'Time to start playing my footy': Sloan ready to fight for No.1 jersey
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Ask Tyrell Sloan if he is tough enough to play NRL and the Dragons fullback replies: “Bra, I played [in the Koori] Knockout.
"If anyone can run out in the Knockout and play, that's tough footy”.
Yet after being fast-tracked into the top grade three seasons ago, Sloan admits he now needs to become more dependable in the role – particularly as St George Illawarra’s last line of defence.
New Dragons coach Shane Flanagan regularly uses Will Kennedy as a yardstick in conversations with Sloan and the 21-year-old is striving to play with the level of consistency the Sharks fullback has developed.
Like Kennedy, Sloan’s talents are obvious to most who know the game and have been recognised with his selection in the Indigenous All Stars and Prime Minister’s XIII teams.
Tyrell Sloan with with speed and composure
But regular defensive lapses – and a syndesmosis injury suffered at October’s Koori Knockout on the Central Coast – have the 21-year-old fighting to retain his No.1 jersey for the Round 1 clash with the Titans on March 9.
“It's something I do lack. I'll be honest, I do lack there,” a candid Sloan said of his defence.
“I do save tries too, though. There's moments there where I'm good, and there's moments there where I'm bad.
“You are your own worst critic and sometimes I come out of a tackle feeling for myself - and not just myself, but letting my team down.
“That's my main focus. I want to be that person that, if there's a line break, I can be depended on to make that tackle.”
Sloan saves the try
However, Sloan rejects suggestions he needs to bulk up – pointing out that size didn’t prevent Preston Campbell from winning a premiership and Dally M Medal.
What Sloan does admit is that he may have been elevated to the NRL ranks ahead of his time after initially signing with the Dragons on a development contract until the end of the 2022 season.
Instead, he made his NRL debut in 2021 and was promoted into the Dragons top 30 squad soon after.
“Last year was meant to be my first year in NRL. I'm not going to say I got rushed in but I did [debut] pretty early,” Sloan said.
“But now I feel like I've got the confidence to take it on, wherever that might be - whether that's fullback, wing or I could play five-eighth.
Tyrell Sloan scores a ripper on debut
“I've had three years in grade now and I feel like it's my time to start playing my footy. I want to play fullback but it's whatever's best for the team.
“We haven't been performing where we need to be for the last three years that I've been in grade. I really want to step up and make that position mine.”
Kennedy was someone who had to overcome similar criticism early in his career but is now regarded as one of the best fullbacks in the game and Sloan hopes to emulate the rise of the Cronulla star.
“I know Will pretty good, we've played in the All Stars together and Flanno’s brought him up a lot of times in our meetings that we’ve had,” Sloan said.
“He was similar to myself, but he’s now gone to that next level and is a consistent fullback at the Sharks.
“I’m not afraid of hard work. Look at my background - footy is easy. It's an escape for myself. There's a lot of harder things than footy – look at what's going on in the world at the moment.”
The Dapto Canaries junior is expected to begin running again on a G-force treadmill before Christmas and then hopes to be able to train fully in January after undergoing surgery for the ankle injury sustained in the Koori Knockout.
Sloan used the time off to have surgery for a troublesome thumb injury but is disappointed to be unable to fulfil an intense pre-season Flanagan had planned for him, including boxing training and work with a mental coach.
He admitted Flanagan was unhappy to learn his star fullback had been injured playing in the Koori Knockout but Sloan, a proud Wiradjuri man, is passionate about the tournament and representing his mob.
“We don’t do it for the footy, we do it for our community. That's what I want everyone to know,” Sloan said.
“There's a lot of teams that travel from the country that are 10-12 hours away to play and there’s a lot of kids that don't get to see NRL players.
“Even older men that are around my age, coming up against Latrell Mitchell or Josh Addo-Carr, they say ‘I got to tackle Foxx, I got to tackle Latrell.’
“I know there's a risk and reward and I'm first-hand [proof]; I'm injured from the knockout, but how it's set up right now is amazing.
"People just think it's black fellas, turning up to play footy and getting their head bashed in but there's a lot of doctors there.
“I went and saw the physios there straight after I did my ankle and it's set up how an NRL carnival will be set up. It's nothing different.
“The footy is a lot tougher. I’ll tell you that from experience; you get your head taken off. But it’s fun.
“The Knockout is massive already, but it's going to get bigger. Hopefully, Flanno lets me play next year.”
