Clint Gutherson's move away from family revealed as Shane Flanagan drops Dragons captaincy hint

New Dragons recruit Clint Gutherson has made the sacrifice of moving to Wollongong without his family for pre-season training in a bid to show his leadership qualities to new coach Shane Flanagan. Gutherson left Parramatta supporters shocked when opting out of his contract - after talks with coach Jason Ryles - to explore options elsewhere having been made surplus to requirements at the Eels.

And in a bold move, Gutherson linked up with the Dragons after captain and leader Ben Hunt opted out of his contract. Gutherson was expected to move his family down as soon as possible to get life started in his new home Wollongong.

However, it appears Gutherson is going to start his life at the Dragons away from his family having hired a small rental near the training facilities in a bid to get started on pre-season preparation. Gutherson endured a tough season for the Eels in 2024 having sustained a torn quad, which hampered his mobility.

And his pre-season dedication has already seen coach Flanagan claim either Gutherson or new signing Damien Cook are in line for the captaincy position after Hunt's exit. "Every player now knows that's what we got him here for - to set examples and standards and not just his on-field ability," Flanagan said on Friday.

"He's down here already, away from family and he'll do that before he finds somewhere to stay permanently - that's a sign of how invested he is in our club. At the back end of last year, Clint was his own worst enemy and was playing with a torn quad and rib cartilage damage.

"He battled away and didn't want to let his team down ... people were saying he's old and tired but he was standing up for his club and we are lucky to have him." On Friday, Gutherson wowed training staff at the Dragons after he was the first one up Mount Keira. Gutherson made the scent in a little less than 23 minutes having showed he has put a number of his injuries from the 2024 campaign behind him.

Gutherson to move family to Wollongong

While the fullback may be staying by himself in Wollongong in pre-season, the 30-year-old has already suggested his family will make the move to be closer together. “I’m going to move the family down, enjoy a change of scenery,” he said.

"This will give me a chance to really buy into what they’re doing and be close to training and all the boys. I really want to build on what they started last year and see what they can do.” Gutherson's dedication to improving the Dragons has also been compared to Hunt's prior situation.

Hunt did not live in Wollongong, instead based himself in Cronulla Sharks heartland in the Shire. A similar situation has emerged at the Broncos with question marks over Reece Walsh and Payne Haas' situation. The Broncos duo live nearly 90km away from their training facility with coach Michael Maguire set to chat with the pair about what is best for them and the team environment.

Clint Gutherson to mentor Tyrell Sloan

One of the big dilemmas for coach Flanagan when Gutherson signed was the role of young talent Tyrell Sloan. The 22-year-old fullback had a rollercoaster year, which saw him removed from the No.1 jersey at one stage after a string of lacklustre performances.

Gutherson has been confirmed as the fullback for round 1 if fit, which leaves Sloan in limbo. Although Flanagan admitted Sloan was willing to learn under Gutherson and bide his time.

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"I've spoken to Tyrell and 'Gutho' is only going to help him develop," he said. "When I had discussions with Tyrell I could feel a bit of excitement in his voice when we told him (Gutherson) was coming, which was surprising.

"He hasn't had that mentor in our backline who can teach him. Sometimes it's great to hear it from another player. Tyrell is going to play fullback, wing, maybe even centre because he's a quality young players. He'll develop and hopefully with Gutho here, he'll develop a little bit quicker." While Flanagan is excited by his new fullback, the coach admitted they are in sudden search for a new halfback after the exit of Hunt.