn Su'A from the Rabbitohs, and are closing in on former bunny George Burgess. Picture: Getty Images.

The NRL’s integrity unit are continuing to investigate the now infamous Paul Vaughan barbecue which has led to a dozen players suspended for one game and Vaughan’s axing. The NRL need assurances that the players did not mix with people outside their bubble before allowing them to return to training.

St George Illawarra second-rower Tariq Sims said his teammates made “a gross mistake”. Sims said he wasn’t invited to Vaughan’s house.

“It’s disappointing and over the next couple of weeks we will be severely understaffed,” Sims told Channel 9. “As a senior player you need to be held to a higher standard. I’m wearing this just as much as the boys are involved.”

The club has also been in discussions with rivals about lending a helping hand during the next month when they are decimated.

Coach Anthony Griffin spent Wednesday planning how he will attack the next four weeks with a severely weakened side ahead of their clash against Manly next week.

The Dragons have to present a proposal to the NRL in the coming days with the governing body needing to sign off on how St George Illawarra intend to stagger their suspended players.

Representative players Josh McGuire, Jack Bird, Jack de Belin, Corey Norman, Gerard Beale plus Matt Dufty, Daniel Alvaro, Josh Kerr, Blake Lawrie, Kaide Ellis, Tyrell Fuimaono and Zac Lomax will be unavailable for one game. All the players have been interviewed by the NRL.

The Dragons must stagger the suspension between their next two to four games. They face Manly, Gold Coast, South Sydney and Canberra during that time.

Griffin drew up a plan with the rest of his coaching staff on Wednesday.

“We will spread it out evenly at this stage,” Griffin said. “We had a good look at it today. We’ve got four weeks. We will start with week one where we will have three to four blokes missing.

The Dragons are keen on the Warriors’ Jamayne Taunoa-Brown, but hopes of a short-term loan appear futile. Picture: AAP.

“We’ve sat and looked at combinations but we haven’t made a final decision yet. We’ve had a look at some different scenarios and line-ups.”

The Dragons will also sweat on Origin players Ben Hunt and Tariq Sims coming through Wednesday’s match unscathed. St George Illawarra play Manly 48 hours later.

“If they get through the game uninjured we will back them up,” Griffin said. “Then we have a long nine day turn around so we can give them a good five or six day rest after the game. That’s the plan at the moment.”

In some good news for the Dragons they have agreed to a three year deal with Su’A starting from next season. The 23-year-old played Origin I for Queensland but has been in and out of South Sydney’s top squad this year. Burgess is close to agreeing to a deal to join the Dragons for next season as he continues his recovery from a serious hip injury.

The Dragons are also closing in on George Burgess, returning from a stint in the UK Super League. Picture: Phil Hillyard.

More pressing for the Dragons though is trying to fill a side next week. They held discussions with the NRL in the hope of being able to source a loan deal to cover them while their players are missing.

The NRL scuttled any hope of a straight loan — after the system was used last season for the only time to help the Warriors — but the Dragons are still keen on pursuing a player on a short-term deal.

The club have had discussions with the Warriors about borrowing Jamayne Taunoa-Brown for just three games. The two clubs would need to have a handshake agreement for the deal to progress. The Warriors would technically release Taunoa-Brown from his contract before he joins the Dragons.