No Hunt, no Lomax, no worries: Dragons overhaul attack to find points with new-look spine
Ben Hunt and Zac Lomax were key to the Dragons’ attack last season. But coach Shane Flanagan says the credit belongs with the playing style which he predicts will fire with the new-look spine.
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If points were currency, Zac Lomax and Ben Hunt were St George Illawarra’s cash cows in 2024.
But if you ask coach Shane Flanagan, the credit belongs to the Dragons’ playing style, which will take on a new look with fresh combinations this season.
The untested halves duo of Kyle Flanagan and Lachlan Ilias will steer the ship in 2025, with newly minted co-captains Clint Gutherson and Damien Cook rounding out the spine.
In attack there’s big shoes to fill.
Halfback and skipper Hunt led the NRL with 35 try assists last year, while Lomax topped the club with 186 points in his best season to date. But Flanagan says any questions about where the points will come from this year are off the mark.
“I think it underestimates our style of footy and how we played last year,” he said on Monday.
“It wouldn’t matter who was out the back of some of the shape there, we created opportunities and we’ll still create opportunities this year, we’ve just got to ice them.
“Our systems, our structure and our coaching will do that, everyone has just got to do their job.
“We’ve got two backrowers of Origin standard in Luciano Leilua and Jaydn Su’A, and Ray Faitala Mariner who can play there and some good kids.”
Valentine Holmes topped the NRL for points with 266 last year with the Cowboys.
“Our centres, Val is completely different (to Lomax) but he’s classy and Moses Suli had his best season last year, and I think he’ll get better again this year,” Flanagan said.
“We’ve got enough points in us. We’ve just got to execute well and create as many chances as we can.”
The new era started on Monday as Ilias hit the paddock with the team for the first time after a long lay-off with a broken leg he suffered while playing for South Sydney’s reserve grade team.
Both he and Flanagan have been understudy to dominant halves but have been handed the reins for 2025.
“They’ve both very similar ages, 25, and this is their time to stand up and run a footy team,” Flanagan said.
“With Gutho and Cooky there, it will take a bit of ownership off them running the team, they’ll help in that area, but it’s definitely a challenge to get a combination going.”
Flanagan says fans can expect a different playing style, as Cook and improved hooker Jacob Liddle work in tandem around the ruck.
“Without a doubt. We’ll be a lot different, out of dummy half Damien likes to roll the ruck a little bit more and takes a little bit of control, comes out to the left and plays to the right and vice versa, testing the marker system. Where Jacob is more of a runner. We’ve got a good mix.
“The challenge for me is to get them out on the field at the same time, which we will do, but we’ll be different from a hooker perspective, getting Jacob out around tired forwards, and he did that really well for us last year.
“Gutho at the back, defensively his organisation skills are pretty special.”
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Originally published as No Hunt, no Lomax, no worries: Dragons overhaul attack to find points with new-look spine