‘Really unfortunate injury’: Scans confirm Ryan Couchman will miss rest of season

The Dragons will up the ante in their pursuit of David Klemmer after scans confirmed a rising talent will miss the rest of the season due to injury.

St George Illawarra’s middle forward stocks have taken a hit with scans confirming Ryan Couchman will miss the rest of the season after he suffered a torn ACL during Saturday’s loss to the Bulldogs.

The local junior had only been on the field for a few minutes when he went down with a right knee injury, with scans on Sunday confirming the worst possible news.

Couchman will now undergo surgery and begin the gruelling rehab process as he looks to return in 2026.

Scans have unfortunately revealed an ACL tear for Ryan Couchman. We're all behind you Ryan! https://t.co/LVmz0hwA4j

— St George Illawarra Dragons (@NRL_Dragons) March 10, 2025

“This is a really unfortunate injury for Ryan coming just a few minutes into his 2025 season,” Dragons coach Shane Flanagan said.

“Ryan had a great pre-season and we were looking forward to a big season from him.

“I’ve got no doubt he will throw himself into his rehab with the same level of professionalism he approaches his training and we look forward to seeing him hit the ground running in 2026.”

With Francis Molo agitating for a release, the Dragons are expected to ramp up their bid for Wests Tigers veteran David Klemmer, who is on the outer and didn’t play reserve grade on the weekend.