NRL Trial Dragons v Sharks: Jayden Sullivan wins approval, Cronulla win match

Footy is back, and on a horror day which saw Cam Mcinnes rubbed out for the season, a young playmaker stepped up against the Sharks.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – SEPTEMBER 27: Jayden Sullivan of the Dragons passes the ball during the round 20 NRL match between the St George Illawarra Dragons and the Melbourne Storm at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium on September 27, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

The Dragons might have opened the Anthony Griffin era with a 36-28 loss to the Sharks in the opening NRL trial of 2021 but the performance of halfback Jayden Sullivan will surely give the new coach food for thought for Round 1.

The 19-year old Sullivan was in terrific touch during his 60 minute stint, setting up a try and scoring one of his own.

Griffin is not short of options in the halves with Ben Hunt, Corey Norman and Adam Clune all in contention, but after indicating there were spots up for grabs for the season opener Sullivan made a strong case for inclusion as did rookie five-eighth Junior Amone.

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Jayden Sullivan, pictured playing in round 20 last year, shone for the Dragons in the trial against Cronulla. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

“I’ve been really impressed with the training and it was good to get out there and watch them for the first time,” Griffin said.

“They’ve really put themselves in the picture now.

“They just had some classy touches and physically they handled themselves really well, I thought it was really good.”

With only a handful of NRL stars scattered across the two sides, Cronulla did well to overturn an early 16-4 deficit after the Dragons lost the ascendancy once their first graders left the field.

A second half rally, lead by halfback Braydon Trindall, got the Sharks home but the performance of Sullivan in the opening stanza are what will set tongues wagging for the Red V.

Junior Amone of the Dragons set up a try for young prop Josh Coric. Picture: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images

THE FUTURE

Sullivan’s attacking instincts were on show early when he delivered a sharp inside ball for fullback Tyrell Sloan in the opening stages, and Sloan showed fine pace to find the corner from 30 metres out.

Mere minutes later Sullivan was at it again, backing up a 50-metre bust from hooker Tyran Wishart to score under the posts.

At just north of 80kg, Sullivan is one of the NRL’s lightest players but he more than held his own in defense pressure from the Sharks and led the chase on his own clearing kicks more than once, which would have impressed Griffin just as much as the attacking highlights.

Sullivan’s slick performance was watched by regular starting halves Ben Hunt (L) and Corey Norman (R). Picture: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images

Griffin was also full of praise for rookie five-eighth Junior Amone, who set up a try for prop Josh Coric with a well-weighted grubber.

“I thought our halves were really good in the first half,” Griffin said.

“The way they managed that first 25-30 minutes - the pass inside for the first try and Amone’s kick was really classy.”

Franklin Pele of the Sharks was a handful. Pictuure: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images

BABY SHARKS

Where St George Illawarra played several incumbent first graders, including former Origin forward Tariq Sims who played the opening quarter, Cronulla coach John Morris opted to keep his powder dry.

But of the youngsters and fringe top graders there were still some standouts, namely fullback Luke Metcalf and halfback Braydon Trindall.

The duo combined for five try assists between them with Trindall also scoring a try and kicking four goals in the second-half fightback.

Teig Wilton makes a run for the Sharks. Picture: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images

BRIGHT SPARK

Cam McInnes’ season-ending knee injury means trial form takes on even greater importance as Griffin looks for a replacement for the Cronulla bound hooker/lock.

New recruit Daniel Alvaro and lock Kaide Ellis both had a chance to push their claims, but they were somewhat outshone by young prop Coric, who got mixed up in plenty of the tough stuff and managed to cross the line after he won the race to a Amone kick from close range.

Gerringong junior Jackson Ford, who has spent time at prop and second row in first grade, started on the right edge in a sign he may be in the lead to replace the departed Tyson Frizell.

Dragons players look on after conceding a try during the NRL Trial Match between the Cronulla Sharks and the St George Illawarra Dragons at PointsBet Stadium. Picture: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images

Griffin indicated next week’s trial against Parramatta will be more of a genuine selection trial.

“We only played Sims and Ellis and those guys for 20 minutes just to give them a bit of a run,” Griffin said.

“They’ll get a better chance to push for a spot next week at Parramatta, we’ll stretch their minutes out. It’s disappointing for Cam and the club, but there’s a spot now they can zero in on.

“We have a few there that can fill that role, we’ll have a look and see what fits us.”

Originally published as NRL Trial Dragons v Sharks: Jayden Sullivan wins approval, Cronulla win match