Keaon Koloamatangi will move his young family to Wollongong as soon as the Rugby League World Cup is over, and has told his future St George Illawarra teammates to watch his Kangaroos performance against Fiji on Sunday night as proof of what the club is getting. Dragons coach Dean Young has revealed he plans to turn the club's $5 million recruit into a ball-playing lock.
Keaon Koloamatangi will finish the World Cup and move straight to Wollongong with his young family, and says he wants his Australian performances to inspire his future St George Illawarra teammates. The 28-year-old will start up front for the Kangaroos against Fiji on Sunday night, and wants those wearing the Red V to know they are getting a player who will turn up every week.
"I'll be heading to a new club, I want to make sure if they're watching me [Sunday night], they know they're getting a player who will turn up for them every week for 80 minutes," Koloamatangi said. "I want to get the Dragons back into winning form. It's one of the best-followed clubs, it has a lot of history, like South Sydney does, and I want to bring that love and passion to the Dragons."
Koloamatangi became one of the game's premier props only after Souths coach Wayne Bennett moved him into the middle out of necessity midway through last year. Young said Koloamatangi's five-year deal kick-started a signing spree that brought Scott Drinkwater, Luke Metcalf, Connor Watson, Phil Sami and Kodi Nikorima to the club.
Young, who worked with Koloamatangi in Tonga and NSW Origin camps, said the plan is to use him as a ball-playing lock, a bit like Isaah Yeo is the link to the halves at Penrith. "His role will be different at the Dragons than what it was with Souths and with Australia. He's been that middle forward doing a lot of hit-ups to get teams upfield. But he's got a lot of skills, he was a nightmare to defend against when he was on that right edge for Souths," Young said.
Koloamatangi, a Mascot Jets junior who has played with Souths captain Cameron Murray since age six, credited Murray, Bennett and his fiancée Heavenly, whom he will marry on December 1, for his turnaround. "Wayne never put too much pressure on me, he wanted me to play my game," he said. "I've enjoyed picking up on Cam's leadership qualities. I wanted to take some of his traits with me to the Dragons."
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The Dragons have built their rebuild around Koloamatangi, and his shift from middle forward to playmaking lock will define how the club attacks next season.
- His World Cup performances give new teammates and supporters an early measure of a five-year, $5 million commitment.
- Young expects the signing to lift a young pack, so the role change carries the club's hopes as well as his own form.
Background
Koloamatangi came through the junior ranks alongside Murray and played much of his career on the right edge before Bennett moved him into the middle, where his performances earned the Dragons deal. The club, formed from a merger of the St George and Illawarra clubs and among the NRL's most-followed, has not been in winning form in recent seasons, which Koloamatangi has made a stated goal. The new coach has paired the big-money signing with a wider recruitment spree, signalling a squad rebuild for next season.
Key Perspectives
Dean Young: The new coach knows Koloamatangi from Tonga and NSW Origin camps and sees an under-used skillset, a former edge runner who became a prop out of necessity. He intends to restore that creativity, using him as a link player in the Isaah Yeo mould, while his experience steadies a young pack.
Keaon Koloamatangi: The recruit presents himself as all in, moving to Wollongong rather than commuting, and wants his World Cup performances to show his new teammates that hard work can take them to representative football. He also wants to repay the support of Heavenly and Murray.
Critics and skeptics: The plan carries risk. Koloamatangi has spent the past two seasons doing the opposite job, and the playmaking lock role requires distribution and timing that must be rebuilt at NRL level. A five-year commitment leaves little room for the experiment to fail, and if it does, the club's recruitment strategy is exposed.
What to Watch
- How Koloamatangi performs starting up front against Fiji on Sunday night, his last showcase before joining the Dragons.
- Whether Young persists with the ball-playing lock plan through pre-season and how Koloamatangi links with the club's new playmakers.
- The Dragons' results early next season, as supporters watch whether the $5 million gamble restores winning form.