{"id":380699,"date":"2026-04-15T13:10:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T13:10:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/380699\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T13:10:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T13:10:10","slug":"dragons-reject-loko-pasifiki-tonga-release-request-as-frustration-boils-over","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/380699\/","title":{"rendered":"Dragons reject Loko Pasifiki Tonga release request as frustration boils over"},"content":{"rendered":"

The St George Illawarra Dragons<\/a> have denied rising star Loko Pasifiki Tonga<\/a> the chance to negotiate with rival NRL<\/a> clubs for an early release from his contract amid claims his path to the NRL<\/a> has been blocked.<\/p>\n

The rising forward’s limited time in the NRL<\/a> has prompted his manager, Craig Clifton, to make an enquiry to the club about seeking permission to look at other options in fear Pasifiki Tonga’s development is being halted after no progression into the top grade despite ten appearances last year.<\/p>\n

The situation has escalated following a report in the Sydney Morning Herald stating that they received a provided copy of a requested release letter from Clifton addressed to the Red V.<\/p>\n

The letter was directed to Chief Operating Officer Ben Creagh<\/a> and Football Manager Ben Haran on Tuesday to discuss the constant overlooking of the talented youngster.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis request is not made lightly,\u201d the letter provided to the SMH wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, following extensive discussions with Loko regarding his current standing within the club and his future career trajectory, it has become evident that his continued tenure at the Dragons is no longer tenable or beneficial for either party.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cLoko has expressed deep and growing frustration regarding his lack of selection in first grade this season. Despite his undeniable potential and proven capabilities, he has not been afforded a genuine opportunity to build upon the 10 NRL<\/a> appearances he made in 2025.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a 20-year-old prop forward who has already represented the Australian Schoolboys and the NSW under-19s State of Origin<\/a> team, consistent first-grade football is critical for his development.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHis dominance was most recently highlighted in round 6 against the Sea Eagles, where he scored a try and amassed a staggering game-high 252 run metres\u2014 \u2013 nearly 100 metres more than any other player on the field. Despite these commanding performances and his near 98 per cent tackle efficiency in the NRL<\/a> last year, he remains overlooked for first-grade selection.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis becomes confusing and somewhat demoralising and it appears to some he does not feature in the club’s long-term strategic plans for first grade. While we appreciate the candour, it reinforces our position that Loko is currently in an environment where he is neither valued nor viewed as a genuine first-grade prospect.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cStaying at a club where his pathway is blocked and his contributions are undervalued is detrimental to Loko’s development and mental wellbeing. He requires an environment that believes in his ability and is willing to invest in his growth by providing consistent NRL<\/a> opportunities.”<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The powerful message was heightened with coach Shane Flanagan’s comments after their loss to Manly, where he said, “If I had someone that was better out of the side, I would put them in, trust me.”<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The letter later cited these comments from Flanagan, with Ben Creagh<\/a> responding, understood to be saying that Loko is part of the club’s future plans and is an appreciated member of their squad, denying the request made by Clifton.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYou cannot tell us privately that he is a valued part of your future while the head coach states publicly that he has no better options to call upon. The contradiction is glaring, and it is entirely unfair to expect a 20-year-old player of Loko’s calibre to languish in an environment where his pathway is so clearly blocked.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOur position has not changed. The current situation is untenable and detrimental to Loko’s career. We are formally reiterating our demand for immediate permission for Loko to speak and negotiate with other NRL<\/a> clubs.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe expect a prompt and realistic resolution to this matter.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Whether we will see a change to the 19-man NRL<\/a> side week-by-week is unknown.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

It adds another turbulent chapter to the Dragons’ year, who are looking to ease some of the pressure by recording their first win of the season against the South Sydney Rabbitohs<\/a> this Saturday.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The St George Illawarra Dragons have denied rising star Loko Pasifiki Tonga the chance to negotiate with rival…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":380700,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[111,139,69,213],"class_list":["post-380699","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/380699","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=380699"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/380699\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/380700"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=380699"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=380699"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=380699"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}