Dragons coach Shane Flanagan has earmarked his all-important halves pairing for the start of 2026, with a new recruit set to earn first crack in the No. 7 jersey.

Former Shark Daniel Atkinson has joined the Dragons on a three-year deal and according to Flanagan, the versatile playmaker will start 2026 at halfback.

While not totally surprising given the lack of depth the Dragons have in the halves, it will be new ground for Atkinson. He’s never started a game at halfback in the NRL before.

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Mostly used as a bench utility for the Sharks, Atkinson played in 35 games for Cronulla over the past two seasons.

Barring injury, Flanagan’s son Kyle will don the No. 6 for the Red V to start the 2026 season.

The Dragons coach is under no illusions though. His side’s attack needs to improve drastically and he says it starts with the halves.

In 2025, the Dragons were the fourth-worst attacking side in the comp.

“Atkinson will get the first crack at seven,” Flanagan told Code Sports.

“We will slot him in and see how the combination works with Kyle.

“Kyle has been good for the last two years and only missed a couple of games through suspension but he probably needs to evolve his attacking game, play with a bit more risk and chance his arm a little bit more.

“We need to get the ball to where our strike is – Val Holmes, Moses Suli, Clint Gutherson, our outside backs. We need to get the ball to players in space.

“Kyle and Daniel are both really consistent footballers with good kicking games but we need to get more out of them offensively.”

Former Shark Daniel Atkinson will slot straight into the No. 7 jersey at the Dragons.Source: Supplied

The Dragons lost a couple of key depth pieces in the off-season. Halves Jonah Glover and Lachlan Ilias led the reserve grade side to the NSW Cup grand final but both are at different clubs now (Rabbitohs and Titans respectively).

While Flanagan and Atkinson will likely be given a decent sized leash to start the year, the Dragons coach said there will be guys waiting in the wings applying pressure.

“We have a good kid called Kade Reed so there will be some competition. Lyhkan (King-Togia) had his first year in the NRL last season so he has to continue to improve,” Flanagan said.