The Dragons have added a “hungry” scrapper in halfback recruit Daniel Atkinson and the early signs are good in his hotly-scrutinised pairing with Kyle Flanagan, says new Saints assistant coach Michael Ennis – who has also likened the club’s young stars to a bumper Canterbury crop.
Although Atkinson largely rode the bench at Cronulla, Ennis is confident he could be the secret to pushing the Dragons to a new level.
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The Dragons will be under a lot of pressure next season, especially after parting ways with playmakers Jonah Glover and Lachlan Ilias in order to double down on Flanagan in a new pairing with Atkinson.
The clever playmaker recorded 16 games at Cronulla last year and Ennis is confident he could be the missing piece for the Dragons to make their first finals appearance since 2018.
“I love that he’s had to go the hard way around,” Ennis said on the Kayo Sports NRL podcast. “He’s had to sit there behind (Nicho) Hynes and (Braydon) Trindall.
“Just feeling his energy in the team has been infectious on a lot of guys. I like the bloke that has had to scrape for his spot because he’s hungry.”
In 2025, the Dragons relied on Flanagan and Lyhkan King-Togia for most of the season. Promising youngster King-Togia will now have to bide his time to get another crack as a starting half.
Ennis said that Atkinson would have the first opportunity at the No.7 jersey, alongside Kyle Flanagan in No.6.
“Kyle is training extremely well, him and Daniel Atkinson seem to have a really good chemistry together,” he said.
“I’m really hopeful we can activate (Damien) Cook more out of nine. The game is fast and we have got some good, young, athletic middle forwards, and I feel like we can compensate that with some speed around the ruck as well.”
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St George Illawarra halves recruit Daniel Atkinson, training alongside Clint Gutherson. Picture: InstagramSource: Supplied
Atkinson said last month that he was intent on asserting himself in the halfback role.
“I want to guide the team around the park,” Atkinson told Dragons Media. “I want the kicking duties, I want everything that comes with it.
“Yes, it comes with responsibility but as a kid you want to be in those moments, you want to be that guy that’s there at the last minute. You’re not going to get it right every time, that’s part of learning, but I can tell you I’ll put my hand up when those situations arise.”
Ennis is looking forward to seeing these young players continue to improve and become the future of the Dragons. He’s particularly keen to see the Couchman brothers (Ryan and Toby) back in action in the pack, as well as second-rower Dylan Egan and lock Hamish Stewart.
“I haven’t seen kids so invested, hardworking and love what you do … since we at the Bulldogs had Josh Jackson and Dale Finucane and David Klemmer and Josh Reynolds, and those type of kids come through,” he said, with a rave review for a young lock who played 19 NRL games this year.
“Hamish Stewart, he’s very good. Any young kid that has the attraction from Brisbane, Penrith and Cronulla, you know you got a pretty decent one on your hands.
“Just the way he has applied himself to his training and just watching his ability and how he unlocks certain parts of our attack through that middle part of the field. It’s very impressive.”
Hamish Stewart models the Dragons’ Las Vegas Round 1 jersey. Picture: InstagramSource: Instagram
An injury crisis last season forced coach Shane Flanagan to look to his youngsters, with local juniors showing a lot of promise. There is also a core of veterans who the Dragons will hope can find fresh legs next season.
“There’s some really good leaders there; (Clint) Gutherson, (Valentine) Holmes, Cook, these type of guys who have come back in motivated, good physical condition to attack the preseason and chase that improvement,” Ennis said.
Ennis said Flanagan and head of recruitment Daniel Anderson were working to fill out their roster with fresh talent before next season kicks off.
“There are still a few roster spots there,” he said. “They are working hard together to fill those spots.
“It’s important they get the right people. It’s not necessarily about what’s quick and flashy, it’s about long term, getting the right person there that’s going to make the team and the club better.”
A pair of Test props, South Sydney’s Keaon Koloamatangi and Penrith’s Lindsay Smith, have emerged as signing options for the Dragons in the hope of taking their pack to a fresh level.
Next season will be a defining year for the Dragons – and it will kick off in Las Vegas against the Bulldogs on March 1.