Excited for Sele, Dufty and Lawrie

[Uplifting]

One of the best things to happen for the Dragons this season might be that 3 or 4 quality young players made it to first grade.

I'm hopeful that Sele, Lawrie and Dufty realise their potential and become quality FG players in 2018.

Big Luc and Feild might get there also. I think club is paying its talented juniors the opportunities they deserve

 

[Reddragon]

There's a new intern in Doust's office

 

[coast_dragons]

One of the best things to happen for the Dragons this season might be that 3 or 4 quality young players made it to first grade.

I'm hopeful that Sele, Lawrie and Dufty realise their potential and become quality FG players in 2018.

Big Luc and Feild might get there also. I think club is paying its talented juniors the opportunities they deserve

How dare you be positive about some fine young men.

See what happens when you do you get called an intern.

 

[Uplifting]

An intern? That's quite funny. I must admit I did sound a little too positive. I don't expect too many replies on this thread. Anyway, I hope these boys go great guns next season.

 

[Crush]

One of the best things to happen for the Dragons this season might be that 3 or 4 quality young players made it to first grade.

I'm hopeful that Sele, Lawrie and Dufty realise their potential and become quality FG players in 2018.

Big Luc and Feild might get there also. I think club is paying its talented juniors the opportunities they deserve

Nice to see a thread with a positive vibe about these youngsters. Let's hope they make it in the nrl next year and go on to become household names!

 

[denis preston]

One of the best things to happen for the Dragons this season might be that 3 or 4 quality young players made it to first grade.

I'm hopeful that Sele, Lawrie and Dufty realise their potential and become quality FG players in 2018.

Big Luc and Feild might get there also. I think club is paying its talented juniors the opportunities they deserve

Still got a feeling that Host could be the best of them all .people forget how young he is.

 

[ouryear]

One of the best things to happen for the Dragons this season might be that 3 or 4 quality young players made it to first grade.

I'm hopeful that Sele, Lawrie and Dufty realise their potential and become quality FG players in 2018.

Big Luc and Feild might get there also. I think club is paying its talented juniors the opportunities they deserve

I am with you....let's hope hey! I am sure we will see many good things from those guys.

Having Jimmy Graham and The Hunt man coming to us will help them too.

 

[redVinme]

Think with proper game time. Host could be a premier back rower. The others sure i can see a future for dufty if he continues upwards and sele has moments. I just cant get excited about lawrie. I know he is young but seems well off the pace to me

 

[BennyV]

Still got a feeling that Host could be the best of them all .people forget how young he is.

100% agree. Given the right game time (in his actual position) and development, Host could be anything...

 

[JDHD]

Still got a feeling that Host could be the best of them all .people forget how young he is.

Host reminds me of Jack De Belin when he was coming through. He just absolutely loves his footy. He'll take a few more years to reach his potential but he'll get there.

 

[JDHD]

Think with proper game time. Host could be a premier back rower. The others sure i can see a future for dufty if he continues upwards and sele has moments. I just cant get excited about lawrie. I know he is young but seems well off the pace to me

Front rowers don't normally develop properly until they've had two or three years of Grade. Lawrie's had, what, 6 games? He'll come good.

 

[dragonssamy61]

Host reminds me of Jack De Belin when he was coming through. He just absolutely loves his footy. He'll take a few more years to reach his potential but he'll get there.

Agree JDHD
Just needs more game time in his correct position and he will be a star.

 

[dragonssamy61]

Front rowers don't normally develop properly until they've had two or three years of Grade. Lawrie's had, what, 6 games? He'll come good.

I also think that lawrie will come good.
He will be a good solid frontrower in year to come.
Most forwards dont come near there potential untill they have had 50 to 60 nrl games under there belt.

 

[Life's Good]

One of the best things to happen for the Dragons this season might be that 3 or 4 quality young players made it to first grade.

I'm hopeful that Sele, Lawrie and Dufty realise their potential and become quality FG players in 2018.

Big Luc and Feild might get there also. I think club is paying its talented juniors the opportunities they deserve

Great post. I share your optimism.
Also, I have heard they are training the house down and so far it’s their toughest preseason ever!

 

[Old Timer]

All the young players mentioned have great potential.
Our coach has no idea whatsoever how to effectively teach them, prepare them, blood them or use them.
Anyone that thinks that these young men were used wisely and given a fair go in 2017 is IMHO sadly mistaken.
The use of Host is a typical example of the flaws within our system. He gets some game time, then is dropped only so another player can also get some game time which is ridiculous and this selection policy cannot do anything for confidence.
Instead of blooding one player really well and getting them truly ready for the rigours of NRL we had 3 or 4 players partly blooded and as such under prepared especially at a crucial stage of the season.
We are all still waiting to see the realisation of the potential the youngsters and that position is now made worse with the signing of Latimore because all these young players need as much time on the paddock as they can possibly get and don't need to spending time one the bench in reggies at the expense of a 31 year old plodder.

 

[Uplifting]

OT I have to agree with your point doubting the coaching staffs ability prepping/managing our young players. However the current state is an improvement on past years when it seemed it didn't matter what a player did in the lower grades, they'd be overlooked in favour of older players from outside.

Graham and Latimore joining the club is evidence that the club still finds reassurance in experienced players out there. Personally I'd assume Friz, Vaughan, JDB and Sims are more than capable of leading the younger boys. True it's important to make available some permanent spots in the team for some of those players mentioned in this thread.

All the young players mentioned have great potential.
Our coach has no idea whatsoever how to effectively teach them, prepare them, blood them or use them.
Anyone that thinks that these young men were used wisely and given a fair go in 2017 is IMHO sadly mistaken.
The use of Host is a typical example of the flaws within our system. He gets some game time, then is dropped only so another player can also get some game time which is ridiculous and this selection policy cannot do anything for confidence.
Instead of blooding one player really well and getting them truly ready for the rigours of NRL we had 3 or 4 players partly blooded and as such under prepared especially at a crucial stage of the season.
We are all still waiting to see the realisation of the potential the youngsters and that position is now made worse with the signing of Latimore because all these young players need as much time on the paddock as they can possibly get and don't need to spending time one the bench in reggies at the expense of a 31 year old plodder.

 

[Old Timer]

OT I have to agree with your point doubting the coaching staffs ability prepping/managing our young players. However the current state is an improvement on past years when it seemed it didn't matter what a player did in the lower grades, they'd be overlooked in favour of older players from outside.

Graham and Latimore joining the club is evidence that the club still finds reassurance in experienced players out there. Personally I'd assume Friz, Vaughan, JDB and Sims are more than capable of leading the younger boys. True it's important to make available some permanent spots in the team for some of those players mentioned in this thread.

One of the issues is that people like your good self keep referring to it as an improvement on previous years.
IMO that is the wrong way to reflect on the situation.
We must always try to compare with best practise for the outcomes we achieve and in that regard we fail miserably.
The outcomes achieved by clubs that are contenders with players < 22 years of age are light years in front of the dinosaur approach we take with young players.

 

[Belta]

Um imagine this scenario, the sweepers are put through the club, we keep Vaughan and Friz, and fill the rest with youngsters, Kerr, Lawrie, Host, Sele, Hind, and so on

Do the same in the backline, see ya nighty, never sign Lafai or MacDonald, and so on

Inititially we compete with Newcastle for the spoon and the fans go into melt down, fast forward a season or two and these twenty somethings are now experienced, hardened first graders ... Now we are right up there, are financially sound ...

Short term sacrifice = long term gain

Very basic principle I know but when we look at the last six or seven years it may not be as ludicrous as it first sounds

 

[Life's Good]

Um imagine this scenario, the sweepers are put through the club, we keep Vaughan and Friz, and fill the rest with youngsters, Kerr, Lawrie, Host, Sele, Hind, and so on

Do the same in the backline, see ya nighty, never sign Lafai or MacDonald, and so on

Inititially we compete with Newcastle for the spoon and the fans go into melt down, fast forward a season or two and these twenty somethings are now experienced, hardened first graders ... Now we are right up there, are financially sound ...

Short term sacrifice = long term gain

Very basic principle I know but when we look at the last six or seven years it may not be as ludicrous as it first sounds

I have to disagree on this. We have the makings of a good side that is hindered by a poor coach. To want to clean out players and start from scratch, so to speak, isn’t what is needed. Our situation isn’t complicated except for those in the position to make the decisions, our club administration.

 

[Uplifting]

Belta you make your point very well about how to orchestrate long term gains. Exactly the opposite is adopted when clubs like the Dragons recruit simply to cover for the chance that a couple of players will be unavailable for potentially three club games due to SOO duties next year.

Enter OT's point about these guys naturally being picked ahead of the young guys all year - not just during SOO.