PAUL MCGREGOR SAYS JACK DE BELIN SAGA COST HIM DRAGONS JOB

[SEAT 1A]

Yes, It was De Belin.

 

[Blood Shot Eyes]

Ssshhh......if I was you Paul Id ride off into the sunset never to be heard of again......you got paid a lot a lot of money for a long long time for achieving SFA

 

[RED73V]

McGregor is dead set taking the piss. It's hard to believe he is making this stuff up!!! He couldn’t run a bath let alone a football team. He is only confirming what a flog he is & continues to be.

 

[BLM01]

It's actually pathetic how McGregor is trying to take credit for de Belin and how he knew him since he left school based on being reserve grade coach in 2012...

jack left school but was 21, already made his FG debut a year before when McGregor was on Bennett imposed exile and ended up playing 19 games in first grade that year

Yeah McGregor coached the guy for a long time but he can say that without all the other rubbish

Oh Mary, you know what
Least our current coach takes the time to watch lower grades himself on game day and at training, not rely on nobodies to do the real hard work in identifying and nurturing talent and fill in the blanks for him..just for you to say, "not my fault I was asked to step down from recruitment cause i could not do the whole job required as there were only 14 hours in my day"
Not sure what you did in those 98 hours a week of work you did

 

[redandwhite4evr]

I understand McGregor's sentiments. If this occurrence did not happen, 2019 would have been such a different and successful year for us in my opinion. The players felt the loss, we certainly did and so did Mary.

In some ways the incident hopefully has taught many people a lot of things.

The fact that Mary wasn't happy with the stand down policy where we had to continue payment of De Belin's salary out of our cap when the NRL should have done this because they set the policy and it wasn't the Dragons fault, was and remains a very sticky point.

In the case of Mary losing his job as coach of the Dragons, it wasn't De Belin causing this, it was McGregors poor coaching skills I'm afraid.

The bottom line is that Mary was a bad coach before De Belin was a bad partner

 

[Rob Dragon 1]

Sorry...too funny not to share.


https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/s...b/news-story/a9b7823a62e06f6ccb19e3dfd851d41b

PAUL MCGREGOR SAYS JACK DE BELIN SAGA COST HIM DRAGONS JOB
As Jack de Belin prepares to reignite his NRL career, former Dragons coach Paul McGregor hopes the two-and-a-half year trial doesn’t end his.
Paul Crawley
May 27, 2021 - 6:14PM
News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom
Jack de Belin return rubber stamped by NRL
NRL: With all charges now dropped, Jack de Belin's road back to the NRL is relatively clear.
It cost him his job, but Paul McGregor hopes it doesn’t cost him his career.
And in the wake of Jack de Belin getting the green light to make his rugby league return as soon as this weekend, his former St George Illawarra coach has spoken passionately about his own burning desire to get back into NRL coaching.
McGregor also opened up about the human cost the club’s decision to stand by the star forward during his two-and-a-half year trial took on everyone at the Dragons, and how it ultimately broke the team’s spirit which culminated in his sacking last August.
“I read somewhere a distracted team will never reach its potential and we were distracted the whole time,” McGregor conceded.
“There is no doubt about that.
“Jack is the type of person that lights up a room. He is the energy.
“It is not an excuse but it is the truth.
“Could we have handled it a bit better? Possibly.
“But it was sort of a test before the lesson — because no one has had this happen to them before (the NRL’s no fault stand down policy).”
And that is why McGregor is calling on the NRL to make a change to the policy going forward.
“My honest opinion, and I am pretty strong about it, is that if they want a stand down policy, and they make the decision to do that, they should then pay for that player and let the club spend their cap,” McGregor said.
“You can’t make decisions for clubs and penalise them for decisions they don’t make, and that is what has happened in this case.
“It was something that had never happened before yet they made a rule and the club paid the price.”
And McGregor had no regrets for backing de Belin.
“I don’t regret it. Purely because these guys are humans, they are not robots. And there is a care of duty and wellbeing,” McGregor said.
“You have to remember, Jack was playing in my reserve grade team back in 2012. So I have known that kid since he left school and have been his coach since he was in reserve grade.
“I am not saying I wouldn’t do it for anyone else, but I felt the right thing was to give him his time to have a chance to defend himself. Everyone has a right to a presumption of innocence.”
McGregor, who is coaching the NSW under 19s this year, said he was sitting in his bank manager’s office on Thursday when his son Kade called to tell him about the breaking news: “He said, ‘have you heard?’ And I said, ‘what?’
“And he told me … I sort of just went quiet. He knew what impact that had on us.
“I guess I just thought … I don’t know the word I am looking for, but it I just felt a sense of that feeling where you know you have done the right thing.
“And if you think about it, back in 2018, if the club, I, the board, just pushed Jack aside and basically sacked him, well, what would that look like when he went to court?
“A business decision, or perceived guilt?
“Either way it would not have read well.
“And we thought it was going to be a six or three month process and it is going into its third year now. I am just … it is like I am walking up and down on the same spot at the moment.”
He said he had sent de Belin a text message but was yet to hear back.
Asked if he believed it had cost him his coaching career, he added: “Well, hopefully not my career but it cost me my job.
“But I want to coach again.
“You have to remember this team that we had got beaten in the second week of the semis by a field goal in 2018 and we had four guys unavailable.
“And we never put the same team on the park after that. And we led the comp for 16 weeks that year and Jack was coming off his best year ever.
“Again, you have to move on, but don’t tell me it doesn’t affect a team playing to its potential.”
But he maintains “no way in the world” has he lost his passion for coaching.
“It was just a part of life that was a lesson,” he said.
“I have nothing bad to say about anyone because it doesn’t get you anywhere.
“All it does is make you sour.
“Things happen for a reason.”

Notice how this Jack Ass gets proprietary when it suits him?

He played in MY TEAM.

It cost me MY JOB.

But when things have not worked out it is always someone else fault, or some event he cannot control. He never took any responsibility for his 7 years of failure but still hangs onto the weird "I was 85 minutes away from a grand final". He is a weird, sad and delusional man.

I coached a junior cricket team last season (cricket is my absolute religion). We were unbeaten and dominant all year and but got beaten by 5 runs in the GF. After our last wicket had fallen I took my hat off, walked to the opposition coach extended my hand and congratulated him and his team. Did it hurt? Yep. Did I whinge and look for excuses? Nope. Have I winged and whined for a few months about us being "5 runs from victory"? Nope. We got beaten by a better team on the day and as I said to my players "there is no shame in that". The real point is that I reckon that as the coach I was probably the most at fault for the loss in that I probably did not prepare us to face the slow medium bowling we encountered. Our guys love the ball coming onto the bat and as we had smashed the opposition team twice throughout the season I reckon I overlooked how a lack of pace could undo us. So I have taken responsibility, implemented plans ahead of next season and got on with it. That is what you do. You analyse and learn. McGregor does not have a self reflective bone in his body and hence he will never learn and never take responsibility. He is a child in reality.

 

[BLM01]

Mary's career as a stand up comedian is off to a very good start.

I am not paying a cent to watch him entertain me
Then again why I am i even bothering to respond to his comments..cant help myself
It is your fault @R&WTILLIDIE ..you typed the thread heading in BOLD, you drew us in to the web

 

[R&WTILLIDIE]

I am not paying a cent to watch him entertain me
Then again why I am i even bothering to respond to his comments..cant help myself
It is your fault @R&WTILLIDIE ..you typed the thread heading in BOLD, you drew us in to the web

sorry mate, I only copied and pasted it. I didn’t read it completely myself. Jus skimmed through it and still had a good laugh

 

[Bring back John Fifita]

Sorry...too funny not to share.


https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/s...b/news-story/a9b7823a62e06f6ccb19e3dfd851d41b

PAUL MCGREGOR SAYS JACK DE BELIN SAGA COST HIM DRAGONS JOB
As Jack de Belin prepares to reignite his NRL career, former Dragons coach Paul McGregor hopes the two-and-a-half year trial doesn’t end his.
Paul Crawley
May 27, 2021 - 6:14PM
News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom
Jack de Belin return rubber stamped by NRL
NRL: With all charges now dropped, Jack de Belin's road back to the NRL is relatively clear.
It cost him his job, but Paul McGregor hopes it doesn’t cost him his career.
And in the wake of Jack de Belin getting the green light to make his rugby league return as soon as this weekend, his former St George Illawarra coach has spoken passionately about his own burning desire to get back into NRL coaching.
McGregor also opened up about the human cost the club’s decision to stand by the star forward during his two-and-a-half year trial took on everyone at the Dragons, and how it ultimately broke the team’s spirit which culminated in his sacking last August.
“I read somewhere a distracted team will never reach its potential and we were distracted the whole time,” McGregor conceded.
“There is no doubt about that.
“Jack is the type of person that lights up a room. He is the energy.
“It is not an excuse but it is the truth.
“Could we have handled it a bit better? Possibly.
“But it was sort of a test before the lesson — because no one has had this happen to them before (the NRL’s no fault stand down policy).”
And that is why McGregor is calling on the NRL to make a change to the policy going forward.
“My honest opinion, and I am pretty strong about it, is that if they want a stand down policy, and they make the decision to do that, they should then pay for that player and let the club spend their cap,” McGregor said.
“You can’t make decisions for clubs and penalise them for decisions they don’t make, and that is what has happened in this case.
“It was something that had never happened before yet they made a rule and the club paid the price.”
And McGregor had no regrets for backing de Belin.
“I don’t regret it. Purely because these guys are humans, they are not robots. And there is a care of duty and wellbeing,” McGregor said.
“You have to remember, Jack was playing in my reserve grade team back in 2012. So I have known that kid since he left school and have been his coach since he was in reserve grade.
“I am not saying I wouldn’t do it for anyone else, but I felt the right thing was to give him his time to have a chance to defend himself. Everyone has a right to a presumption of innocence.”
McGregor, who is coaching the NSW under 19s this year, said he was sitting in his bank manager’s office on Thursday when his son Kade called to tell him about the breaking news: “He said, ‘have you heard?’ And I said, ‘what?’
“And he told me … I sort of just went quiet. He knew what impact that had on us.
“I guess I just thought … I don’t know the word I am looking for, but it I just felt a sense of that feeling where you know you have done the right thing.
“And if you think about it, back in 2018, if the club, I, the board, just pushed Jack aside and basically sacked him, well, what would that look like when he went to court?
“A business decision, or perceived guilt?
“Either way it would not have read well.
“And we thought it was going to be a six or three month process and it is going into its third year now. I am just … it is like I am walking up and down on the same spot at the moment.”
He said he had sent de Belin a text message but was yet to hear back.
Asked if he believed it had cost him his coaching career, he added: “Well, hopefully not my career but it cost me my job.
“But I want to coach again.
“You have to remember this team that we had got beaten in the second week of the semis by a field goal in 2018 and we had four guys unavailable.
“And we never put the same team on the park after that. And we led the comp for 16 weeks that year and Jack was coming off his best year ever.
“Again, you have to move on, but don’t tell me it doesn’t affect a team playing to its potential.”
But he maintains “no way in the world” has he lost his passion for coaching.
“It was just a part of life that was a lesson,” he said.
“I have nothing bad to say about anyone because it doesn’t get you anywhere.
“All it does is make you sour.
“Things happen for a reason.”

What part of this is “funny”?

I get people don’t rate McGregor as a coach.

Personally I agree with his sentiments here. I strongly believe the club did the right thing in handling it but it had an adverse effect on the club as a whole. His idea about the NRL paying a salary while standing down a person who has not been found guilty of anything had merit, as unlikely as it will ever be of happening.

In 2018 we were absolutely flying early in the year. I went to the Storm game at kogarah to watch us emphatically beat the Storm. On the noisy hill it was blatantly apparent who our leaders on the field were. James Graham, Gareth Widdop and Jack De Belin. It was the voices of these 3 guys who were barking all game. The sargeants leading the soldiers.

By origin time we’d lost Widdop and de Belin was busted, playing with a mattress under his jersey. We stumbled into the semis and should have been in the prelim if Ah Mau held the ball.

Then 2019 we lose De Belin - stood down. Widdop was leaving at the end of the season and busted his shoulder again... missing most of the season. The season was a disaster and in my opinion it’s because 2 of our leaders were gone. Only Jimmy Graham was the other natural leader in that team, but at the end of his career and playing smaller minutes.

I believe if we had both De Belin and Widdop didn’t miss 2018/19 as they did... it’d be a completely different story. And even today...

It’s relatively early days for Griffin but he’s not proving any better than Paul McGregor just yet for mine.

Do I agree De Belin being out cost him his job?

I reckon that, plus the loss of Widdop did. However the club failed in its roster management to make up for/replace leaders like these guys were. Just my opinion.

 

[R&WTILLIDIE]

What part of this is “funny”?

I get people don’t rate McGregor as a coach.

Personally I agree with his sentiments here. I strongly believe the club did the right thing in handling it but it had an adverse effect on the club as a whole. His idea about the NRL paying a salary while standing down a person who has not been found guilty of anything had merit, as unlikely as it will ever be of happening.

In 2018 we were absolutely flying early in the year. I went to the Storm game at kogarah to watch us emphatically beat the Storm. On the noisy hill it was blatantly apparent who our leaders on the field were. James Graham, Gareth Widdop and Jack De Belin. It was the voices of these 3 guys who were barking all game. The sargeants leading the soldiers.

By origin time we’d lost Widdop and de Belin was busted, playing with a mattress under his jersey. We stumbled into the semis and should have been in the prelim if Ah Mau held the ball.

Then 2019 we lose De Belin - stood down. Widdop was leaving at the end of the season and busted his shoulder again... missing most of the season. The season was a disaster and in my opinion it’s because 2 of our leaders were gone. Only Jimmy Graham was the other natural leader in that team, but at the end of his career and playing smaller minutes.

I believe if we had both De Belin and Widdop didn’t miss 2018/19 as they did... it’d be a completely different story. And even today...

It’s relatively early days for Griffin but he’s not proving any better than Paul McGregor just yet for mine.

Do I agree De Belin being out cost him his job?

I reckon that, plus the loss of Widdop did. However the club failed in its roster management to make up for/replace leaders like these guys were. Just my opinion.

The part I find funny is him blaming everyone else apart from himself for being fired

 

[Bring back John Fifita]

The part I find funny is him blaming everyone else apart from himself for being fired

I didn’t read it that way. One of quotes was
n relation to De Belin - “it’s not an excuse, it’s the truth”, “could we have handled it better..possibly”.

I didn’t see him blaming anyone in this interview.. more talking through circumstances.

Plain and simply to me - our 2019 team doesn’t fail like it did with Widdop n De Belin in it. Our team last year - with Widdop fulfilling his contract and De Belin available... is far better than what was trotted out. ... Instead of “panic-buying” Corey Norman (the only experienced half we could get) and playing with lame forwards.... Frizell and Vaughan in particular were a shadow of their former selves IMO.

But you can’t rely on players being available all the time... and that’s where I think the club failed.

Really hoping this can be rectified with junior development which Griffin says is his strategy. We will have to deal with some more pain before it proves worthwhile or not IMO. Apart from a great game against parra, we’ve only beaten busted teams, and lost to many average ones (Cronulla ahd the Tigers twice each..). Our top 8 status is a false dawn.

 

[TruSaint]

What part of this is “funny”?

I get people don’t rate McGregor as a coach.

Personally I agree with his sentiments here. I strongly believe the club did the right thing in handling it but it had an adverse effect on the club as a whole. His idea about the NRL paying a salary while standing down a person who has not been found guilty of anything had merit, as unlikely as it will ever be of happening.

In 2018 we were absolutely flying early in the year. I went to the Storm game at kogarah to watch us emphatically beat the Storm. On the noisy hill it was blatantly apparent who our leaders on the field were. James Graham, Gareth Widdop and Jack De Belin. It was the voices of these 3 guys who were barking all game. The sargeants leading the soldiers.

By origin time we’d lost Widdop and de Belin was busted, playing with a mattress under his jersey. We stumbled into the semis and should have been in the prelim if Ah Mau held the ball.

Then 2019 we lose De Belin - stood down. Widdop was leaving at the end of the season and busted his shoulder again... missing most of the season. The season was a disaster and in my opinion it’s because 2 of our leaders were gone. Only Jimmy Graham was the other natural leader in that team, but at the end of his career and playing smaller minutes.

I believe if we had both De Belin and Widdop didn’t miss 2018/19 as they did... it’d be a completely different story. And even today...

It’s relatively early days for Griffin but he’s not proving any better than Paul McGregor just yet for mine.

Do I agree De Belin being out cost him his job?

I reckon that, plus the loss of Widdop did. However the club failed in its roster management to make up for/replace leaders like these guys were. Just my opinion.

In the course of 7 years as head coach, he has never taken ownership.

He has has ample opportunity.

If it was only the JDB and Widdop issue, and had he had only a few seasons with the Club then maybe I would agree with you.

His game plan and squad selection was woeful. He broke all the wrong records.

He is not alone in blame, as the BOD extended his contract twice. But I find it pathetic for him to raise the JDB matter NOW, as some excuse.

The part I agree with you is that Griffin should not be given a free pass, just because we are all happy to see the back of Paul.

 

[Bring back John Fifita]

In the course of 7 years as head coach, he has never taken ownership.

He has has ample opportunity.

If it was only the JDB and Widdop issue, and had he had only a few seasons with the Club then maybe I would agree with you.

His game plan and squad selection was woeful. He broke all the wrong records.

He is not alone in blame, as the BOD extended his contract twice. But I find it pathetic for him to raise the JDB matter NOW, as some excuse.

The part I agree with you is that Griffin should not be given a free pass, just because we are all happy to see the back of Paul.

i disagree about never taking ownership but appreciate your views.

 

[R&WTILLIDIE]

I didn’t read it that way. One of quotes was
n relation to De Belin - “it’s not an excuse, it’s the truth”, “could we have handled it better..possibly”.

I didn’t see him blaming anyone in this interview.. more talking through circumstances.

Plain and simply to me - our 2019 team doesn’t fail like it did with Widdop n De Belin in it. Our team last year - with Widdop fulfilling his contract and De Belin available... is far better than what was trotted out. ... Instead of “panic-buying” Corey Norman (the only experienced half we could get) and playing with lame forwards.... Frizell and Vaughan in particular were a shadow of their former selves IMO.

But you can’t rely on players being available all the time... and that’s where I think the club failed.

Really hoping this can be rectified with junior development which Griffin says is his strategy. We will have to deal with some more pain before it proves worthwhile or not IMO. Apart from a great game against parra, we’ve only beaten busted teams, and lost to many average ones (Cronulla ahd the Tigers twice each..). Our top 8 status is a false dawn.

Sorry mate. Can’t agree with you. Previous dragons teams continually failed with DeBelin and Widdop in them. 2019 would’ve been no different. On paper, we had a decent team. But the way they played and the tactics used were underwhelming. I can write a book showing all the times Mary and the dragons f**ked up in the past 10 years. Apart from that semi final win in Brisbane that not even Mary expected, what else did he achieve? Dragons would win the first few games, Mary would be resigned and the season would go to shit. How many times did that repeat itself? Nah mate, Mary was shit.

 

[Bring back John Fifita]

Sorry mate. Can’t agree with you. Previous dragons teams continually failed with DeBelin and Widdop in them. 2019 would’ve been no different. On paper, we had a decent team. But the way they played and the tactics used were underwhelming. I can write a book showing all the times Mary and the dragons f**ked up in the past 10 years. Apart from that semi final win in Brisbane that not even Mary expected, what else did he achieve? Dragons would win the first few games, Mary would be resigned and the season would go to shit. How many times did that repeat itself? Nah mate, Mary was shit.

All good mate.. we don’t have to agree on everything, or many things, but at the heart of it we want the same thing

I do know we agree that we want this club to be successful again...

 

[R&WTILLIDIE]

All good mate.. we don’t have to agree on everything, or many things, but at the heart of it we want the same thing

I do know we agree that we want this club to be successful again...

good on you mate. Yeah, I just want to see the same effort that was put in against Parra for the majority of games.

 

[Rob Dragon 1]

The part I find funny is him blaming everyone else apart from himself for being fired

This. In spades.

 

[Rob Dragon 1]

In the course of 7 years as head coach, he has never taken ownership.

He has has ample opportunity.

If it was only the JDB and Widdop issue, and had he had only a few seasons with the Club then maybe I would agree with you.

His game plan and squad selection was woeful. He broke all the wrong records.

He is not alone in blame, as the BOD extended his contract twice. But I find it pathetic for him to raise the JDB matter NOW, as some excuse.

The part I agree with you is that Griffin should not be given a free pass, just because we are all happy to see the back of Paul.

And this also in spades!

 

[Rob Dragon 1]

Sorry mate. Can’t agree with you. Previous dragons teams continually failed with DeBelin and Widdop in them. 2019 would’ve been no different. On paper, we had a decent team. But the way they played and the tactics used were underwhelming. I can write a book showing all the times Mary and the dragons f**ked up in the past 10 years. Apart from that semi final win in Brisbane that not even Mary expected, what else did he achieve? Dragons would win the first few games, Mary would be resigned and the season would go to shit. How many times did that repeat itself? Nah mate, Mary was shit.

And so say all of us!

 

[Bring back John Fifita]

good on you mate. Yeah, I just want to see the same effort that was put in against Parra for the majority of games.

Too true!

And wouldn’t you know it - it’s the only game I missed watching all year as I was in the Northern Territory, camping with no reception whatsoever...