McGregor confident these Dragons won't run out of puff
Christian NicolussiUpdated14 July 2018 — 6:12pmfirst published at 6:00pm
Rugby League
Paul McGregor was in his lounge room watching Origin III when a fired-up Tariq Sims jumped to his feet in anger and crash-tackled his little St George Illawarra teammate Ben Hunt.
McGregor's teenage son, Kade, asked the old man what was going on.
Are they going to be all right'?,'' Kade asked.
"Of course they will be, son,'' Mary fired back. "It's Origin. It's state versus state, mate versus mate.''
If there was one NRL coach relieved more than most the Origin period finally came to a close this week, it was McGregor.
The man known as "Mary" had his beloved Dragons sitting nicely on top of the NRL ladder when that dreaded representative season rolled into town.
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When the Origin players arrived for the captain's run on Saturday, it was just the fifth time in 29 days the team had all been together.
McGregor must have been tempted to hand out a few name cards.
"The last time they all trained after an Origin, all they wanted to do was talk and catch up,'' McGregor says.
Origin hangovers are nothing new. But you have to wonder how flat a few of the Dragons will be, especially given there were a number of first-timers involved in the series, such as baby Blues Jack de Belin, Paul Vaughan and Sims.
Ben Hunt also came under heavy fire for one dud kick in game two, which cost him the Maroons No. 7 jersey.
Plenty of rival fans are waiting for the Dragons to run out of puff. You can usually set your watch by the Dragons choking.
They did last year when they lost six of their last nine games.
In 2016 they dropped seven of their last nine.
But McGregor rattled off some good reasons as to why this year there will be different.
For starters, they are a lot better placed on the ladder.
Leading into the corresponding round last year, the Dragons had nine wins and seven losses, compared to their 12-4 record this season.
The pressure of making the eight is not there.
A top-four finish – not the minor premiership – remains the Dragons key goal.
There have also been changes to key personnel. The personnel McGregor wanted.
English hard man James Graham knows all about finals football.
So does Hunt.
McGregor also knows what to expect when the whips start cracking.
The Origin experience, some believe, may have McGregor's players mentally fatigued, but it can also provide them with plenty of confidence back in club land.
"I feel playing at that level and on that stage, and knowing you can handle it, it gives you confidence and a belief you can do anything,'' McGregor says.
"When you come back from Origin you need to prove to people why you are an Origin player, and that's important as well.
"It's a real win for the players, but a win for us as a club.
"My players got a good taste of Origin, but didn't play big minutes and go through the wear and tear like some of the other players.''
At this point McGregor pauses and starts sifting through some notes, the kind of ones he's always got tucked under his arm when arriving for any post-match press conference.
"I've got the average minutes each player played through the series here somewhere,'' McGregor says.
'''Friz' [Tyson Frizell] averaged 58 minutes. 'Jacko' [de Belin] reached 46 minutes. [Paul] Vaughan averaged 27 minutes.
"They haven't played big minutes.
"How they back up is an unknown for a lot of the guys because they haven't played at that level before.
"But we won't be using Origin as a cop-out.
"Aside from the Denver Test, we knew all about the calendar before a ball had been kicked off.
"Teams have won grand finals with a high representation in Origin. It won't be an excuse.
"A lot of my players were chosen in the first place because of their physical and mental strength, and the fact they were the form players in the competition.
"The challenge will be playing the consistent footy like they did at the start of the season.''
If any of the Origin boys feel the pinch, it will be Hunt.
Because he lost his starting halfback spot and was hammered for one lousy kick at a crucial stage in Sydney.
McGregor had already defended Hunt after game two. It evoked memories of Sydney Roosters counterpart Trent Robinson who did likewise for Mitchell Pearce when he was heavily criticised after an Origin series loss 12 months ago.
"We're talking about a kid who didn't execute a kick,'' McGregor says. "I know what Ben brings to this footy team. I don't need to be convinced by anybody outside our four walls about what he does or doesn't bring to our team.
"Ben got selected in Origin I because he was the form halfback in the competition.
"I've got no doubts in my mind Ben will come back and play strongly for us.
"I've spoken to Ben. Social media and the coverage of the game today and the expectations on players, it's higher than ever before.
"Players just need to look after the stuff they can control.''
The other key reason the Dragons are better equipped this season has to do with performances. In a nutshell, McGregor says, there was a smaller gap between his side's best and worst.
Their last-start loss to Melbourne was one of their worst, but they were without their Origin stars, lost back-rower Jacob Host early and the inspirational Graham for the final 15 damaging minutes.
"We've played quality football this year, but not the kind of football we can't maintain,'' McGregor says.
"Last year we were inconsistent and there was a big gap between our best and worst performances. The gap is not as big this year. We've maintained higher standards this year, regardless of the opposition in front of us.''
On paper, the Dragons have a fairly decent run home. The Roosters and Warriors are the only top-eight teams they face.
The Tigers, however, have troubled teams and welcome back one player McGregor had a huge respect for – Benji Marshall.
"He's got excitement in his game and he's playing with passion, and that's a healthy mix for an experienced player,'' McGregor says.
These Dragons won't run out of puff.
Of course they won't, son.
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/mc...ns-won-t-run-out-of-puff-20180713-p4zrej.html
