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April 25, 2026 \u2014 5:00am<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n Save this article for later<\/p>\n Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.<\/p>\n Got it<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n The Dragons, once a team so dominant that they won 11 premierships in a row, are now going into the biggest game of the year on an 11-game losing streak stretching back to last season.<\/p>\n It isn\u2019t a great sign ahead of their traditional Anzac Day clash against the Roosters, but there have been several circuit-breakers that could spark a turnaround. None is more significant is the appointment of interim coach Dean Young<\/a> as Shane Flanagan\u2019s replacement.<\/p>\n Young has wasted no time putting his stamp on St George Illawarra, sacking assistant Michael Ennis and handing young halfback Kade Reed his NRL debut<\/a>. They are bold moves from a coach not guaranteed his position beyond this year and a clear sign that, while he\u2019s in the job, he\u2019s doing it his way.<\/p>\n When I asked Young during the week if he wanted to convey anything to long-suffering Dragons supporters, he simply said: \u201cI don\u2019t have any message to the fans. I just hope we can put in a performance that they can be proud of, that\u2019s all I care about.\u201d<\/p>\n To that end, here are the key areas the Dragons need to get right if they are to upset the Roosters at Allianz Stadium.<\/p>\n Kade Reed\u2019s debut What an incredible stage to make your first-grade debut on. If Kade Reed is nervous about running out in front of a packed crowd on Anzac Day, he isn\u2019t showing it. The 20-year-old handled his first media conference with aplomb, showing an unflappable nature that will stand him in good stead in the NRL.<\/p>\n His first test will come in defence on the Dragons\u2019 left edge, where the Roosters\u2019 107kg back-rower Siua Wong will target the 73kg playmaker. Normally, Reed would have Jaydn Su\u2019A as his defensive \u201cbodyguard\u201d, but the suspension of the Parramatta-bound forward means the role will go to Luciano Leilua.<\/p>\n Regardless, Reed will need to put his slight body on the line when he is targeted without the football.<\/p>\n With the football, Reed doesn\u2019t need to overplay his hand. The rookie halfback has a clever short kicking game \u2013 his signature play is the grubber for himself \u2013 but can leave most of the longer kicks to five-eighth Daniel Atkinson. According to Champion Data, the Dragons are ranked third for kick metres (741 a game), so that\u2019s not a concern.<\/p>\n One area where Reed can help his team is straightening up the attack. The Dragons play too laterally, particularly when they are in \u201cgood ball\u201d areas. Reed needs to take the ball to the line, and also push up in support when his forwards are on the front foot and looking to offload.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously it\u2019s not the way we wanted to start it, but we\u2019re looking forward to turning that around and hopefully I can be a part of that,\u201d Reed said during the week.<\/p>\n Valentine\u2019s day Young would be forgiven for dropping Valentine Holmes after his shocker against South Sydney last weekend. Holmes missed 10 tackles, made two handling errors and was chiefly responsible for allowing opposing centre Latrell Mitchell to score four tries. It\u2019s simply not good enough from the Dragons\u2019 highest-paid player.<\/p>\n However, the Queensland and Australia representative has been given a chance to atone and must do that against the Roosters.<\/p>\n \u201cVal\u2019s the ultimate pro, he\u2019s played rep football and everyone has bad games,\u201d teammate Ryan Couchman said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure Val will admit it wasn\u2019t his best game on the weekend, but he\u2019s one of our best players. I think he will bounce back and we need him to.\u201d<\/p>\n Dragons need more from their back three<\/p>\n With fullback Clint Gutherson still on the sidelines, it\u2019s another opportunity for Tyrell Sloan in the No.1 jersey. One of the knocks on Sloan, as well as wingers Setu Tu and Mathew Feagai, is that they get dominated when bringing the ball off their line. The Dragons are ranked 11th for kick-return metres (average of 152 a game) and that gets their sets off to a poor start.<\/p>\n If they don\u2019t win the opening collision and get a quick play-the-ball, it puts a lot of pressure on their forwards.<\/p>\n Forward momentum<\/p>\n It\u2019s not all bad news for the Dragons. Fox Sports Lab revealed their starting pack makes more metres (3880) than any other team, ahead of the Warriors (3715) and Rabbitohs (3488). The suspension of Su\u2019A is a blow, but his absence allows Ryan Couchman to start alongside twin brother Toby for the first time after returning from his own suspension.<\/p>\n A forward rotation that includes Hamish Stewart, Leilua, Jacob Halangahu and Loko Jnr Pasifiki Tonga should hold their own against most teams.<\/p>\n Two focus areas for the side are the amount of tackle breaks the opposition makes (average 22.1 a game, ranked worst in the NRL) and ineffective tackles (16.4 a game, ranked 12th in the NRL).<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone at the club knows we\u2019re not living up to expectations, we are not where we want to be,\u201d Toby Couchman said.<\/p>\n \u201cDeano knows that and most importantly the players know that. We need to be better, we need to play for 80 minutes and hopefully we can do that this weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n Dead-Dragon bounce Manly\u2019s fortunes turned around after the appointment of Kieran Foran<\/a> and the Dragons will be hoping for a response after their own coaching change. I headed to the club\u2019s new centre of excellence on Wednesday to watch the entirety of Young\u2019s first training session in charge. It was sharp, Young\u2019s messaging was on point and the players were in good spirits (although it should be noted it was the first Dragons session I\u2019ve attended this year, so I\u2019ve nothing to compare it to).<\/p>\n \u201cWe trained really well and we\u2019re making sure we\u2019re ready for Saturday, because that\u2019s what important \u2013 making sure we can turn this around,\u201d Gutherson said after the session.<\/p>\n \u201cYoung\u2019s in charge and we have to do what he says.\u201d<\/p>\n Sports news, results and expert commentary. Sign up for our Sport newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Dragons](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1777069578_812_47417fb46dd26519e00068b8f48d133c3d683d0c.jpeg\")
Dragons halfback Kade Reed will make his NRL debut on Saturday against the Roosters.AAP<\/p>\n![\"Valentine](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1777069579_568_419942ac2a564a5b4fdd7d192beafd84c4c958ee.jpeg\")
Valentine Holmes.Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Tyrell](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/4e080572c332db3ef666080bf01fae6179420f07.jpeg\")
Tyrell Sloan needs a big game.Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Young](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1777069580_165_9f73ce6e267a3e3aba2a813ff44c41a29df9b120.jpeg\")
Young Dragons prop Loko Jnr Pasifiki Tonga.Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/db7028ddc980721f8f148b21065593dd0822cbdf.jpeg\")
The Dragons are gunning for their first win of the year.AAP<\/p>\n