Clint Gutherson Supports St George Illawarra’s Move for Scott Drinkwater
Clint Gutherson has expressed his full support for St George Illawarra’s pursuit of Scott Drinkwater, the North Queensland fullback. He has even stated that he is willing to change positions to make room for the new signing.
Gutherson took the opportunity to defend under-fire coach Shane Flanagan after the Dragons’ loss to Manly on Friday night. He also acknowledged that criticism directed at the club’s senior players was justified.
This comes as second-rower Jaydn Su’A hinted to teammates that he may leave the club at the end of the season, with Parramatta being a strong contender to sign him.
In further bad news for the Dragons, centre Moses Suli is expected to miss at least the next two games before the bye due to a fractured eye socket sustained in the loss to Manly. However, winger Christian Tuipulotu has made a positive recovery from a knee hyperextension and is a potential candidate to face South Sydney next week.
Gutherson, currently sidelined with a hamstring injury, chose to address the media on Friday night to ease the pressure on his teammates following the club’s sixth consecutive loss in 2026.
The 31-year-old co-captain had previously indicated that he was fine with the Dragons pursuing Trai Fuller as fullback for the remainder of the year, although those discussions did not materialise.
Drinkwater, the Cowboys’ fullback, is now the latest target for the Dragons, having received permission from North Queensland to explore other opportunities.
Gutherson has spent most of his career playing fullback and remains signed with the Dragons for next year. However, when asked about his stance on Drinkwater joining the team, Gutherson was clear in his support.
“One hundred per cent (I hope Drinkwater joins). He’s a high-quality player and you need those type of players,” Gutherson said.
“I want to win. We all want to win, we want to be better. We want to have a better squad, and if … that’s a fullback, then I’m all for it.
“I’ve always said in my whole career, I’ll play wherever and it doesn’t bother me.”
This is not the first time that Gutherson has been willing to switch positions for the benefit of the club. Last year, he moved into a different role when the Eels signed Isaiah Iongi as their new No.1.
“How I play doesn’t really matter where I am on the field, I sort of just go about my game,” Gutherson said.
“Hopefully I don’t get another tap on the shoulder like I did with Iongi.
“You just want to have the strongest squad, the strongest players, and then you just fit in.
“Whatever they’re working on, hopefully it all comes true and we can add a player of that calibre to our team.”
The Dragons’ 28-18 loss to Manly has once again placed Flanagan’s future in doubt, with the Red V’s losing streak now at 10 games since last year. However, there were signs of improvement during the match.
Damien Cook also insisted that Flanagan was not the issue, suggesting that the rope was too short for NRL coaches these days.
“I think Damo’s nailed it on the head there,” Gutherson said.
“Bar one game we’ve been in every fight.
“We’re not getting the results, but we’re all behind closed doors on the same page. We’re all trying to play for him, all the coaching staff, all the players.”
The scrutiny on Flanagan has also extended to the Dragons’ senior players, given that he has brought in Gutherson, Cook, and Valentine Holmes to the club in recent years.
When asked if this criticism was fair, Gutherson admitted that it was.
“Definitely. In this game you always get criticised when you’re not winning and a lot of us older boys take it personally,” he said.
“We’ve been around the game long enough to know when we’re playing well.
“We know the standard we want to live to and I speak for not just me but the whole senior group.”
