Flanno sold: Dragons to offer Sloan multi-year offer to keep promising fullback

Shane Flanagan has apparently seen enough, with the new St George Illawarra Dragons coach greenlighting a $1 million extension offer to keep promising young fullback Tyrell Sloan at the club long-term.

The negotiations, which The Sporting Base understand haven’t officially begun yet, will open with the Dragons tabling a $1 million deal for Sloan.

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That contract extension would see the 21-year-old fullback paid around $500,000 a season for two years, through to 2026. Sloan is off-contract at the end of this year and can talk to other NRL clubs.

Sloan has been fighting hard to keep his spot in the number one jumper since Flanagan walked in the door at the end of last year, even staying with the club over Christmas to get back to full fitness as quickly as possible. Before that, he had been progressing well until an ankle injury during the Koori Knockout in October.

Flanagan’s biggest decision ahead of 2024 was who was going to play the rearguard role with the Dragons. He tested Zac Lomax and Jack Bird there several times before eventually deciding to keep Sloan in the one.

Now Sloan is focusing mainly on defensive work and extra efforts; while he has been sizzling in attack during his 39-game career, his defence leaves much to be desired at times.

He knows it too, admitting at the end of last season that he “does lack there” and still has a lot to work on.

“There’s moments where I’m good and there’s moments where I’m bad,’’ Sloan said. “You are your own worst critic and sometimes I come out of a tackle feeling for myself. And not just myself, but letting my team down.

He added: “That’s the main focus that, you know, I want to be that person that, if there’s a line break, I can be depended on to make that tackle.”