St George Illawarra Dragons veteran recruit Clint Gutherson has revealed he is not locked into the club's number one jersey during the 2025 NRL season.
Gutherson, who has immediately raised standards at the Dragons following his surprise and sudden release from the Parramatta Eels, was set to play a utility role in blue and gold during 2025.
While it has long been rumoured his days at fullback are numbered thanks to ongoing knee issues, Gutherson hasn't seen it that way and believes he still has time at fullback.
He isn't sure if that will come in 2025 though, telling the media this week that the number one jumper is Tyrell Sloan's and he doesn't know if he has taken the jersey yet.
โI don't even know if I've taken his jersey yet because we haven't gotten into positions yet,โ Gutherson said per Fox Sports.
โI called โSloany' straight away when I signed down here and had a chat with him and told him where I think I can help him.
โIt's his spot. He's been playing there for a couple of years now.
โHe's had enormous pressure on him as a kid, so to be able to help and guide him to where he wants to be as a player and what he wants to do in his career, I think I can be a massive help with that.
โI've latched onto him in my time here already. We've been hanging out and picking each other's brains.
โA lot of the best teams have a lot of fullbacks playing in the team, and I don't think we'll be any different.โ
Shane Flanagan has all but confirmed Sloan will move to the wing for 2025, with the youngster having impressed in attack at fullback, but still needing plenty in his defence, and indeed consistency, to begin rivalling the best in the game.
A former junior New South Wales player, Sloan has pedigree that should set him up for a long NRL career, and learning from Gutherson in the coming years will only help that plight.
Should Gutherson be shuffled out of fullback, there is no chance he will wind up in the centres, with Valentine Holmes confirming he has been signed from the North Queensland Cowboys to play there, while Moses Suli occupies the other spot.
Gutherson could yet move to five-eighth, where the Dragons have a shortage of options, although Kyle Flanagan is likely to get the first crack in the number six, while recent recruit Lachlan Ilias will take the number seven.
Regardless of where the ex-Eel lines up for the Dragons, he said he has been brought to the club to lead, having done just that during the opening weeks of pre-season.
โI'm always there to set the standard. I've done it my whole career,โ he said.
โI was a bit more nervous for this one because I'm a bit older and I didn't know how hard some of the young kids would go.
โI knew if I did what I needed to do that I'd get the win. It's not about winning, it's about setting the standard.
โThat's probably why I've come down here โ to lead โ and that's what I'm going to do.โ
Gutherson and Damien Cook are the likely candidates to take over the captaincy at the Dragons which was vacated by Ben Hunt after his release was confirmed some weeks ago.
The Dragons open their 2025 season at home against the Canterbury Bulldogs.
