The Mole: 'Radical' changes loom for Dragons as struggling club closes in on two big targets

The struggling Dragons are set to perform radical surgery on their spine for 2027 with three high-priced newcomers poised to take over the running of the team.

Warriors halfback Luke Metcalf and Roosters and NSW Origin utility Connor Watson are their chief targets and the Dragons are prepared to pay overs to get their signatures.

Both are under contract for 2027 but have been given permission to talk to rivals and are close to coming to terms with the Dragons, having held talks in the last 48 hours.

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Throw in match-winning Cowboys fullback Scott Drinkwater - who has already signed on for next season - and you have a spine actually capable of winning the Dragons some games next season after their disastrous 2026 campaign.

Watson's stay at the club is likely to be brief, he is set to do a Jonah Pezet and play with three different clubs in three years.

The PNG Chiefs are close to signing Watson as their third player and are prepared to throw him a long-term deal on tax-free dollars from 2028.

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Metcalf looked to be a marquee player at the Warriors this time last year before being laid low by an ACL tear.

In his absence, Tanah Boyd has grabbed the halfback spot and is playing great football alongside Chanel Harris-Tavita in the halves, leaving Metcalf the odd man out.

SECOND-GEN GIBBS STARS IN RIVAL CODE

The son of former Wests Tigers grand final hero Bryce Gibbs is making a name for himself in football, but in a different code.

Khy Gibbs is a talented Australian rules footballer making big strides for the Sydney Swans reserves team in the VFL.

Taller and faster than his old man, Khy is a promising defender who is hoping to land a contract in the AFL.

Football well and truly runs in the 20-year-old's veins - he was born just days before his dad scored the Tigers' first try in their sole grand final win in 2005.

"I'm delighted that he is making his own way in sport and hopefully he can win himself a start in the AFL - that would really be something," Gibbs senior told Wide World Of Sports.

FATE BEHIND LUAI MOVE?

The incoming PNG Chiefs scored the coup of the year in signing Jarome Luai and many in the rugby league-mad country believe his arrival will be fate.

That's because the star playmaker's name is eerily similar to the local word "luluai" - which translates to chief - the leader of a village or tribe.

The term comes from way back in the colonial era, during the German and later Australian administration, where luluais were appointed to be responsible for maintaining order, settling local disputes and representing their communities.

Luai will be the Chief's chief in the true sense of the word - the club's first signing, first captain and role model for generations to come.

EELS VETERAN'S FUTURE STILL CLOUDED

You've got to feel for veteran Eels forward Ryan Matterson, who is still sidelined due to concussion issues and has yet to play a game this season.

The former NSW State of Origin forward continues to suffer from headaches and blurred vision and has poured out his heart on social media.

"I want to feel like me again," a distressed Matterson posted.

"How do you stay 'you' when everything that makes you 'you' is on pause?".

Sadly, given the lengthy problems he has been suffering, there is a real chance that Matterson may have to look at medical retirement in coming months.