The St George Illawarra Dragons have been hit in the forwards yet again, with Hame Sele’s return from a calf injury cut short by a hamstring problem.
The forward was likely a walk up starter for a Dragons’ side without depth in the forwards heading into 2025, but he is yet to make it into the top grade.
A calf injury kept him out over the opening rounds, and he was eased back into competition through the NSW Cup this weekend, where it’s reported by News Corp that he suffered a hamstring injury.
The injury is not believed to be a serious one like former teammate Mikaele Ravalawa suffered for the South Sydney Rabbitohs over the weekend, but instead, a minor strain that will keep Sele out for another two to three weeks.
Without a great deal of running in his legs, it’s like Sele will need time to be eased back in once again through the NSW Cup, and his prospects of playing in first-grade anytime before the halfway mark of the 2025 NRL season appear to be diminishing at an alarming rate.
The prop, who played the first 18 games of his career at the Dragons before spending five years at the Rabbitohs and returning to the joint-venture last year, has 83 NRL games under his belt and was one of the better players for a Dragons side unlucky to miss the finals last year.
Head coach Shane Flanagan has made it abundantly clear that he wants to sign extra forwards for the Red V, having chased many of the top players off-contract in the last 12 months.
The Red V, who have won just one of their first four games this year, will again use Toby Couchman and David Klemmer in the prop positions this weekend at home against the Gold Coast Titans, with Jack de Belin at lock and Blake Lawrie and Hamish Stewart backing up on the bench.
Emre Guler, who joined late in the off-season from the Canberra Raiders and played the opening games of the year, is currently out suspended, while Ryan Couchman will miss the rest of the year with an ACL injury.
