Jersey Flegg: Why Dragons flyer Tyrell Sloan could be the latest young Saint to take flight

As if Junior Amone, Max and Mat Feagai and Jayden Sullivan weren’t enough, the Dragons have high hopes for Tyrell Sloan, who is set to take flight in Jersey Flegg this weekend.

SG Ball match at New Era Stadium in Cabramatta today with Parramatta and the Steelers ended in a draw 20-20. Pictured is Parramatta number Steelers, 19 Tyrell Sloan. Picture: David Swift.

It’s not quite a golden generation just yet, but the future at St George Illawarra looks brighter than it has in years as a host of young talent filters through the grades at the Dragons.

Junior Amone and Mat Feagai didn’t just share the honours of a try in their NRL debut last week against Canterbury, they’re also part of a wave of gifted juniors coming up at the Red V.

The duo were part of Illawarra’s premiership-winning SG Ball side in 2019 alongside Mat’s twin brother Max and Amone’s halves partner Jayden Sullivan, who have also gone on to play first grade.

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Tyrell Sloan has impressed in SG Ball this year for the Steelers.

Three more members of that side will line up for the Dragons in their Jersey Flegg clash against Parramatta this week with winger Tyrell Sloan to make his debut for the side alongside regulars Connor Muhleisen and Blake Dowel.

“Tyrell has been with the first grade set up so today was the first day he joined us,” said Dragons coach Willie Talau.

“He’s really exciting and he’s got all the attributes to be a top quality player. He has a really good attitude and I’m really looking forward to seeing him scorch the turf.

“He comes with plenty of wraps.”

Sloan was also part of the Illawarra side who lost this year’s SG Ball grand final to Canberra two weeks ago.

Muhleisen, a clever hooker, and Dowell, a tough forward who can play middle or edge, have been fixtures in the Jersey Flegg team all year, with both earning a call up to NSW Cup in recent weeks.

“Connor is someone I think the club has big plans for, he’s really committed,” Talau said.

“He’s really crafty around the ruck and which is good for us because we have such young halves. He’s doing really well.”

The production line doesn’t just come from the Steelers, with the Dragons contributing their fair share of talent as well.

“There’s an exciting young half Dantoray Lui, he’s forced his way into our starting side,” Talau said.

“He brings plenty of energy and I think he has a little bit of that X-factor.”

Dantoray Lui is making quite a name for himself.

The Dragons are putting together a solid Jersey Flegg campaign and are the only side to have lowered Penrith’s colours in any senior grade this year.

But Talau’s side are still working to find a complete, 70-minute performance week to week - in their last start they led Canterbury 28-0 at halftime but had to survive a furious fightback to escape with a 28-22 victory.

“We’re a hardworking team and when we had that big lead we took our foot off the pedal,” Talau said.

“We want to have a more complete performance and really enjoy the competition. Last week was a funny feel in the dressing room given we just held on.”

There’s just one other Jersey Flegg clash this weekend, a make up game between the Tigers and the Roosters on Friday night at Leichhardt.

The F45 instructor NRL stars must follow

Zach Dockar-Clay is used to leading the way in his regular job as a trainer at F45 Merrylands but directing a host of NRL stars around the park promises to be another matter entirely.

The high-flying Magpies will boast plenty of NRL experience for their top four battle with the Bears in the NSW Cup, including new club cult hero Zac Cini, promising hooker Jake Simpkin, five-eighth Billy Walters and props Zane Musgrove and Stefano Utoikamanu.

But Jock Madden, arguably Wests best player this year, was named to make his NRL debut and Dockar-Clay will step in at halfback to call the shots.

That’s not to say Dockar-Clay will be overawed by the situation - the 26-year old has been a mainstay in the lower grades for years, playing 59 reserve grade matches since 2015 during stints with Wentworthville, Penrith and Blacktown.

Throw in a season with Townsville in the Queensland Cup and a year in Super League with Hull KR and Dockar-Clay definitely has the experience to marshall the troops for coach Ben Gardiner.

Zack Dockar-Clay will call the shots for a strong Magpies side.

“The experience I’ve had and being around this grade for a while, if I’m playing half it means I’m going to be able to lead the boys around,” Docker-Clay said.

“It’s going to be a little bit easier with a few of the first graders helping out and I’ll definitely back myself to have the experience to lead the boys around, to lead them on the field.”

Capable of playing in the halves or at hooker, Dockar-Clay has already proven his worth for the Magpies this season with his versatility proving a major asset as various Wests alumni are called into the top grade.

In contrast to the NRL side, Western Suburbs are flying high - they’re currently on a six-match winning streak and sit second on the ladder, behind just undefeated Penrith.

A win over the Bears on Thursday at North Sydney could have them four wins clear of third spot.

“We started the season pretty poorly, we lost our first two - but we haven’t lost since,” Docker-Clay said.

“The boys are firing at the moment and I think you can tell when it comes to games or when we’re at training that the boys are rapt to be there.

The last few weeks have been a rollercoaster ride for Zac Cini.

“I don’t know who’s going to stop us at the moment but we can’t afford to be slacking off, we’re just taking each match as it comes.”

It’s an abbreviated round of NSW Cup action this weekend, with two other make-up games being played in addition to the Bears-Magpies clash.

Parramatta will take on the Raiders in another top four battle but both sides will be missing their chief playmakers after the Eels’ Jakob Arthur and Canberra’s Sam Williams were both named in for the club’s NRL sides.

The COVID protocols have wreaked havoc with the line-ups for the other match of the round, a clash between Newtown and Newcastle in Cessnock.

Jets centre Nene Macdonald will be the only player on the field with first-grade experience.

Originally published as Jersey Flegg: Why Dragons flyer Tyrell Sloan could be the latest young Saint to take flight