Dragons rocked by Junior Amone blow amid new details over Addin Fonua-Blake rejection

St George Illawarra's preparations for the 2024 NRL season have suffered another blow, with young playmaker Junior Amone's contract set to be deregistered after he was found guilty of a hammer attack on a tradesman. The Dragons already suffered a setback ahead of the new season after missing out on the signings of Cowboys playmaker Tom Dearden and Warriors prop, Addin Fonua-Blake.

New coach Shane Flanagan's pre-season plans have been thrown into further disarray, with the NRL issuing a notice to 21-year-old Amone after his sentencing for the hammer attack. The move from the governing body is the first step to deregistering Amone's contract. The five-eighth has five business days to respond.

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Amone was given a two-year intensive corrections order, forced to do 300 hours of community service and also fined $1000 by the court and ordered to pay compensation to the victim. The Dragons star was found guilty on a number of charges including intimidation and assault occasioning actual bodily harm after the incident with the tradesman last year.

The young gun was reportedly on a $500,000 per season contract, which is set to be ripped up if he chooses not to appeal or is unsuccessful in doing so. The latest blow comes after Flanagan's side missed out on the prized signings of Fonua-Blake and Dearden, who were among the most high-profile players on the open market.

Addin Fonua-Blake chooses Sharks over Dragons

Flanagan said he'd been in discussions with Fonua-Blake and was hoping for a decision on his future this week. On Tuesday, the coach's former side Cronulla revealed they'd signed the prop on a four-year deal reportedly worth between $950,000 and $1 million per season. Fonua-Blake will still play for the Warriors in 2024, before switching to the Sharks from 2025.

The Daily Telegraph reports the Sharks got the deal done for Fonua-Blake after a series of ‘stealth-like’ meetings over the last fortnight. Cronulla's interest in the Dally M Prop of the Year was not widely known across the NRL and it seems the opportunity to join a genuine premiership contender trumped the $4.4 million offer the Dragons had put on the table for him.

"On the back of a couple of outstanding seasons, everyone has seen what he is capable of and we look forward to Addin playing a major role for us here at the Sharks," Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon said. "Throughout the negotiation process we have been impressed by his attitude, his genuine desire to help make the Sharks successful and to complement and work alongside both those in our leadership group and the young forwards we have coming through our system."

Dragons miss out on Tom Dearden in 'grim' week for club

The Dragons also missed out on luring Queensland Maroons star Dearden to the club after the Cowboys announced on Tuesday afternoon that the 22-year-old had re-signed with the club on a five-year contract. The Queensland State of Origin player was being chased by a number of clubs, with Flanagan and the Dragons leading the chase for his signature.

On Tuesday though, the Cowboys locked up the future of their representative playmaker in what is a major boost for Todd Payten's side. While the terms of Dearden's new deal are yet to be released, it's believed the 22-year-old received a significant pay rise and could be the NRL's newest million-dollar man.

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