How to Fix Dragons

[ALSGI]

Ensure every member of the Board, Management and coaching staff have aspirational, achievable, measurable performance targets which their futures are dependant upon.

Develop a style of play and game plans that utilise the skillset of the current players, not try to change the players style of play to fit a game plan.

If there is a skill set that's needed that doesn't exist to required level within the club then plan how to recruit it and execute the plan.

Be prepared to demote players or move players on that are not performing. This especially applies to senior players who are not delivering what is needed.

Select an inspirational, passionate player to lead and personally I wouldn't pick the game manager as the captain. Pick the player who is the competitor.

Ensure that the best players in the club are in first grade. If they are the quickest or youngest great but if the best player is older then the younger player will have to improve and dislodge them.

Train for game management, if you can't keep the pressure on its very hard to win. There are natural game managers but it is something that can be learned. Part of this equation is structure, knowing the outcomes you are trying to achieve with that structure and knowing when to play what's in front of you.

Don't necessarily copy what other teams are doing. Understand what they are doing but do what suits your team best.

Good post mate, we're f**ked then.

 

[Carlton]

Good post mate, we're f**ked then.

My fear is I think you are right.

I can't see the first point being implemented which, means the rest is not going to happen.

Just as an aside, I don't understand the financial problems we supposedly have. The Leagues club only contributes $500,000 to the football club, the Leagues club still made $2.5 million profit last year, Illawarra Leagues club didn't make a loss. The net value of the St George Leagues club according to their balance sheet is over $45 million which does not include a higher current market valuation of the land. The Illawarra Leagues Club has a net value of $5 million? I can't remember exactly but that is after taking into account the WIN loan. As I have not been able to find any accounts for the Football club, I don't know what its financial position is, and I believe that this is where any NRL loan must be held as I can't see it in the Leagues club financial statements.

What I am trying to get at is, there is a lot of equity that could be used more effectively than what it has been and the worry is the club is worth more as a property development than it is as a club. My fear for a long time is that the club is an ideal target for relocation as it has a large geographically diverse supporter base and do not have a home field anymore.

 

[Old Kogarah Boy 1]

......................................

. .........My fear for a long time is that the club is an ideal target for relocation as it has a large geographically diverse supporter base and do not have a home field anymore.

Have no fear my friend.

Were no chance for relocation.
We currently cover two areas with two home grounds.
We don't need a third.
Truth is, we should by right absorb Cronulla Sutherland to form one complete joining area.

To quote Peter Gow ( ex Sharks CEO at the time ) "............ we can accommodate them but we can't promise to use their colours, badge or name in any form."

If push came to shove, we, being the surrounding area as a whole to Cronulla must surely absorb them, not the other way round.

Happy days ahead, people!

 

[Dragon Revival]

Unfortunately most Clubs have alternate plans. All that we have is Plan A with no alternatives in case it fails. We have certain deficiencies:-
Poor defence in the three quarter line.
Poor passing game
Poor tactical kicking
No speed on the wings
Inadequate support in the forwards for
Vaughan, De Belin, Frizell, Thompson and Mc Innes.
No competitive spirit or pride
Poor leadership on the field
No spark in the halves
Bad use of the bench
I would suggest that we drop MacDonald who is error ridden and replace him with Dufty or Mann who could also be in half-back contention as Mc Crone is useless. We need size in the forwards and Host and Hind should be given game time. Marketo and Matthews should be last choice. I would make De Belin and Widdop Joint Captains.

 

[BennyV]

Sack myself.

 

[ALSGI]

Sack myself.

Yep, thought that was coming but Hornby or Young would take over and ......

 

[Dragons 09]

Perhaps a coaching coordinator as the present dope seems to have no idea.
Don't know who though as there don't appear to be many around.
Elliott maybe.
CC

If we have to stick with the impostor for the next 2 years then a coaching coordinator/football operations manager would definitely be the way to go. Needs to be someone completely removed from the club, first call i would make would be Graham Lowe.

 

[Carlton]

Have no fear my friend.

Were no chance for relocation.
We currently cover two areas with two home grounds.
We don't need a third.
Truth is, we should by right absorb Cronulla Sutherland to form one complete joining area.

To quote Peter Gow ( ex Sharks CEO at the time ) "............ we can accommodate them but we can't promise to use their colours, badge or name in any form."

If push came to shove, we, being the surrounding area as a whole to Cronulla must surely absorb them, not the other way round.

Happy days ahead, people!

I love your optimism but when the club is worth more dissolved than it is as a going concern listen to the alarm bells. This is exactly the scenario that has happened to any number of clubs that owned land, had a low return from operations and vested interests saw the chance for a quick profit from the closure.

If we relocated it wouldn't be three home grounds it would be one and right at the moment the Sharks are the strongest club in the area with the most secure future. They just stretch their elbows and take in the areas either side of them, voila Southern Sydney Sharks.

 

[2010]

In my opinion Doust and Millwit are making all the decisions and probably do not include Mary in decisions that affect the team.
I doubt there is one coach in the league who doesn't have sway over recruitment.
That is the first thing that needs looking at. I'm sure Cleary at the Tigers has or is picking the players who have been recruited.
Bottom line is that all positions, including the coach should be declared vacant and call for applicants to fill those three positions. I don't think this could be done until the season is over. I don't know who would oversea the recruitment.
Just as important is the transition of our Juniors through to first grade. We are just about at the half way point of the season and the use of our young guns has been a disgrace.
We will need some speedy players next season to work with Hunt next year and also replace Dugan.
Has Dufty or Field had any decent time this season in the fullback position. If we don't give them and a few others we are kidding ourselves they will remain with the Saints if there is no pathway for them.
We are in a enviable position where we have quite a few Juniors who could make first grade next season and with Hunt we could be if handled correctly quite a few years as premiership favourites.
Management needs to closly look at a plan to achieve this.
These are just my thoughts

 

[Bests Golden Boots]

I think we should sack the coach.
Perhaps appoint a new one, someone from inside the club, an assistant, or maybe an ex player who has recently played for the club, someone who knows the Dragons culture.

How badly could that end?

 

[Saintsified]

PETER DOUST

PROBLEM SOLVED

 

[coast_dragons]

Its simple really the culture of the club stinks.

The board don't seem to have any idea what direction to take the club they fumble from one mistake to another.

Hiring ex players is all well and good when it comes to loyalty but how far does that stretch when those people have no idea what they are doing and honestly should not be entitled to anything.

How on earth can any junior see a future at the club when the person in charge of recruiting isn't on the same page as the coach.

McGregor for some reason refuses to take a gamble or make plans for the future and the question is why and there lies the problem.

He is a bullshit artist who thinks people believe his lies a spin dr of the highest order.

Aslong as the same individuals run the club nothing will change they are afraid to admit they are wrong.

 

[JDHD]

I love your optimism but when the club is worth more dissolved than it is as a going concern listen to the alarm bells. This is exactly the scenario that has happened to any number of clubs that owned land, had a low return from operations and vested interests saw the chance for a quick profit from the closure.

If we relocated it wouldn't be three home grounds it would be one and right at the moment the Sharks are the strongest club in the area with the most secure future. They just stretch their elbows and take in the areas either side of them, voila Southern Sydney Sharks.

The Illawarra is too large an area with a booming population for the NRL to risk losing. The only risk is th St George side of the merger getting binned and the Steelers being reinstated

 

[hewi]

An interesting read from the St Kilda supporters page, they also have been struggling these last 5 weeks.

Jack Steele responded emphatically on the weekend. Josh Bruce has made a splash since he returned. Jack Sinclair has returned a different player. Luke Dunstan and Jack Lonie are two others who have responded after forcing their way back in.

All five have been dropped at some stage in 2017, some on more than one occasion. But all five have roared back to life upon return.

It's an area where Alan Richardson and the match committee at Linen House Centre have experienced success this season: sending players back to Sandringham to find form and bringing them back in with form and a capacity to make an impact.

Speaking on his weekly slot on Fox Footy on Monday night, Richardson provided an insight into how coaches use their reserves as an avenue to turn players’ form around when they are in a performance slump.

“That’s coaching and I don’t think it works unless you have constant communication and let people know where they sit and how they are travelling,” Richardson said on AFL 360.

Quizzed on the turnaround in form by key forward Josh Bruce, who was sent back to Sandringham for three weeks before returning full of confidence a month ago, Richardson said dropping players was all about getting them back to their best.

“‘Brucey’ was a really interesting one. ‘With Brucey’ it is never effort or energy or commitment to his footy club or teammates with respect to his preparation, he is as good as there is, he just wasn’t in good form,” Richardson said.

“It was a relatively easy conversation from my end, it certainly wasn’t one that he wanted to hear.

“He embraced it, he went back, certainly his form early wasn’t great in the VFL but his last one was a really positive one and he’s been able to continue that.”

 

[Crush]

Take the shackles off.
As OT said, never take the 2 unless final stages of game.
Stop being so afraid of losing and start playing to win. If they lose playing attacking footy so be it. Taking the 2 kills me.

 

[coast_dragons]

Taking the 2 is a stat filler for Widdop.

If he is being told to take the 2 then thats stupid.

 

[possm]

I doubt the Dragons off-field problems will be solved until the Club finds a buyer. In my opinion Doust and his mates do not want to find a buyer, mainly because from their point of view things are going fine, they maintain control.

In my opinion on-field problems could be addressed and possibly solved by doing the following:

A. Recruitment and Pathways
On-field performance is being limited by the mess created under the new re-structure. It is madness to not give the Head Coach a major say in the squad he has to work with. Millward is a failed x-coach and now is creating problems by not understanding the balance needed between fresh juniors and established first graders in a squad.

B. The pathways/recruitment officer needs to report to the head coach who reports to the foofball committee.
I believe there is a shortage of quality first graders and a surplus of juniors with potential in our current squad. A balance needs to be found because if not, we will spend the next few seasons developing juniors in first grade rather than in the lower grades. Until this problem is resolved, the head coach needs to progress testing of potential juniors with a view to cut or develop rather than to hold and hope.

C. Test our juniors for first grade suitability.
It seems all off-season was spent developing and perfecting the 'power game plan'. It would be very helpful if a B and C plan was also made ready for the obvious reasons. The effects the 'power game plan' had on our team was predictable and eventuated. In my opinion the 'power game plan' should have been used sparingly giving the forwards less load and the opposition coaches less predictability.

D. Attitude of players and coaching staff.
It seems a cavalier attitude has been adopted by players and coaching staff over the past few years. Losing a game, having a bad game, poor game plans and poor selections and bench management are obvious problems to be addressed. In my opinion the main reason for this problem is that players and coaching staff are not being held accountable. Mary's contract extension mid-season and the players joyous behaviour after losing to the Titans would indicate that accountability is not practiced within our Club. The Board has spoken with regards to the retention of Mary so that bird has flown and most of the squad has been signed for 2018 and beyond so there is not much hope of using the contract card with regards to players. The only card left to play is selection in first grade; players who do not perform or who consistently make the same mistakes need to be dropped.

E. The introduction of a Director of Coaching position
We have already retained Mary and stripped him of responsibilities which are usually that of a NRL head coach in an effort to make things easier for him. So that leaves very little room when it comes to improving the performance of the coaching staff. In my opinion the introduction of a coaching director would be one way for steering Mary in the right direction and limiting the numerous mistakes being made by the coaching staff. Game plans, player mentoring, player skills development, addressing team performance problems and the planning the progression of juniors could all be improved if an experienced ex-head coach was employed to fill the position of director of coaching.

 

[Carlton]

The Illawarra is too large an area with a booming population for the NRL to risk losing. The only risk is th St George side of the merger getting binned and the Steelers being reinstated

Illawarra as a stand alone doesn't exist at the moment. By joining STGI and the Sharks areas nothing is lost, the Illawarra area would be represented exactly as it is now. Right at this moment the club in southern Sydney with the most attractive future financially is the Sharks. The NRL would not want to lose the Sharks financial position and the Illawarra junior nursery. St George has a history, geographically distributed fan base, and a well known "brand". These are relatively transportable and unfortunately, in my opinion make St George a prime target for relocation.

 

[Dennis Papaioannou]

If you were Head Coach how would you fix our current predicament and pull us out of this downhill slide for the rest of the year? We have Canberra away then Manly at home before Knights away in the next 3 games.

Me;

I'd stick with Mann at 7 with instructions to both him and McInnes to get involved with ball and boot.

I'd drop MacDonald to reserves and switch Nighty to the right side with Aitken. Dufty into wing on the left side with Lafai.

I'd also stick with Lawrie, Host, Sele and depending on availability of Vaughan or need to rest him, Friz or JDB, include Kerr in addition.

If Duges is out chuck in another junior on the Wing and run Dufty at FB.

I would NOT keep doing the same shit hoping for a different result, ie hope MacDonald plays well, play Nighty at FB, McCrone at half or further develop Milne for the Tigers.

I know, desperate right?

I'd rather lose trying something different, giving juniors a go and send regulars a message than keep doing the same shit.

With our current squad and our current plan A we will struggle to beat the Knights away next time, let alone Bulldogs and Titans and we can forget beating Canberra, Manly and Broncos.

Your master coaching ideas please.

Team selection:
Dufty to FB
Dugan to partner Lafai in the centres.
Nightingale to his preferred right wing
Persevere with MacDonald but be prepared to throw in a junior speedster (take your pick)
Persevere with Mann at 7 but get him more involved
Widdop to play more direct and stop crabbing sideways.
Vaughan, LAM, Packer and Lawrie - prop rotation back up Kerr
McInnes 80 minutes
Friz, Thompson, JDB, Sims
Team List assuming Vaughan is unavailable for Canberra.
1. Dufty
2. Nightingale
3. Dugan
4. Lafai
5. McDonald
6. Widdop
7. Mann
8. LAM
9. McInnes
10. Packer
11. Frizzell (if fit)
12 J. Thompson (c)
13. JDB
Bench
14. Sims
15. Lawrie
16. Host
17. McCrone
Back up
Kerr
Sele
Game plan Canberra
(a) Line speed in defence - put pressure on their ball handling - they get frustrated easily.
(b) Take them on up the middle - the forwards to offload and create second phase.
Our best chance to beat Canberra is beat them in the forwards.
Game plan Manly
(a) STOP KOROISAU
(b) Bomb Uate all day
(c) Run our forwards at DCE all day.

2018
Bite the bullet and sack McGregor - he is not up to first grade standard and we are wasting our time waiting for him to learn on the job.
Bring back Jason Demetriou and let him introduce his own football philosophy to the club.
Brilliant young coach who knows what it takes to win comps.
Has some real coaching smarts about him and can adapt his game plans to suit the occasion.
Will not cost a lot even if we have to pay McGregor out - it would be preferable to another 2 years of misery.

 

[mickeylane]

Having limited resources and 8 weeks left for the semis - I would do the below.

1. Bring Mann onto the left sided wing as its our most potent go to side - I say strengthen this side by adding more speed to maximise any opportunities conjured by the Widdop/Lafai combination.

2. Move Nightingale to right wing outside Aitken

3. Mcrone and Widdop are your halves - Widdop controls the majority of the kicking .

Structure our larger in size edge runners to run at oppositions smaller players..

4. Frizell to run strictly right edge runs targeting the opposition 5/8 - no thru the middle runs - actually he is totally banned from any 1st or 2nd hit ups

5. Thompson maintains the left edge runs

6. JDB to play a Wade Graham ball playing type role - he attacks one off the ruck with either challenging the line or taking the ball thru the line and drawing in 2 defenders and offloading out the back to either an edge runner or Widdop or Mcrone to start the attack.

Add Variety to our Attack

7. When attacking from inside our half we should execute expansive side to side attacking raids.. Think Broncos 1992..early ball to Aitken and Lafai will allow them to isolate their opposition centres - undoubtedly if given room Aitken and Lafai can beat their man 9/10 times..

This play spreads out the oppositions defensive pattern allowing for more room thru the middle if we decide to attack thru there

8. Consider kicking early to the wingers against a condensed defensive line

9. Dugan to be refocused to attack thru the middle of a ruck rather than like a traditional fullback chiming into a backline ideally running off a JDB one off the ruck - his strong runs will unsettle a defensive line and draw in defenders therefore allowing the next play to go out wide to Widdop or Mcrone to attack advantage of the unsettled defence.

10. Abandon the up and in defence when defending inside our half and ensure our wingers stay on the touch line marking opposition wingers. Our centres have to work in tandem with our wingers to ensure they don't go up too early in defence - communication is paramount. 80% of tries conceded this year have been by opposition wingers getting outside our wingers.

The above are all solutions that are manageable and can add variety to our attack and stability to our outside defence which is leaking points..