NRL best 17s for 2023: St George Illawarra Dragons

The St George Illawarra Dragons have played finals just twice since Wayne Bennett left the club, and some average recruitment for 2023 doesn't look like it's ready to break that run anytime soon.

Anthony Griffin finds himself a coach under all sorts of pressure heading into the new campaign, with the club needing a major turnaround in results.

Griffin's uninspiring attack last year, combined with a slow-moving middle third saw the Red V play a brand of football that was somewhat boring to watch.

It's unclear how he plans to turn that around during what is a contract year for Griffin, having been extended for 2023 with the club taking up an option before a ball had been kicked last year.

While a large chunk of the Dragons' storyline is around Griffin, they certainly haven't helped themselves in any aspect, with the best 17 taking hit after hit during the off-season.

They come into the year without a set in stone halves combination, a fullback who was dropped last year, and with a forward pack where it's difficult to see the improvements from last year's group.

Here is how the Dragons will line up in 2023.

Recruitment report

Ins: Jacob Liddle (Wests Tigers, 2023), Nick Lui-Toso (2023), Michael Molo (2024), Ben Murdoch-Masila (New Zealand Warriors, 2024), Zane Musgrove (Wests Tigers, 2024), Paul Turner (Gold Coast Titans, 2024)

Outs: Daniel Alvaro (Toulouse Olympique), George Burgess (retired), Poasa Faamausili (The Dolphins), Jackson Ford (New Zealand Warriors), Jack Gosiewski (North Queensland Cowboys), Andrew McCullough (retired), Josh McGuire (Warrington Wolves), Tariq Sims (Melbourne Storm)

Re-signed: Talatau Amone (2024), Jack Bird (2025), Billy Burns (2023), Mathew Feagai (2024), Max Feagai (2024), Ben Hunt (2025), Jaiyden Hunt (2024), Blake Lawrie (2026), Tautau Moga (2023), Michael Molo (2024), Jayden Sullivan (2025)

Off-contract end 2023: Billy Burns, Sione Finau, Tyrell Fuimaono, Josh Kerr, Jacob Liddle, Nick Lui-Toso, Moses Mbye, Tautau Moga, Connor Muhleisen, Aaron Woods

Full squad

Talatau Amone, Jack Bird, Billy Burns, Jack de Belin, Mathew Feagai, Max Feagai, Tyrell Fuimaono, Ben Hunt, Jaiyden Hunt, Josh Kerr, Blake Lawrie, Jacob Liddle, Zac Lomax, Nick Lui-Toso, Moses Mbye, Tautau Moga, Francis Molo, Michael Molo, Ben Murdoch-Masila, Zane Musgrove, Cody Ramsey, Mikaele Ravalawa, Tyrell Sloan, Jaydn Su'A, Moses Suli, Jayden Sullivan, Paul Turner, Aaron Woods

Who plays where?

Fullback

With Cody Ramsey struck down by illness and unlikely to play at any point this season, it leaves the number one jumper to Tyrell Sloan.

The young gun, who has played for the Indigenous All Stars in each of the last two seasons, was the number one pick to play fullback before last season started.

In what only appeared to be a show of Griffin really not having a firm grip over his team, that lasted just a matter of weeks before Sloan found himself back in reserve grade.

Ramsey took the second half of the year by storm as one of the rare bright spots for the Red V, but it'll now be back to Sloan, who must prove himself as a consistent NRL performer.

Should issues strike Sloan, with no recognised fullback in the squad otherwise, expect Jack Bird or Moses Mbye to fill in, as they did at times last year.

Wingers

Out on the wings, Mikaele Ravalawa's improvement in recent seasons at both ends of the park as he gets up to speed with NRL requirements has been clear to see.

The brutal Fijian flyer has always had an excellent running game, but his ball handling, defence and finishing ability have all come on in leaps and bounds.

He will be joined on the wings by Mathew Feagai, who, despite being a centre in his junior days, impressed on the wing last year with a willingness to do the hard yards.

His brother Max Feagai is another option, while the Dragons also have Tautau Moga in the squad to cover throughout the backline.

Centres

Zac Lomax, when he wasn't throwing flick passes over the sideline, was one of the Dragons' best last year, and is one of their most talented players.

He will once again line up at centre in 2023 and handle goal-kicking duties, but needs to find a way to reduce the number of errors in a game which is at times too much flash, not enough consistency.

Moses Suli, who is a tackle-breaking machine and had a career year in 2022, will line up on the other side of the park at centre, looking to replicate the form he found at the Dragons, and that he couldn't find during the end of his time at the Manly Sea Eagles.

As with the wing, Tautau Moga and the Feagai brothers are all options to come into the side if injury strikes, while Billy Burns and Jack Bird could also be considered at centre.

Halves

The halves are a very difficult question for the Dragons, purely because it's unclear whether a combination of Jayden Sullivan and Ben Hunt will be able to work.

Sullivan was on the outer last year, overtaken for the right to wear the number six jumper by Talatau Amone.

Sullivan and Amone won the SG Ball competition together in 2019, with Amone in six and Sullivan in seven, so it only made sense that Amone would then join Ben Hunt in first-grade when the opportunity arose.

Sullivan should realistically be given first crack in 2023, but it's not clear if he will be. Griffin is one of the NRL's coaches renowned for working with young talent, but seems to have a problem with playing them at the Dragons.

That said, the other options are Jack Bird, Moses Mbye or Paul Turner, who only joined the club in the last few days, so it's hard to see him starting.

We will take Sullivan, but this is a contentious one.

Middle forwards

In the middle third, Blake Lawrie has become something of a club stalwart in recent seasons and will line up again in 2023 as he pushes to continue improving his game.

He will likely be joined in the starting side by former one-time Origin representative Francis Molo, although Jack de Belin is also a chance to feature at prop if Jack Bird plays at lock.

Bird's best position is the second-row though, so that shouldn't happen, with de Belin at lock.

The Dragons have a mix of experience and youth to play in back up. Zane Musgrove has joined from the Tigers, and Ben Murdoch-Masila from the Warriors, while Aaron Woods is already at the club. It's the likes of Josh Kerr, Jaiyden Hunt and Michael Molo which should have fans most excited though, with Molo - the younger brother of Francis - particularly impressing last year.

Hooker

The retirement of Andrew McCullough has been offset by the arrival of Jacob Liddle, who will slot straight into the number nine jumper.

His move from the Wests Tigers comes with the club bringing in Apisai Koroisau, meaning they would have had three dummy halves on the books for 2023 - his move to the Dragons gives him a shot at regular first-grade.

Liddle will be backed by Moses Mbye, but they otherwise have little in the way of dummy halves in the top 30.

There were rumours of Paul Turner training at dummy half to play as a bench utility on the Gold Coast last year, while young gun Connor Muhleisen is part of the development squad and could debut this year.

Second-row

As already mentioned, Jack Bird's best position is at second-row, and this is absolutely where he should be lining up for the 2023 campaign.

Playing anywhere else simply wouldn't make sense with in the Dragons' set up given their lack of depth on the edge.

Jaydn Su'A, who at his best is in the Queensland side, will be the other second-rower for the Red V throughout the 2023 season, although will want to stay on the park more than he did last season.

As mentioned, the depth here isn't great for the Dragons, with Ben Murdoch-Masila and Josh Kerr the two able to play on the edge.

Interchange

The bench will see Moses Mbye feature in 14 as the only sure thing, given his ability to play all over the park, fill in at hooker, and bring plenty of experience.

The rest of the bench is very much up in the air. Will Griffin go to youth, or will he stick with the experienced campaigners.

If he sticks to experience, then Murdoch-Masila, Musgrove and Woods all feature.

I'd hazard a guess that two of those players - being Murdoch-Masila and Musgrove - will feature, however, the last spot should go to a youngster, and given the form Michael Molo was able to show last year, he should find his way onto the pine.