Gareth Widdop is past his use by date at Dragons

[Gareth67]

Widdop is a far better player than what he is playing this year.

He is , I cannot forget how he climbed out of a hospital bed a day before the semi clash with the Bulldogs , heavily strapped he and Benji took the Dragons within a whisker of a huge upset against our more fancied opponents . That bloke was targeted by Haslers thugs from the start to the finish of the game ( who can ever forget those 2 gorillas kneeing him and trying to twist his head from his shoulders ? ) Yet he Widdop almost steered us to what would had been a remarkable win , and all on one leg ! He is indeed a far better player than his current form suggests , so please , let's not have short memories . The problem is the coaching not the player .

 

[Mr Red]

How bad is he!! Absolutely terrible. The Red V jersey has been well and truly cheapened over the space of 5 years.

SHOPPING LIST

• decent coach
• new half back
• new five-eight

Old man McCrone, all brittle and fragile. Looks like he's riddled with arthritis when he tries to run and his knees no longer bend.... Would struggle in bush footy let alone first grade....
When he was signed I assumed it would be to sit on the bench as a triangle player mainly to cover at hooker so rein can have a spell, or to slot in at half if there's an in game injury, but to think he's being used as our backup half is appalling.... What must our young halves be thinking...

 

[Old Timer]

Old man McCrone, all brittle and fragile. Looks like he's riddled with arthritis when he tries to run and his knees no longer bend.... Would struggle in bush footy let alone first grade....
When he was signed I assumed it would be to sit on the bench as a triangle player mainly to cover at hooker so rein can have a spell, or to slot in at half if there's an in game injury, but to think he's being used as our backup half is appalling.... What must our young halves be thinking...

Yes I thought exactly the same re Mc Crone and have to say bitterly disappointed.

If we are retaining Hutch obviously he had to be in the calculations a s full replacement when Benji doesn't play but no that doesn't happen either.

Looking at the way the Cutters players and U/ 20's have been under utilised Hutch, Mann, Milne, Havilli etc the only conclusion I can come to is that Mary is so scared that players who have had very little to do with him may in fact shine in 1st grade and therefore expose the glaring disparity between him and Demetrio and Head for that matter.

 

[DUB888]

Gareth Widdop questions St George Illawarra Dragons attitude
A FRUSTRATED St George Illawarra skipper Gareth Widdop has questioned his team’s attitude after the Dragons dropped out of the top eight with consecutive losses.

The Dragons were stunned by a spirited Gold Coast side on Friday night, with the Titans leapfrogging St George Illawarra into the top eight during their 32-12 win. The loss followed an equally disastrous performance by the Dragons against Manly in their previous clash.

Facing the reality of missing the finals, Widdop said he was “hurting”.

“Not turning up and having the right attitude hurts,” Widdop said. “No one likes losing. We’ve been letting each other down the past few weeks. It’s not good enough. It’s very disappointing. We’ve had some opportunities this year to nail some games. After being back at home, to be blown off the park, is certainly disappointing. It’s not acceptable. We’ve got to be better than that.”
The Dragons built their surge towards an unlikely finals spot last year on defence. But they have failed to replicate that this year, conceding 68 points in their past two games against teams who were ranked beneath them.

“It starts from our defence from the get go,” Widdop said. “The disappointing thing about the games is that we’ve been training really well. We’ve been working really hard. We’re just not doing it in the games which is very frustrating.

“I thought we created a few opportunities on Friday night. Once we get on the back foot we aren’t getting back in on the game.”
Injuries to Josh Dugan, Benji Marshall and Ben Creagh has also left a significant void in experience for the Dragons. It has thrown Widdop into the firing line in his first season as captain.

“The biggest thing as captain, you think it’s all your fault and put all the weight on your shoulders and you have a lot of expectations,” Widdop said. “At the end of the day you have to show leadership. As captain you have to work hard and lead by example. Early on in the season, being a new captain, I was probably worried about making sure everyone was doing their job and I probably wasn’t even doing mine good (enough) for the team.

“Once I sort of realised it’s about doing your job for the team it came easier.”
http://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl...e/news-story/2f682ddca5872f59bbe5c3e120cad352

 

[Red V for life]

The style of game we 'try' to play is very taxing physically week in week out. When we have poor discipline and ball handling, that makes it even more so. Point being, you just can't keep it up...and I think this is part of the reason our D has slipped.

Once we are on the back foot, we are incapable of getting back into the game. It's one thing to have a lacklustre attacking structure, but coupled with what must now almost be crippling doubt as to whether we can score enough points...we just don't have it in us.

 

[St Georgio]

My Opinion is, a few things must happen to get this team firing next year
1. New Coach is a must.
2. Rein must go we need a new hooker!
3. We need a new Number 7
4. We need a new Fullback
5. Dugan/Aitken must be our center combo, Lafai can go backed to the Dogs!
The key to success for any team is the Coach, Hooker,Halfback and fullback simple...perfect example is the Melbourne Storm!
At the moment we have a 4 cylinder in a two tonne car!

 

[Minh]

No second phase play, no support and void of ideas attacking the opposition tryline...the only viable option is a hail Mary kick when we fall behind. Frustrating to watch.

 

[twinkletoes]

I've watched Widdop closely and I think he is trying to do far too much on the filed because no one else is stepping in...this is leading to a lot of mistakes. He needs another play maker to partner him which would let him underplay his game. Also agree his kicking game is abysmal...but who else at moment has a kicking game in that side..

 

[coast_dragons]

Widdop looks lost and is trying to lead a team that honestly looks even more lost.

Imo they are playing like they don't care or maybe its more they don't care to much about the coaching staff.

Watching players who have dopped back to the Cutters they play with a smile on their face and look like they are enjoying themselves.

Just look at first grade no one talks, no one seems that interested and their mind is some place else.

They are not motivated and are unafraid of being dropped and then Mary puts this speel about no second teir cap space left which basically says you won't get dropped.

How on earth can any player playing in the under 20's or Cutters basically want to show what they can do with that sort of bull shit response.

Funny enough they keep playing like they want to win and first grade play like they are agraid to win.