Greek Australian young gun Nick Tsougranis will make his NRL debut for the St George Illawarra Dragons tonight as they take on rivals Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the southern Sydney derby at Sharks Stadium.
Tsougranis steps in at centre, replacing Val Holmes, in a match that marks a crucial Round 15 clash for both sides.
The Sharks, sitting fifth, are looking to rebound from a loss to the Warriors and cement their top-eight spot. The Dragons, in 11th place but level on points with the seventh-placed Dolphins, will also be seeking a return to form after a defeat to the Dolphins.
The Sharks have dominated recent meetings, winning the past nine straight and 11 of the last 12 encounters. St George Illawarra haven’t won at Sharks Stadium since 2018.
A local St George junior who rose through the club’s ranks, Tsougranis has overcome multiple injuries this season to earn his spot.
The 20-year-old centre has impressed in the NSW Cup with five tries, 111 average run metres, and a 91.2% tackle efficiency across 11 games.
In a heartfelt video shared by the club after his debut was announced, Tsougranis’ dad expressed pride in his son’s achievement: “Nick started [playing] as a 4-year-old kid… the fact he gets to play NRL for a club that my family and a lot of our friends have idolised our whole lifetimes makes it even all that more special.”
Tsougranis added: “I’ve been wanting to do this before I could even talk… I’d like to thank my parents, they’ve made endless sacrifices to get me where I am today. I can’t wait to represent our name on the biggest stage.”
The match kicks off at 7:50pm tonight and will be broadcast on Nine, Nine Now, Kayo and Foxtel.
