Boom NRL star officially drops bomb on Dragons with leave request

Dragons talent Jayden Sullivan has formally written to club officials with some more bad news for the struggling NRL club.

NSW Cup players., Jayden Sullivan

Jayden Sullivan has formally requested to be released from his contract with the Dragons.

For the second time this month, Sullivan’s management have written to senior figures at St George Illawarra pleading for the club to release the 21-year-old from his long-term contract, The Daily Telegraph reports.

The situation has exploded this month after star playmaker Ben Hunt signed an extension through to the end of the 2025 season.

Sullivan is reportedly lined up to move to the Bulldogs should the release be granted. The Dragons have refused to let him leave, having recently signed him to a long-term deal.

The club has been hit with claims of player unrest with young gun Tyrell Sloan also reportedly asking to be released from his contract to join the Dolphins

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The Daily Telegraph report details Sullivan’s management wrote to the Dragons on Friday and have now pleaded for a release on compassionate grounds while he faces an uncertain future at the club.

NSW Cup players., Jayden Sullivan

Sullivan is reported to be chasing a position as the starting playmaker, but has been stuck behind Hunt, who was one of the top finishers in the Dally M player of the year voting.

St George Illawarra boss Ryan Webb this week confirmed in a message to members that Sullivan and Sloan want out.

“It is unfortunate that we have had formal release requests from two of our young players in Tyrell Sloan and Jayden Sullivan,” Webb wrote.

“From a club perspective, we do not want to release either of these young men as the club has put years of resources towards the development of them both and see them as playing large roles in our future.

“At the crux of this they are both seeking more consistent first grade exposure while, as a football club, we must balance player development with the need to win and these two aims don’t always perfectly align.”