Under-fire Dragons halfback dropped for Magic Round

Joshua Mayne

Under-fire Dragons halfback dropped for Magic Round image

The Dragons have axed Lachlan Ilias for their Magic Round match against the Tigers.

St George Illawarra coach Shane Flanagan has decided to drop the halfback following a string of underwhelming performances.

A heavy loss to the Roosters on ANZAC Day saw the Red V drop outside the top eight.

After playing seven games, they hold a record of three wins and four losses, which makes their next encounter with the Tigers an important one to ensure they don't fall further behind. 

MORE: NRL team lists – Every side’s lineup for Magic Round

Ilias, who joined the Dragons this season from the Rabbitohs, has previously come under fire from Flanagan.

He was criticised for failing to see the team home in a narrow Round 2 loss to the Bunnies.

"You were here, weren’t you? You can make your own assessment," Flanagan said about the halfback.

The coach later apologised for his comments.

MORE: Crackdown or not? NRL boss responds to sin bin frenzy

Lyhkan King-Togia has been selected at No. 7.

The young playmaker has impressed in the NSW Cup this season, and while he is not in the club's Top 30, he is eligible to be promoted to first-grade under a developmental contract.

He notably signed a contract extension with the Dragons on Tuesday.

Dragons confirmed team vs. Tigers

1. Clint Gutherson 
2. Tyrell Sloan
3. Moses Suli
4. Valentine Holmes
5. Corey Allan 
6. Kyle Flanagan
7. Lyhkan King-Togia
8. Toby Couchman
9. Damien Cook
10. David Klemmer 
11. Dylan Egan 
12. Jaydn Su'A
13. Hamish Stewart 

14. Jacob Liddle
15. Jack de Belin 
16. Emre Guler
17. Luciano Leilua 

18. Loko Pasifiki Tonga
19. Nathan Lawson 
20. Blake Lawrie
21. Lachlan Ilias 
22. Raymond Faitala-Mariner

Joshua Mayne

Joshua Mayne is a content producer for The Sporting News currently based in Sydney, Australia. He has previously worked as a newsreader at 2SER and a journalist at Ministry of Sport. Joshua specialises in rugby league, motorsport and tennis. He is still waiting for Arsenal to win the Premier League again.