The Dragons hosted the first of three Academy All-ins at WIN Stadium in Wollongong recently with 61 of the club’s most promising junior players aged between 15 and 19 in attendance.
It was an opportunity to close out the club’s first six-week Academy training block for the young men who currently make up the Red, Black, and White Academy squads located in both Kogarah and Wollongong.
The players had the chance to sit in on a chat with general manager of football Ben Haran, interim NRL coach Ryan Carr, and NRL star Blake Lawrie before participating in a field session and capping the night off with a group dinner.
Lawrie, a Dapto Canaries junior who earnt numerous representative honours throughout his time coming through the grades in the Steelers system, spoke to the group about the rigours of junior reps and the importance of being a good teammate among other things.
Afterwards, the players rotated through several skills stations and mini-games put together by pathways coaches Russ Aitken and Willie Talau designed to develop their fundamental, rugby league skills.
Aitken, who coached the Illawarra Steelers SG Ball side this season, was pleased with how the June 6 evening unfolded.
“So, we’ve got about 60 of our elite boys from about 15s through to 19s and they’ve come together,” he said.
“We’ve got three squads running throughout the year and we get them together three times over the course of the year… It’s just a really good night and great for the boys to connect; it was a real positive night for the club.”
Aitken explained the importance of focusing on fundamentals at these types of sessions as the players aim to continue progressing through the grades.
“We worked on the fundamental skills that you need to be an NRL player,” he said.
“The whole reason for our Academy existing is to make the transition for our young boys all the more smooth. When they come into NRL training, they understand what’s expected of them but they also speak the language that our NRL boys speak.”
Talau, who was at the helm of the St George Dragons SG Ball squad this year, spoke about the significance of the players feeling a “sense of connection” to the club and their teammates.
“Everybody’s coming together and it’s an initiative that we’re going to do at the backend of our Academy blocks,” Talau said.
“We want to give them a greater sense of connection to the club and hopefully that stimulates a bit of motivation when they go away from here and that they train a little bit harder and they sacrifice a little bit more.”
Talau noted that the consistent messaging throughout the season allowed for a seamless fusion between the squads on the field.
“The consistent messaging right across both areas is really important and we saw that tonight,” he said.
“The boys came straight in and the transition to our skills and drills were seamless so, you know, obviously it’s working and it’s something that we need to continue with… We’ve got some core values that the guys have bought into and they’re doing really well to uphold and support those through the ways that they behave.”
Interim NRL coach Ryan Carr echoed Aitken and Talau’s sentiments on the value of uniting the junior squads.
“We’re one big club here and it’s really important that they understand that the ultimate goal is to play for the St George Illawarra Dragons,” he said.
“They’re getting really good messaging from both Willie Talau and Russ Aitken and at their respective venues… They’re getting taught exactly what the NRL team’s getting taught from a philosophical point of view and from a gameplan point of view.”
Carr was pleased to see the likes of NRL standouts Blake Lawrie, Zac Lomax and Tyrell Sloan in attendance at the session.
“It’s just probably a good indication of how much the players at this club care about the club and the juniors and those coming through,” he said.
“Those boys were a product of our system here and they understand how important it is and they appreciate it and they just wanted to come down in their own time and show their support for the boys… It’s a good reflection on our club seeing guys coming down from our NRL team.”