What's new
The Front Row Forums

Register a free account today to become a member of the world's largest Rugby League discussion forum! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Dragons - The New Super Club

Saint 60

Juniors
Messages
1,579
-lol- and if Bails was fit ---

i dont believe a word of it rofl


---------------------------------------------------
I love my backscratcher
shes near 50 but shes ok
 

Anonymous

Juniors
Messages
46
Dragons new super club
By Paul Kent
June 29, 2004

THERE is no doubt that the St George Illawarra players realise the potential of this Origin camp, and it goes beyond Origin football.

All six of them. More than a third of the team.

"Hopefully we can learn from it and take what we learn from here back to the Dragons camp as well," Mark Gasnier said shortly after arriving in camp, "and push for an NRL title."

The Dragons are on the cusp at the moment.

Either they are a good team on a terrific roll or, will anybody dare to say it, there is a new super team emerging.

Dragons chief executive Peter Doust believes the club has been building towards this season for a long time.

"We went through a very difficult time post the merger because we had to offload some players," he said.

"We're on the verge of doing something for a long period."

With six in this NSW team, the Dragons have been given an opportunity to fast track their education.

Origin football exposes a footballer to more than the 80-minute blast furnace of the game.

Over the next 10 days the Dragons players will sneak a peak at Danny Buderus's sleight of hand and spy on the subtleties of Brad Fittler. They will see the work ethic of Craig Fitzgibbon and the impact of Craig Wing and the athleticism of Luke Lewis and, when camp is over, they know they can take it all back to their club.

Trent Barrett is aware of the opportunity it brings.

"Just confidence-wise with Coops," he said, Matt Cooper the example.

"He'll be more comfortable having more of a leadership role in the club now. Gaz [Mark Gasnier] is the same.

"They will be more comfortable telling blokes what they think and what they have learned."

Barrett was saying only a few days ago how he and some other Dragons players had brought their Origin experiences back from camp to improve performance.

For example, having watched the way Andrew Johns pushes the up-tempo pace at training, moving along at a clip quicker than a game would be, the Dragons have adopted a similar strategy on their own training paddock this season.

The results of that are in the 52-12 win over Souths last Sunday and the 50-0 win over Wests Tigers the week before, and they flogged Penrith a week earlier.

The Dragons are emerging as the new power.

Only the Sydney Roosters can compete with them for brilliance at the moment, and latest form would have them ahead.

Look at the strengths.

Alongside Barrett, Cooper, Gasnier and Shaun Timmins are Jason Ryles and Brent Kite, while still at the club is the likes of Ben Hornby, Lance Thompson and Luke Bailey.

For so long St George Illawarra have been oncoming talent, unfulfilled talent, injured talent.

There was always a reason why they didn't quite make it.

But with the injured players back on deck and recent performances sending the club into the stratosphere, many are past talking potential.

"We have been building towards this for a few years," said Doust.

Before yesterday's squad was read out many believed that either Cooper or Gasnier would partner Matt Gidley in the centres.

"I thought me or Gaz, that's what I was thinking," Cooper said.

But they got both.

When Cooper was told he had been chosen, and Gasnier had as well, Cooper wasn't sure whether he was on the wing or in the centres.

"As soon as I got told I was in the centres I was even more happy," he said.

The Daily Telegraph
 

Rexxy

Coach
Messages
10,604
The article was actually a typo. It was meant to be about the range of sweets you can get in the Leagues Club coffee shop, during the hours of 10pm and 2am.

St George - The Supper Club
 

Latest posts

Top