The under-fire Dragons have been dealt another blow with talented young gun Loko Pasifiki Tonga requesting to negotiate with rival clubs while still under contract.

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Pasifiki Tonga played in ten NRL games last season but has failed to crack first grade this year for the winless Dragons, leading to angst and agitation from the player and his camp.

Former NRL star Mat Rogers owns the sports management company Pasifiki Tonga is a client of, although the rising star is not a direct client of Rogers.

However, the dual international felt aggrieved enough with the situation to defend the young forward on his SEN radio show and explain why the 20-year-old had made the decision.

“He’s a tremendous young man,” Rogers said on SEN.

“They’ve obviously got an opinion of him that, he’s not up to scratch. He doesn’t feel like he’s being developed and I guess we agree.”

Pasifiki Tonga suffered a neck injury last month but has played three NSW Cup games since returning, scoring two tries.

In his most recent performance, he scored once and ran for over 250 metres.

Despite the Dragons’ poor form this year, the player still wasn’t named by under-fire coach Shane Flanagan in the club’s extended squad this weekend for the clash with Souths.

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“He doesn’t know what to do. That’s the problem,” Rogers said.

“Whether or not they will (let him go), they might dig their heels in, they’ve got some more pressing issues in relation to winning games of football.

“There’s a very frustrated young man there who’s busting his butt and he’s playing the house down and scored two tries in the three matches he’s played in reserve grade.

“He thinks he deserves an opportunity, and now it’s not sour grapes, he just feels like he’s not being told what to do.”

Loko Pasifiki Tonga in action for the Dragons last season.Source: News Corp Australia

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If Pasifiki Tonga ends up leaving the club early, The Daily Telegraph’s Dave Riccio says it’ll be another player added to the long list of recruitment faux pas from the Dragons.

Riccio says the club have struggled to retain some excellent juniors in the past decade.

“It’s not a good look at all,” Riccio said.

“This situation of him asking for permission to negotiate with rival clubs illustrates almost a decade worth of similar situations where they are losing way too many of their own talent.

“I’m talking about Tryan Wishart, Reuben Garrick, Reece Robson, Cam McInnes. Here is another example of something that shouldn’t be happening at the Dragons.

“This is a problem for the entire club. You can’t have a kid like that asking to leave.”