St. George Illawarra Dragons have knocked back Luciano Leilua’s request for an immediate release, keeping the forward at the club until the end of the current campaign. He will not be leaving before the end of the 2026 NRL season.
The decision matters now because the NRL’s June 30 deadline for player movements is closing in, and Leilua had sought a move before that point. The Dragons’ refusal means he stays on their books for the rest of the season, even though the club is already working through a broader roster reset for 2027.
Leilua’s push for an early exit came after a short return to reserve grade last week, when he dropped back to the NSW Cup on his own request after struggling to play big minutes in the NRL. That return produced a strong response on the field, but it did not change the club’s view that he should remain in place until his contract runs out.
The move sits alongside a series of other decisions that show where the Dragons are headed next. The club has already locked up Scott Drinkwater, Luke Metcalf, Phillip Sami, Keaon Koloaamtangi and Connor Watson for 2027, has been linked to Shawn Blore, and has a group of six first-grade ready young forwards in Toby Couchman, Ryan Couchman, Hamish Stewart, Dylan Egan, Loko Pasifiki Tonga and Jacob Halangahu.
There is also movement elsewhere in the squad. Damien Cook is a confirmed departure, Moses Suli has been told he is free to go, and the Dragons are still without a fulltime coach for 2027 after Shane Flanagan was axed earlier this year. Against that backdrop, Leilua’s request looked less like a one-off and more like another sign of a roster being pulled in different directions.
That is why the contradiction around Leilua stands out. Last week he said he would love to stay at the Dragons and that he had not really spoken to anyone at that stage, but this week he is understood to have asked for an immediate release. For now, the club has the final say, and Leilua’s next real option is to keep playing out the season while he remains free to actively negotiate his future for next year away from the Dragons.
