The St George Illawarra Dragons are now expected to announce the signing of Reagan Campbell-Gillard any day now, with Shane Flanagan’s long-publicised quest for a big body in the middle seemingly at an end.
Flanagan has been very vocal about the Dragons’ need for a middle forward to strengthen the club’s rebuilding pack for some time now, and Campbell-Gillard seems to be his man.
Campbell-Gillard, 31, has been looking for a new club after the Parramatta Eels told him he could leave early if he found a contract with another NRL club. The Cowboys were interested, but dropped out over RCG’s demands over years. The Dragons also balked at Campbell-Gillard’s demands—he wanted three years at least, The Sporting Base understands—but talks over the last week or so have brought things in line; St George seems to have convinced him to sign for two.
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He will now join a forward pack built around Hame Sele, Jack de Belin, and brother acts Toby and Ryan Couchman and Francis and Michael Molo. Damien Cook and Jacob Liddle will share time at hooker.
Nothing has been confirmed publicly yet, of course, and things still need to be ticked off behind the scenes.
“We’ve got one spot [in the front-row cap space] available, so we’ll look at it,” Flanagan said earlier this week, staying vague on the negotiations. “But once again, you can probably see from our last two previous signings that we need to make sure that we get them right. I’d like to think we have and we’ll continue to do so.”
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The move will see the Eels pay some of RCG’s hefty $750,000-a-season pay deal through to the end of the 2025 NRL season. The Dragons will then pay the forward’s full freight in 2026 as the towering prop plays for an extension.
Flanagan’s bid to strengthen the Dragons pack will also see club powerbrokers offer Tom Eisenhuth an extension after his impressive first year. On the other side, Blake Lawrie has been told he can leave. Should Lawrie be taken off the books, St George will then go harder on signing Daniel Safiti; talks on that front have stalled for the time being.
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Veteran Jack Bird has also been told he can find other opportunities in the NRL early if he wants, though his early meetings with the Wests Tigers appear to have come to nought right now.
