Soward dropped by Dragons

Jamie Soward will miss St George’s must-win clash against the Roosters on Friday after being dropped by coach Steve Price.

Instead Price will stick with his makeshift half-back combination of Nathan Fien and Ben Hornby for the clash at Allianz Stadium.

Soward missed last week’s victory over Melbourne with back spasms and has been demoted to the Dragons’ NSW Cup feeder side Illawarra Cutters.

“We’ve been playing reasonably well over the last couple of weeks and I thought it was in the best interest of the team for this Friday night and I’ll reassess after that,” Price told the Dragons’ official website.

Price was also quick to dispell rumours of a rift between him and Soward.

“All the speculation and innuendo of what’s been said concerning Jamie Soward has been total lies,” said Price.

“I can honestly say that I have a great working relationship with Jamie and I’ve been honest and upfront with him from the outset.

“We still have big plans with Jamie for our club going forward but I made that decision with the best interests of the team that I stick with Ben Hornby and Nathan Fien this week.”