Two days after Matthieu Laguerre, the Catalans Dragons extended the contract of pillar Jordan Dezaria on Thursday. At 25, the player is chaining the match sheets, forcing the club to quickly ensure its future in blood and gold despite the sweet dream of greener grass in England.
The difficult digestion of the scheduled departure of one of the darlings of the public of Gilbert-Brutus, Sam Kasiano towards Warrington, associated with that of Gil Dudson, questions and worries the supporters of the Dracs. “Big Sam” slammed the door of negotiations, preferring to secure another year at Wolves.
The blood and gold had to react… and quickly. It’s done with the extension of Jordan Dezaria for two seasons (end of 2024).
The native of the Vaucluse city of Saint-Ruff in Avignon, of a Martinican mother and a Congolese father, caught the eye of British radars and their agents. With ten match sheets this season out of the thirteen disputed (three suspension matches), the one who had as first coach at the SOA Rugby School, Robert Goudemand (the father of the third line Mickaël), asserts himself and confirms .
Despite too little playing time (nineteen minutes at Hull KR), the father of the family has made a place for himself around Bousquet, Napa, Kasiano and Goudemand, even taking the place of Gil Dudson from time to time.
After debuting in SL in 2016 (a match against Warrington), then four more in 2017, the temperamental player then wanted to look elsewhere. Leigh, loans to Workington and Oldham, then the TO in 2019, before returning to the reserve team of Saint-Estève in the fall of 2020.
Today, Jordan Dezaria has understood that the sirens from England were not necessarily in his interest. “I know what I have at the Dragons today. This club gave me my chance in 2016, then gave me my chance again in 2021. Leaving now, when I have the confidence of the coaches, that I feel good in this team and with my teammates was not a good option”, reacts the competitor who adds: “It’s a pride to wear this jersey. Now I want to continue to progress individually and win titles. I feel that this is where I can do it.”
To date, the Catalans Dragons have already extended the contracts of four players (McMeeken, Tomkins, Laguerre and Dezaria), leaving three other players to try their luck elsewhere (Chan, Kasiano, Dudson).
Matthieu Laguerre and Jordan Dezaria had the possibility of looking elsewhere, hence the negotiations quickly activated. Steve McNamara and Alex Chan therefore led the discussions effectively. “We are very happy with the progress of Jordan Dezaria. He is a player who always wants to improve and I know he will play an important role in the development of the team in the years to come”said coach McNamara who returns from England this Friday after five days spent with the family in Hull.
Jordan Dezaria now hopes to follow in the footsteps of Julian Bousquet who took over from Casty, Guisset, Élima, Fakir and Ferriol. Yes, the Dragons have always had “benchmark” French props. It has always been the DNA of this club. Tomorrow, perhaps it will be the turn of Cozza, Vailhen, Salabio? Few elected to this post so exposed and which holds the keys to the battle every weekend.
The time has now come for Jordan Dezaria to assert himself, to inflate his playing time and to shake up the hierarchy again, taking the place of Sam Kasiano and Gil Dudson, before the arrival of the pillar Siosiua Taukeiaho (2023). All the stakes of a second part of the season for Jordan Dezaria who has the cards in hand to pass in front of his teammates and finally take the balls he needs in the middle.
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