St George Illawarra players are excited about the edge Josh McGuire will add to their forward pack after the former Kangaroos and Maroons forward finalised a mid-season transfer from North Queensland.
McGuire will join the Dragons on Wednesday after signing until the end of the 2022 season and has been named in coach Anthony Griffin s 21-man squad for Sunday’s match against the Warriors, alongside fellow new signing Billy Burns.
“Where he fits in I am not too sure,” second-rower Josh Kerr said. “We are obviously on a winning streak so we are going pretty well but Hook might have to have a tough conversation with someone or he might just have to earn his way in.”
Dragons fullback Matt Dufty is prepared to be patient and focus on football while contract negotiations are ongoing.
The 25-year-old s flying start to the season continued with a scintillating two-try performance in Sunday s 26-12 win over the Eels.
Despite the team now sitting fourth after four consecutive victories, coach Anthony Griffin won t rush into re-signing players and said he hadn t thought about whether the early form of Dufty and others like five-eighth Corey Norman warranted extensions. Good things come in time and if I m worried about [a contract] then it s affecting me on the field, Dufty said. If I flip my mindset and just worry about how I m playing . then those contract things will come. I talk to a manager every day and it s building slowly. No updates . We re going back and forth a bit.
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UPDATE: The Dragons have confirmed the arrival of star forward Josh McGuire, with the 31-year-old set to make his debut in the Red V in Sunday s clash with the Warriors.
The player-coach reunion is the second such deal made by the Dragons this year, with Andrew McCullough also brought to the club by Griffin. With Ben Hunt and Corey Norman already at the Dragons it is starting to feel like a second incarnation of Griffin s Broncos side that was built a decade ago and laid the foundation for the 2015 side that Wayne Bennett coached to the grand final.
On the move: Josh McGuire deal confirmed themorningbulletin.com.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from themorningbulletin.com.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.