Cricket
Racing
Rugby
League
Motorsport
Football
Golf
Combat Sports
Basketball
Tennis
Other Sports
Sport Nation
Molo still a no-show at training as Dragons enquire about their options
SEN • February 14th, 2025 1:05 pm
Negotiations between Francis Molo and the St George Illawarra Dragons continue to stall despite senior club officials meeting with the NRL to resolve the situation.
Molo has not attended training in a month and is wanting an immediate release from his contract despite inking a contract extension nine months prior.
The tension between the two parties reportedly stems from a disagreement between Molo and a member of the club’s coaching staff but The Daily Telegraph’s Michael Carayannis believes there is no resolution in sight.
“It’s a mess,” Carayannis told SEN 1170 Breakfast.
“It sums it up perfectly. He still refuses to attend training.
“Coach Shane Flanagan and CEO Ryan Webb met with the NRL (on Thursday) to try and get some clarity and how this will all play out.
“The Dragons don’t want to release Francis Molo from his contract because that’s exactly what he wants to happen.
“The Dragons were also wondering about the salary cap ramifications for a player who is simply not turning up.
“Molo has sick leave at the moment but that will end at some point. There is no clarity of how this will play out for the Dragons.
“As Flangan has said and we have been saying for the last few weeks, Francis Molo has most likely played his final game for the club.”
NZ Warriors opt for co-captains in 2025 | Running It Straight
Molo has played 62 games for the Dragons since joining the club from the Cowboys in 2022.
SEN’s Andrew Voss asked whether Molo was worth fighting to retain given his supposed $600k price tag and lack of match winning performances.
Due to the Dragons’ lack of fire power in their forward stocks, Carayannis argued that the Dragons were right to persist with keeping Molo at the club.
“I think to the Dragons, he is worth it,” Carayannis responded.
“The Dragons have just signed Emre Guler which is important for them but Flanagan has said that (Molo) is their number one prop.
“It’s gone too far now and they’ve gone beyond. You won’t be able to repair this relationship but for the Dragons, you are now trying to work out the best outcome.
“You can’t compare this to Ben Hunt or Zac Lomax because they both had conversations during the season and they also both performed really well.
“(Those releases) were mutual agreement whereas this is a player who said he won’t turn up to training.”
Molo has not been named in the Dragons’ pre-season side against the Roosters on Sunday and it is uncertain whether he will feature in the Round 1 clash against the Bulldogs on March 8.
