Who gets the call? Shane Flanagan facing Dragons back-line shake-up

While Flanagan was certain to be without skipper Ben Hunt at Origin time, Jaydn Su'A and Zac Lomax's call-ups, and an ankle injury to Jack Bird, leaves him needing to plug a number of gaps for the showdown with the reigning premiers.

Late preseason pick-up Jesse Marschke shapes as Hunt's replacement having made a decent fist of his four NRL appearances alongside consistent NSW Cup form.

It's in the outside backs that Flanagan faces a few headaches of the pleasant variety amid a timely run of standout reserve grade performances from the likes of Mat and Max Feagai, and Sione Finau, the trio combining for five tries in last week's victory over the Bulldogs.

It was the Dragons' third win on the trot, with Finau grabbing a hat-trick and bringing his tally to five tries in his last three outings combining with Max Feagai on the right edge. It's the channel made vacant by the absence of Lomax and Bird

Finau's NRL debut in the penultimate round of last season was cut short by a nasty ankle injury, but the Victorian product had shown enough with 14 NSW Cup tries to earn a contract extension until the end of 2025.

A recall would be particularly timely for the Feagai twins who remain unsigned beyond this year, with Flanagan saying after last week's heavy defeat to the Bulldogs that the club's strong NSW Cup form would warrant consideration at the selection table this week.

Mikaele Ravalawa has occupied both wings for the Dragons this season, but has primarily played outside Moses Suli on the left, a position Christian Tuipulotu has slotted into on his three NRL games this year.

That left edge has been Suli's natural home, though he was switched to the right on the fly following the injury to Bird last week. The 25-year-old said it's a role he'll happily reprise if called upon to do so this week.

"Honestly, when [Flanagan] came up to me at halftime and told me I'd be switching to the right, I didn't hesitate at all," Suli said.

"I don't mind what side I play, I just want to do what's best for the team I'm trying to perform every week and put my best foot forward for the team.

"The big thing for me that I worked on in the preseason was closing the gap between my best and my worst game.

"I'm just trying to perform and stay consistent. I'm just going to keep doing that for the rest of the year and whatever happens happens. Whatever the team needs, I'll do."

While Suli's had plenty to do with all the potential call-ups this week, he's spent by far the most time alongside Mat Feagai, who's been something of a forgotten man so far this season after featuring in 43 games over 2022-23.

The 23-year-old has played 10 of 11 NSW Cup games at fullback this season, but Suli said he'd happily pick up their double act should Feagai earn a recall.

"I did play most of last year and the whole of 2022 alongside Mat," Suli said.

"I love playing alongside him, he's a really good player. His strength's just carrying the ball. He's got footwork, late footwork, and can carry hard.

"He's not scared to get in there, get a carry and get whacked, he's a strong ball carrier, he can finish.

"I'm not sure what's happening, we'll confirm that tomorrow (Tuesday) but whoever the coaches put in, I know they'll put their best foot forward. They've been performing really well in the NSW Cup and getting a few wins there.

"No-one's safe in the team, you need to perform every week. You just never know what's going to happen, but whoever comes in, I know they'll put their best foot forward for the team."

Whichever way Flanagan chooses to go, the Dragons will need to find fresh resolve after folding in the face of a second-half onslaught from the Dogs last week.

Injuries to Bird and Hame Sele unquestionably played a part, but Suli said his side need to show more steel when things don't go its way.

"The first half I thought we were right in it," Suli said.

"Then we hit adversity, lost two players, and just couldn't execute and that really hurts. It's something we've worked on a bit, just [how we're] facing adversity is a big one for us.

"Having players in the wrong position [is hard], but we've just got to execute at the end of the day.

"Just getting to the end of our sets is a big [focus]. We had a couple of errors there that were crucial for us and the Dogs scored a few points off it.

"We've watched our video on that, we're moving forward now and looking to the Panthers this week."