Catalans Dragons set for more departures as they aim to build side “twice as strong” as rivals

Catalans Dragons are one of the great success stories in Super League history.

They joined the competition back in 2006 and by 2008 were finishing third in the table. In 2009, they were making the Super League semi-finals before a fourth place finish in 2012.

A while after this they slipped into the wilderness a touch but Steve McNamara has pulled them out winning the Challenge Cup in 2018, finishing fourth in 2020 and winning the League Leaders’ Shield last year.

2021 also yielded a first Grand Final appearance for the club justification for owner Bernard Guasch who has put so much time and effort into establishing the Dragons as a force in Super League.

However, 2022 was a backwards step for the Dragons rather than a season in which they finally claimed the Super League crown as many had hoped.

Not helped by injuries and suspensions, the Dragons slipped to fourth and were beaten in the play-offs by Leeds Rhinos falling at the first hurdle.

This has resulted in the club undergoing some major changes in the last few weeks with the departures of Dean Whare, Samisoni Langi, Benjamin Garcia, Mathieu Cozza, Corentin Le Cam and Romain Franco all being confirmed taking the Dragons to a total of nine outgoings after the moves of Sam Kasiano, Gil Dudson and Joe Chan had already been confirmed.

However, the moves away from Catalans will not end there with L’Independent and Treize Mondial reporting that up to 12 players could leave the Dragons this year with Guasch saying in L’Independent that he wants to build a side “twice as strong” as his Super League rivals seeing this as the only way to the Super League title he craves.

He said: “There will be between ten and twelve. At some point, it’s part of the end of the cycle. To win the Super League you have to be twice as strong as the others. I understood that. So we will try to set up a team to be twice as strong as the others. And if we can’t do it, when I’m fed up and I’ll pull back the curtain. I put the gum back in 2023, a sports director starts on October 1st. He has restructured the ASM club for 19 years.”

The Dragons, as Guasch referenced, have appointed a sporting director as the Dragons look to refresh what is indeed a talented squad as they look to right the wrongs of 2022 and return to the highs of 2021.