Dragons coach ‘won’t be rushed’ as Gutho dilemma laid bare
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Dragons coach Dean Young says he won’t be rushed into a decision on the club’s next captain, while also revealing his plans for Clint Gutherson.
Young was appointed as St George Illawarra’s permanent head coach last month, signing a two-year deal with the club he played his entire career for.
Dean Young. Getty
Since taking over from Shane Flanagan in an interim capacity, Young has ushered in a new era for the Red V, despite the side still sitting bottom of the ladder.
The club legend and 2010 premiership winner has built around the highly-touted young forward pack, with the likes of Loko Pasifiki Tonga and Hamish Stewart growing in leaps and bounds at the Dragons under the coach’s guidance.
Young has also been heavily involved in the Dragons’ incredible recruitment drive for 2027, playing a key role in landing the crucial signatures of Scott Drinkwater, Luke Metcalf and Kodi Nikorima for next season and beyond.
Those three players will form part of a new-look spine for the Dragons, while star forward Keaon Koloamatangi will complement the young engine room that is headlined by Pasifiki Tonga, Stewart, the Couchman twins and Dylan Egan.
But one of the big question marks Young is yet to answer is who will captain the joint venture, with Damien Cook off to the Super League and his co-captain in Gutherson not assured a starting role with the arrival of Drinkwater.
Egan, who is still in the infancy of his NRL career, led the side in their round 24 win over the Wests Tigers and will do so again when they face Canterbury, but is not locked in to become the long-term skipper for the Dragons.
Speaking on SEN’s Front Office With Vossy this week, Young revealed he wants to see how the recruits fit into the club and mesh with the existing players before making a call on who the Dragons’ next on-field leader should be.
“I made Dylan Egan vice-captain the other day and he will lead the team out on the weekend, because Cookie has gone back to the bench for us and I really value what Dyl brings to the team,” Young, a former State of Origin player, explained.
“But with all of the recruits coming, I really wanna watch everybody train and behave and I won’t be rushed into that decision.
“At this stage, I’ll probably make the call at the end of January next year.”
The odd-man out at the club appears to be Gutherson, who will be entering the final season of a three-year contract and is adamant he will play on despite being hampered by a knee injury for much of 2026.
The 31-year-old has spent most of his career as a fullback and while Young was crystal clear that Gutherson won’t be filling that spot next year, said he would give the veteran an opportunity to find a new position at the Dragons.
“It’s a good question,” Young said.
“I’ve had this conversation with Clint too - it’s not gonna be fullback if Drinky is fit and playing well. I’ll give him an opportunity in the pre-season to train in the centres, on the wing and even coming off the bench as a ball-playing 13.
Clint Gutherson is facing an uncertain future. Getty Images
“He’s just a footy player Clint, he’s a competitor as you have all seen and his energy is infectious for the group. He will be in the team somewhere.”
Gutherson is on a deal worth an estimated $800,000 for next year.
Potential Dragons team for 2027
1. Scott Drinkwater 2. Phillip Sami 3. Valentine Holmes 4. Moses Suli 5. Setu Tu 6. Kodi Nikorima 7. Luke Metcalf 8. Keaon Koloamatangi 9. Jacob Liddle 10. Loko Pasifiki Tonga 11. Dylan Egan 12. Hamish Stewart 13. Ryan Couchman 14. Connor Watson 15. Toby Couchman 16. Jacob Halangahu 17. Clint Gutherson 18. Josh Kerr 19. Daniel Atkinson
