St George Illawarra Dragons five-eighths Jayden Sullivan welcomes South Sydney Rabbitohs rival Latrell Mitchell

“I will support [Amone] through everything thick and thin,” Sullivan said. “We were in the trenches together and this stuff will sort itself out. As long as I’m there for my buddy and support him with whatever he or his family needs, that’s my job at the moment.

“There is no denying the club have been supportive of Sloany and I and they have placed a lot of trust in me and shown me a lot of respect. I feel like it’s now my turn to do that. They gave me everything and gave me the opportunity to play NRL. The ball is now in my hands and I have to take revenge.”

Hunt warned against putting too much pressure on young Dragons players like Sullivan and Sloan (20) before Anthony Griffin’s side begin their campaign against the Titans in Kogarah. St. George Illawarra had a bye in the opening round.

“Young 18 and 19 year olds come along and they do little highlights with a good tune or two and everyone’s excited, the media, the fans say they’re the next big thing,” Hunt said. “They say, ‘He’s going to be Sonny Bill or Benji Marshall.’

“But I think it’s really tough for young people. I think it really bloats her and puts too many expectations on her when things don’t go to plan. Everything can change very quickly with them. It’s really unfair.

Loading

“You want to play these guys but I can understand the coaching staff really wanting to develop them. You don’t want to throw them to the wolves right away. It’s a real balancing act.

“I’ve been working really hard with Sloany and Sully this preseason to improve little bits of their game.”

Stream the NRL Premiership 2023 live for free 9Now.

Sports news, scores and expert commentary. Sign up for our sports newsletter.