Junior Amone potential stand down won’t impact finals chances, say St George Illawarra Dragons teammates
Talatau Junior Amone’s Dragons teammates are adamant a potential stand down won’t impact the team’s finals hopes, as they look to make the post season for the first time since 2018.
Amone is currently trained with his teammates, but could yet be stood down under the NRL’s no-fault stand down policy after allegedly attacking a man with a hammer on the New South Wales South Coast last November.
The 20-year-old was ever-present in the Dragons’ line-up last season, making 24 appearances and scoring six tries.
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Despite the prospect of a stand down hanging over Amone and the team, veteran teammate Moses Mbye downplayed the impact of the off-field controversy.
“He’s been fine. There’s been no dramas,” he said.
“It’s not ideal, but it hasn’t affected us. We’ll address that (how the team copes without Amone) when we get there, we haven’t lost him.”
Blake Lawrie was another Dragon who downplayed the impact of the ongoing Amone saga, saying the club had “no excuses” not to make the finals in 2023.
“We’ve had our fair share of ups and downs over the last couple of years,” he said.
“We’ve got to go out there and get this club back to playing finals and give our fans what they deserve.”
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