The scott drinkwater dragons pursuit has surged after Dean Young revealed he spent 20 minutes speaking with the Cowboys fullback about a move to St George Illawarra. The Dragons are reportedly on the verge of landing Drinkwater on a deal worth $900, 000 a season, with a three-year agreement said to be close to done. The timing is striking, with the club still without a head coach for 2027 and fresh off the departures of Shane Flanagan and football manager Ben Haran this week.
Deal talk turns serious
Channel 9’s Danny Weidler revealed on X that the proposed three-year deal is all but finished, with Drinkwater set to leave the Cowboys at the end of 2026 despite having one year left on his current contract. The Cowboys are looking at recently re-signed young gun Jaxon Purdue as a possible next fullback, while Drinkwater has also been chased by several rival NRL clubs.
For the Dragons, the move would bring a high-profile fullback into a side still trying to settle its direction after the coaching shake-up. Dean Young is now in charge as interim coach until the end of the season, with the possibility of taking the role full-time.
What Dean Young said in his pitch
Young said he spoke to Drinkwater “the other night” in a 20-minute conversation about the potential switch. He told The Sydney Morning Herald that he was candid about where the club stands, while also stressing there are positives building behind the scenes.
“I told him that with where the club is at the moment, it doesn’t look good, but behind closed doors there are a lot of positives happening, ” Young said. “I’m close with Drinky and I told him that as a friend – take away the coaching side of it. I wouldn’t tell you to come to a joint that is a basket case.
“No one wants to lose, especially Drinky because he’s so competitive. I think the club is on the way up, and he was pretty positive about it.
“He’s close mates with Valentine Holmes and he could see all of the young forwards we’ve got coming through – the Couchmans [twins Ryan and Toby], Dylan Egan, Hamish Stewart. He can see some potential in them. ”
That conversation has become central to the scott drinkwater dragons story, especially with the club still operating without certainty beyond the current season.
Gutherson backs the move
Clint Gutherson, who would be pushed to the centres in the final year of his three-year deal in 2027 if Drinkwater arrives, has backed the club’s pursuit. “I 100 per cent welcome it, I’ve sent him a few messages trying to get it across (the line), ” Gutherson said on Wednesday. “As I said I don’t care (what position I play), I just want to play and I want to win. ”
That support matters because it shows the internal mood around the possible arrival is not being met with resistance from one of the side’s most senior figures. It also gives the scott drinkwater dragons push a public endorsement from within the playing group.
Why the move stands out now
Andrew Johns has already called Drinkwater a bargain at the reported price, saying the Dragons “desperately” need creativity and that Drinkwater can provide it from fullback. Johns also said Drinkwater is entering “that sweet spot, ” adding that the next four years could be his best.
For now, the key question is whether the deal is formally completed and how quickly the Dragons move to lock in the next stage of their roster planning. If the reported agreement lands, the scott drinkwater dragons chase will stand as one of the club’s boldest off-season moves, with the final details still awaited in Eastern Time terms over the coming days.
