Dragons a 'whole different club' under Shane Flanagan, according to Leilua

Leilua began his career at the Dragons back in 2016 and played for the Red V for three seasons, before moving to Wests Tigers and then the Cowboys, and then returning to his first team for the 2024 season.

A lot has changed in that time including the Dragons, according to the 28-year-old.

The Shane Flanagan-coached side elevated themselves into the NRL's top eight with a comfortable 26-6 win against the Dolphins in Kogarah on Sunday, June 30.

It was a crucial win for a number of reasons - mainly due to the side now playing back-to-back away fixtures against the Roosters and Broncos - but it also marked a turning point for the Dragons.

Back in round two, St George Illawarra were thumped 38-0 at the hands of the Dolphins in Redcliffe, Fast-forward to the second half of the season, and the Dragons are now level on points with Wayne Bennett's team - as well as the Bulldogs and Cowboys - on 20 points.

The result and comprehensive second half performance last round in Kogarah came as no surprise to Leilua, who told the Mercury Flanagan and his coaching staff had completely turned the tide at the club in such a short space of time.

Leilua said he had made the right call to come back to the club for this season, and said he had enjoyed his role making an impact off the interchange bench this season.

"It's been hectic. I've been loving it," he said.

"It's a whole different club being back now. Under 'Flanno' [coach Flanagan] and 'Youngy' [assistant Dean Young], they've changed the whole club. Flanno is one of those coaches that just knows what to tell you and how to make you play your best.

"It's good for the team [coming off the bench]. We've got three good back rowers. So we spoke about just managing our game time, and what is the best way to do it. If it's me starting on the bench, I'm all for it. I like coming on and making a difference."

Leilua said that the next two weeks against the Roosters and the Broncos were crucial to the side's chances of playing finals football in 2024.

It wasn't too long ago that the Roosters went whack at Allianz Stadium, embarrassing St George Illawarra 60-18 thanks in part to a Sam Walker masterclass.

But the Dragons are confident of achieving redemption as they did against the Dolphins, according to Leilua. He said that his team's attitude had been a major improvement since the early parts of the campaign.

"I think it comes down to attitude," Leilua continued.

"I think we're at the part of the season where everything's starting to click, and everyone knows their roles. Once everyone knows their roles, it just makes everything easier. I think the main focus [against the Dolphins] was to stay in the grind with them in the first half and I felt like we did that. Obviously the second half took care of itself.

"So we've just got to keep going. We know our strengths and we showed on the weekend that we stuck to our game plan and that's why we got the win.

"We have got this three-game block before the bye and we're looking to try and get two or three wins out of three. That Dolphins game was a must win, this week is another big game for us. In terms of the ladder, it's so tight. So you can't afford to lost a game.

"We've got to make sure that we go our there and execute [against the Roosters] and we'll definitely have that [60-18 loss] in the back of our minds. It'll be a big test for us."

Meanwhile Thirroul Butchers junior Toby Couchman has again been named on the bench for the upcoming Roosters game on Sunday, 7. He told the Mercury he was enjoying playing more minutes for the first team in 2024.

"I started off the year in [NSW] Cup and I love playing with 'Wolfy' [coach Ben Woolf]," Couchman said.

"We had a great bunch of boys. And I suppose our success was what got me a call up in first grade. Since I've come to first grade, I've been absolutely loving it. It's where I want to be each week.

"It's pretty simple for me but I've been told to work hard in defence and run hard, and just to do those jobs."

The Dragons will be boosted by the return of star player Zac Lomax for the Roosters game. The 24-year-old returns to the side after missing the Dolphins win due to injury.

Lomax could be seen favouring his knee and limping heavily after playing for NSW's State of Origin Game 2 win against Queensland, however it was a shoulder injury that ruled him out last week.

Lomax will replace Mathew Feagai, who injured his shoulder attempting to score last game. Jack Bird has been named on the reserves after an ongoing ankle injury.

Kickoff at Allianz Stadium is 2pm.