Hamish Stewart touted as St George Illawarra Dragons’ future captain

Few people expect the Dragons to push for the title this year – even less expect them to beat Canterbury at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday [Sydney time] – but there are good times ahead if the likes of Stewart and Egan live up to their potential.

Stewart had the simple wish of playing one NRL game last year. He played 19, including an 80-minute effort out of position on an edge against Cronulla.

Not only does he feel more than comfortable around the NRL squad, he has had no issues speaking up at training and in team meetings.

“Last year I was nervous at training, and all I wanted to do was train and play well and show the guys what I had,” Stewart said.

“Now I’m in first grade, I enjoy training more, Gutho and Cooky do a lot of the talking, and the coaches want us to give them more help. They’ve said to me the boys respect me, I’m a natural talker, I should help out, so I’m trying to.”

Coach Shane Flanagan said of Stewart: “This year he’s still a rookie, but he’s more confident, he’s talking up a bit more in team meetings.

‘She played in Rio, Tokyo and Paris, but I went to none of them – I had to play footy.’

Hamish Stewart on missing his sister’s Olympic appearances

“I like his temperament, he’s calm, he knows his footy – he’s got a good footy IQ – and he just loves his footy.

“He’s one of those kids who could probably play 80 minutes in the middle, which is rare. But we won’t burn him early in the season [with minutes]. If we get an injury, we know we can rely on him to get those minutes out because of his motor.

“That [captaincy] is a fair way down the track, but he’s growing in that space.”

Such was the respect for Stewart that the Dragons quickly extended him through to the end of 2029, despite strong mail late last season the Sydney Roosters were circling.

Stewart grew up in Gerringong and claims he holds the unofficial record for most games as ballboy for the famous Group 7 side. The first suit he owned was the one given to him by the Dragons last year.

He loves his golf and featured in the winning group during the Dragons’ golf day in Vegas. The best thing was taking $100 off his good mate Egan. “And that was American dollars,” Stewart said.

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Mick Ennis has joined the Dragons’ coaching staff and said watching Stewart and Egan reminded him of a young Josh Jackson and Dale Finucane when they were at Canterbury. That pair went on to become NRL captains.

Others have compared Stewart to a younger version of Isaah Yeo because of his tall frame and the way he moves.

Egan was brought to Vegas to continue his recovery from a ruptured ACL and fulfil most of the local media commitments. He is expected back on the field in May.

Stewart is not the only talented sports star in his family. His oldest sister, Grace, played hockey at three Olympics.

“She played in Rio, Tokyo and Paris, but I went to none of them – I had to play footy,” Stewart said.

“I didn’t want to miss any game time for Gerringong or Illawarra.”

Stewart said he learned a lot from his No. 13 predecessor Jack de Belin. De Belin departed after more than a decade at the Dragons, but the club knew they had Stewart.

Cook, who is off contract at the end of the year but is eager to play on, knows Stewart could be anything. He quickly nominated Stewart when asked about what happens to the captaincy once he and Gutherson retire.

As for Stewart, Cook said: “He’s a good person for starters. He puts his best foot forward, he’s always training well, and he’s very coachable.

“A good trait of a leader is someone who listens well. He loves to take advice, he loves to listen, and he cares. They’re all great traits of a future leader.

“He’s been thrown into first grade quickly, he had a lot of game time, but he stood up to that challenge.

“You never want to put any pressure of putting that tag on him too early, but if you’re asking me for my honest opinion, like I said, I think he’d be a great future captain of the Dragons.”