One week can be a long time in footy.
Seven days ago, Tyrell Sloan ran out in the NSW Cup, dropped from first grade by coach Shane Flanagan.
A planned two-week stint became one after Mat Feagai was forced out of the team with a concussion. Now, the young fullback can say he was part of the first St George Illawarra side to win in Melbourne since 1999.
Sloan was sent to the reserves in a bid to work on the defensive side of his game. He played his part against the Storm, only missing one of his seven tackle attempts as the Dragons kept the league leaders to three tries.
“I love the grind,” he expressed post-match.
“This time around that I got dropped, I took it in a way better way for myself. I was happy, I was looking forward to go back and playing with some boys that I haven’t played with.
“The lessons I learned was just my defence. I’m still learning on the job, I’m very young, but I’ve had a lot of experience now. So I can just take that as a stepping stone and just continue to keep working hard.”
Storm v Dragons – Round 22, 2024
He scored one try and made 153 running metres to help his team become part of history.
“I actually grew up watching a lot of Billy Slater and watching the Melbourne Storm down here,” the fullback explained after the match.
“I remember two years ago I came down to the stadium and was able to watch the boys play, and they got beat that week – but to come here and get a win, it’s a pretty cool experience. Dream come true.”
Jaydn Su'a 1st Try
It was an emphatic response from St George after their hammering at the hands of Penrith last week. They are now well and truly in the hunt for a top eight spot, with their match against the Bulldogs next week at Kogarah shaping up to be crucial.
“We know we can beat anyone,” he enthused, “It’s just when we get it right.”
“This team can do anything they want. If we get in the eight, anything can happen. That’s the plan – it’s been the plan from day one.
“Now that we beat Melbourne at home, the number one team at the moment, it just shows how much belief this group can grow. I’m looking forward to the next five weeks – it’s going to be a challenge – but this team can grow and anything can happen.”
Match: Storm v Dragons
Round 22 -
home Team
Storm
1st Position
away Team
Dragons
7th Position
Venue: AAMI Park, Melbourne
His coach praised the performance of his fullback, but said that there were still things that he’d like to see improve.
“I thought he had moments tonight,” Flanagan told the post-match press conference. “Some really good moments, and some moments that we’d like to tidy up.
“There’s never, ever been a question mark about Tyrell’s talent, especially with the football. We just need to make sure that he’s focused on the other side of the game.
“He’s a good kid. Without a doubt, he understands football and what he’s got to do. He understands it, but it’s a little bit harder to do sometimes, to get out there and make tackles and put yourself in front of [Storm forward] Nelson Asofa-Solomona running hard and different things that come up in games. He did a good job tonight and there’s a challenge that’s on every week.”
