By Christian Nicolussi
St George Illawarra will turn their attention to finding a halfback after securing the signature of former Eels captain Clint Gutherson – and Lachie Ilias is at the top of their hit list.
The three-year deal for Gutherson, who becomes the proud owner of Dragons’ No.1 jersey, frees the club to ramp up its pursuit of a chief playmaker.
The Dragons need a halfback following the departure of Ben Hunt, and have identified South Sydney’s Ilias as a target.
Fellow new recruit Damien Cook has already advised coach Shane Flanagan that his former South Sydney teammate would be a perfect fit at the Red V.
As it stands, Souths intend to play Englishman Lewis Dodd at halfback, with Ilias reportedly competing for the role of back-up dummy-half behind Peter Mamouzelos. But Cook insists 24-year-old Ilias, who is currently recovering from a broken leg, is wasted as a No.9.
“Lachie is a halfback, not a hooker,” Cook said. “Souths weren’t travelling that well last season, and Lachie copped a lot of that criticism, which was unfair.
Clint Gutherson signs with St George Illawarra Dragons.Credit: St George Illawarra
“I think Lachie is a great halfback. He’s a great defender, he’s still got plenty to learn, and he hasn’t had the chance to show what he’s capable of.
“He’s looked after his [leg] injury, and when I’ve spoken to him, he tells me he’s progressing really well. I’d love to see him at the Dragons. I’ve been in his ear, too.
“I know he loves Souths, but I’ll be letting him know what I think. He’s a halfback, not a dummy-half. Later on in his career, he might end up at lock because he is that bigger body, and he’s a good ball player.
“I understand Souths might be thinking about what they’re doing. He will be a part of their best 17, but they’ve also got other halves ahead of him. I know Lachie would love it at the Dragons.”
Flanagan was delighted to have signed Gutherson, and confirmed his interest in Ilias.
“I love Gutho’s leadership, how competitive he is, and all the cultural stuff; basically what he will do for all our young kids and players coming through – we’ve seen what he does on the field, but he will be so important to us off the field as well,” Flanagan said.
“We did our homework on him. He played the last month of footy with a quad strain and rib cartilage damage. There were no issues with his knees. I’m really confident in my staff, who I had at the Sharks, and who looked after Paul Gallen and Luke Lewis, that we’ll give Gutho that longevity.
“We wanted to get Gutho sorted first, and now he’s done, we’ll jump on to finding a halfback next week. Lachie is one we will discuss and meet with.”
Meanwhile, Cook will oversee his first League Nines Youth Series in Wollongong on Saturday, which will feature 20 clubs from as far north as Coffs Harbour, and Milton-Ulladulla to the south, along with clubs from the South Sydney, St George and Canterbury districts. The NSWRL-sanctioned tournament will feature players in the under-13, under-14 and under-15 age groups, and a small purse to the winner.
“We had a lot of washouts this year, so this is a great chance to play some footy, and even sign up a few extra players for the next season,” said Cook, whose tournament will kick-off at Sid Parrish Park in Figtree.
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