‘I’ve got two really good players’: Shane Flanagan confirms Tyrell Sloan is leading the race to play fullback in round one

Shane Flanagan is set to put his trust in Tyrell Sloan with the Dragons coach confirming the enigmatic speedster is his first-choice option to play fullback in round one while also revealing Jack Bird’s role for the season opener.

Sloan, 21, is off-contract at the end of the season but has the chance to make the fullback role his own after showing glimpses of something special since he made his debut in 2021.

An ankle injury suffered at the end of last year threatened to derail his pre-season, but Sloan is leading the race to play fullback against the Titans after there were reports Zac Lomax could be moved into the No.1 jersey.

Sloan played 23 games at the back last year and was a rare attacking spark in a side that struggled to score points, but there have always been reservations about his lack of size and defensive deficiencies which have been exposed in the NRL.

He’s also had problems under the high ball, but his coach has delivered a timely confidence boost a month out from the trials.

“I’d say Tyrell Sloan will be more of a chance, but Zac Lomax will be in the team so it’s not too much of a concern for me. I’ve got two really good players,” Flanagan said.

“I’ve got to train Zac there because I think he can do a really good job there because he’s powerful and he’ll bring the ball back strongly. They’ve got different qualities, but at some stage during the year, he’s going to have to play fullback.”

Lomax was spotted at training on Thursday doing drills at fullback with Sloan on the left wing, and there’s no reason why the pair can’t swap roles and roam around the field during games given they both have their own strengths.

Moving Lomax to the wing would allow Flanagan to play Bird and the recently re-signed Moses Suli in the centres, with try-scoring machine Mikaele Ravalawa to keep his spot on the right edge.

Bird started games at lock, centre, in the back row and on the bench last year, and has often been a victim of his own versatility which has also seen him play in the halves and at fullback.

Flanagan and Bird won a title together at Cronulla, and the incoming coach has made it clear he wants the former rep star to focus on just one role in 2024.

“If we’ve got an injury in the halves then I say ‘Birdy’ will be our first halves replacement because he does a good job there. He did it as a kid and played there at the Sharks for us,” he said, with pre-season matches against the Rabbitohs and Wests Tigers to serve as genuine selection trials for some positions.

“But Birdy has predominantly been training at centre, and that’s where he played for me at the Sharks as well and did a really good job.

“I think he’s smart defensively and he carries the ball strongly out of the backend of the field. If you look at back-rowers these days, they’re tall, big and athletic. Birdy would like to tell you he is, but he’s not.”