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St George Illawarra will go in search of more hooking depth for next season with Andrew McCullough's NRL career edging closer to the end.
St George Illawarra wants more depth at dummy-half for next year with coach Anthony Griffin to tackle Andrew McCullough's future in the off-season.
McCullough's career has come under the spotlight in the past week, with suggestions the 32-year-old could retire with a year to run on his Dragons deal.
The Dragons' lack of depth in the position has become evident this year with Moses Mbye starting four games at dummy-half in the middle of the season.
The Saints missed out on the signature of Sam Verrills this week, leaving Jake Turpin as the best hooker left on the market.
It comes after the Dragons let Cowboys star Reece Robson go three years ago with Cameron McInnes in his way, only for Griffin to not re-sign McInnes on arriving at the club.
"Andrew has had a great year, he's been great for us over the past few years," Griffin said.
"(His future) is again something that is for after the season finishes.
"We definitely want to add some depth into that position. That's our plan."
Griffin also said Ben Hunt's future was a matter for the off-season, with the club's captain off contract at the end of 2023.
Hunt could theoretically shift to hooker long-term with Jayden Sullivan a rising playmaker, but the Maroons star is favourite for the Dally M playing at No.7 this year.
For now, Griffin's focus remains on the next month and the belief the Saints can still make finals.
The Dragons would need a minor miracle to return to the top eight in 2022 from here, requiring results to go their way and wins in their last four games.
Sunday's match against Canberra is crucial for both teams with the Raiders also desperately needing a win to avoid facing their own must-win scenario.
But working for the Dragons is what they have achieved against similar opposition this year.
The Saints have won seven of eight games against bottom-eight teams this year and have Canberra, Gold Coast and Wests Tigers in the next three weeks.
If they were to win all three of those and results go in their favour, a win against Brisbane in the final round could potentially be enough to qualify.
"Yeah, absolutely (we still believe)," Griffin said.
"We've got to get this win tomorrow. A lot can happen in a month.
"Obviously you would like to be in total control of your destiny, but anything is possible. We just need a strong performance tomorrow."
Griffin is expecting the drama surrounding Ricky Stuart's ban from the Raiders' coaching box this week to galvanise Canberra.
"What's happened this week, knowing the type of club they are and the type of coach Ricky is, it will probably make them harder to beat," Griffin said.
