St George Illawarra’s slow start to 2026 could worsen this week as the side awaits scans to both of its playmakers, following separate injuries in the Dragons’ 46-20 loss to Melbourne.
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Newly appointed halfback Daniel Atkinson and five-eighth Kyle Flanagan each sustained ankle injuries in the Dragons’ at-times promising performance in Wollongong.
Dragons coach Shane Flanagan revealed the pair were both heavily strapped at half time in a bid to complete the game. With the Dragons now staring down the barrel of three consecutive losses to the 2026, the side will await scans on both players this week.
“Both have got bad ankles. They will probably both have to have scans. I watched both tackles, they weren’t hip drops but weight landed on the lower legs and they got swung around,” Flanagan said. “It’s a bit of a concern”.
“Both of them got treatment at halftime and had to have their ankles strapped. They’re two tough young men and they know how important it is that we don’t lose a half. So they just got on with it.”
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The Dragons’ pre-season has been rife with uncertainty over their long-term halves, with Kyle Flanagan in particular under scrutiny to keep his position at five-eighth.
Atkinson had some noteworthy touches in the Melbourne match with two try assists, two linebreak assists and 443 kick metres, while Flanagan was occasionally exposed in defence.
The potential injury crisis could mean St George Illawarra will need to call upon promising junior Kade Reed to occupy one of those playmaking roles. Lyhkan King-Toia is another promising half who has been patiently waiting for his opportunity to step into the first grade side.
The injury scare comes after St George Illawarra squandered a 20-18 lead in the 62nd minute to give away five unanswered tries to the fast-finishing Storm.
Boom fullback Sua Fa’alogo individually tore the Dragons defence to shreds with fast feet and unwavering support play from the back, crossing three times to become provisional leading try-scorer for the 2026 season (five tries combined).
The Storm were far from perfect in the performance, with some uncharacteristic handling errors and misjudged kicks in attack.
The Dragons failed to capitalise with 44 missed tackles, four penalties and 12 errors of their own.
Flanagan was left ruing what might have been.
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“Too many errors, we killed ourselves,” he said of the performance.
“Yardage errors, kicking out on the full. We put ourselves under too much pressure.
“We didn’t deserve to win the last 20 minutes. The amount of ball we turned over in the first half and the second half just put us under too much pressure.
“In the 62 minute mark we’re leading and we had that score. We are our own worst enemy.”
Flanagan was reticent to heap praise on any of his spine players, instead reaffirming his focus on the Dragons’ sloppy defence.
“Offence isn’t our problem, or scoring tries. It’s the other end, it’s holding the ball and defending. It’s what we did to ourselves,” he said.
Dragons captain Damien Cook said the side would need to return to the drawing board defensively ahead of their round three match against the Parramatta Eels at CommBank Stadium.
“It was disappointing how many points we leaked at the end of the game,” Cook said. “We’ve got to be better between the ears, we’ve got to be disciplined.”
The Eels, meanwhile, are riding something of a wave following their highlight-filled 40-32 win over the Brisbane Broncos on Friday night, with the spine of Isaiah Iongi, Johah Pezet, Mitchell Moses and Ryley Smith spurring a surprise upset at Suncorp Stadium.
It sets up a fascinating match between the two sides on Sunday afternoon.