Experienced prop David Klemmer is confident the future is bright at the St George Illawarra Dragons as he takes on a mentoring role for a talented crop of developing forwards.
The veteran joined the club last month after a mid-season switch and has been impressed by what he’s seen.
Klemmer’s arrival has provided much-needed experience and leadership to a young forward unit attempting to find their feet in the top flight.
While the results have not gone St George Illawarra’s way, the representative forward said the early growing pains will ultimately lead to long-term results.
“They’re playing first grade every week so they’ve got some big futures,” Klemmer told NRL.com. “They’ve got to keep working hard and keep doing what they’re doing. They’re good kids so they’ve got good heads on their shoulders.
“Dylan Egan’s been outstanding, so has Hamish [Stewart], Toby’s [Couchman] been awesome as well. They train at a high standard on the field and in the gym. These kids love their footy and they compete so they’ve been really good.”
While Ryan Couchman’s season was derailed by an ACL rupture in Round 1, Toby Couchman has continued to develop into a crucial figure in the Dragons pack.
Gerringong juniors Dylan Egan and Hamish Stewart have impressed in their NRL debuts over the past few weeks, while Loko Pasifiki Tonga seems destined to earn a call up to the top flight at some point this season.
The Dragons will field an unchanged side as they look to rebound from last week’s golden point loss to the Eels when they host the Titans at WIN Stadium on Friday night.
Des Hasler’s men came crashing back to earth with a 36-10 loss to the Dolphins in Round 5 and the coach has called for an immediate turnaround.
Captain Tino Fa’asuamaleaui will sit out the match after accepting a one-match suspension for a high tackle, with off-season recruit Reagan Campbell-Gillard set to take on a greater role alongside Origin forward and stand-in skipper Moeaki Fotuaika.
Klemmer is set to start for the second-straight week and he’s ready to take another step forward as he builds into the new season.
“I will do whatever the team needs,” he said. “I’m not going to shy away from it. I’ll keep working hard and doing my reps at training and getting used to the system.
“I just want to play consistent football and do my role for the side. Flanno’s brought me here and I want to make sure I’m doing the right things around training and setting the standards, coming in being respectful and consistent in all my areas. I’ve got to earn the trust from the boys and keep performing.”
It hasn’t taken long for Klemmer’s impact at the Dragons to be noticed, with veteran Jack de Belin immediately recognising the importance of another experienced head in the locker room.
De Belin vividly remembers breaking into the NRL squad as a 20-year-old in 2011 and looking up to an all-star cast of forwards.
Dean Young, Beau Scott, Ben Creagh and Michael Weyman took the youngster under their wing and helped him develop into a representative star.
It’s a future de Belin can see for the current crop of youngsters and he’s confident Klemmer will play a vital role in their development.
“Being a forward you don’t really come into your prime until your 26 or 27,” de Belin told NRL.com. “We’ve got a lot of forwards at the moment in their 20s so to have a few senior players there to lean on and learn the ropes from is good.
“I was lucky enough to have those senior players when I started, I had pretty much an Origin pack to learn of in 2011.”
