The St George Illawarra Dragons will reportedly take a ‘serious look’ at South Sydney Rabbitohs halfback Lachlan Ilias as their pursuit of a Ben Hunt replacement continues.
The Dragons released Hunt a couple of weeks ago, effective immediately, from the final year of his ongoing contract at the joint-venture.
It leaves the Dragons, as it stands at least, with only Kyle Flanagan and Lyhkan King-Togia as their first-choice halves. New signing and former Parramatta Eels captain Clint Gutherson could yet be forced to shuffle into the halves without the club signing a new option.
The Red V have been linked to as many as five options since Hunt’s departure, with Ilias among them.
The others on the potential list were Wests Tigers utility Adam Doueihi, who will be hoping to overcome a horror run with injury during 2024, Cronulla Sharks utility Daniel Atkinson, and English Super League duo Bevan French and Brodie Croft.
It’s understood the Dragons’ interest in French had cooled, and Croft is unable to be signed as the date for his contract’s NRL clause to be invoked has now passed.
That has left the Dragons scrambling, and while Atkinson is still understood to be a primary target, Fox Sports are reporting that the club will take a serious look at Ilias, who is on the outer at Redfern.
While it’s not clear if that’s a situation set to change under the coaching of Wayne Bennett, who returns to the Maroubra-based outfit for a second stint this season, Ilias was dropped by former coach Jason Demetriou before breaking his leg and missing a large chunk of 2024.
His return in 2025 will likely be through reserve grade at the Rabbitohs with new recruit Lewis Dodd joining Cody Walker and Jack Wighton in the battle for the halves spots.
It’s understood Ilias has been given permission to leave the Rabbitohs, and that he had been previously in talks with the Canterbury Bulldogs, who themselves are no weighing up a two-year deal for Ben Hunt after meeting with the former Dragons’ captain this week.
The other factor which could see Ilias land in red and white is that Damien Cook, another new signing at the Dragons and a former Rabbitohs teammate, is a big fan of the half.
He will have considerable influence at the Dragons, with Cook and Gutherson expected to be among the new leadership team for 2025.
