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Biggest changes needed in 2022

Dragon David

First Grade
Messages
7,375
It all comes down to the forwards.If they are punching through the lines the attack will take care of itself. defence is an attitude & confidence and if we start well next season the confidence will come ( "they can't break our wall" ). Cant understand two posters in particular continually bagging Hook when it's his first year FFS. Club is in a win-win situation. If he stuffs up next year ( and that will be only based on ladder position ) then we don't have a payout issue to get rid of him.If we succeeds then happy days !
I know that all clubs go through dramas in every NRL season like with injuries, suspensions, off field dramas etc., some more than others. We copped heaps this year and even without them our coaches in their first year would have been lucky to get us near the top 8 anyway imo.

Next year is the time to either praise them or to put shit on them.

Dragonslayer's post above shows which coaches had their first year at their respective clubs, let's see how they fare as well. We will be improvers.
 

Draginzaaar

Bench
Messages
3,305
The best thing we have going for us is Ryan Webb. I think he has vision. But is the board going to chain him and allow him to only open the door and then the board make the decision to walk through the door. We as supporters want success and deservedly so. My mates laugh when looking at our club saying you should be top 6 every year with he base of St George and the money Of Win. The problem is, does the BOD demand and command the success we want cause as I see from an outsider they are the anchors holding us down like the titanic. Let’s be real bennet when he arrived told the BOD. Stay out of my way and let me do my job. Premiership then arrived. I can see it now. Favourite son returns to coach dragons ie Dean Young. I believe hook knows what he is doing. But 8 weeks next year is plenty for all to realize if he is the right man. If not get Jason Ryles. He has been away from our systems.
Ryles just signed to be assistant at the Roosters
 

Dragon David

First Grade
Messages
7,375
Ryles just signed to be assistant at the Roosters
Yes, so the Roosters lose Fitzgibbon to the Sharks but gain another great assistant defensive coach in Ryles who has previously served well under Bellamy. These guys appear to not want anything to do with the Dragons now but boy, one of them would have been handy for us this year and future years.
 

Mjab

Juniors
Messages
967
I reckon if Hook doesnt perform well next year that may be the end of him with the club holding the 3rd year option
Nonetheless Ryles may well have a useful skill set by then and might be worth looking at
Doing his best to get great experience under great coaches , a smart move
I dont think there is animosity there from his playing days from what I remember

The other coach worth looking at down the track IMO is Ciraldo , another good defensive coach
 

mbk78

Juniors
Messages
286
We have a craft dummy half in Sullivan, he was an attacking threat whenever he came on. Another off-season development in the hooking role will do wonders for his footy. McCullough can do the defensive stuff for the first 20mins and then bring on Sullivan to create havoc. Having a threat from dummy half is vital in modern footy as it helps with winning the ruck & creates variations in attack.
This. We have Sloan, Armone & Sullivan. 3 spine positions for only 2 spots. Sullivan showed great versatility in his time at 9 in the last couple of games this year. Very good defence and enterprising in attack. A good training ground if ever there was one. Remember Joey Johns had success out of dummy half for the Blues early in his representative career. So there is some solid precedence there.
 

TruSaint

Referee
Messages
20,093
Yes, so the Roosters lose Fitzgibbon to the Sharks but gain another great assistant defensive coach in Ryles who has previously served well under Bellamy. These guys appear to not want anything to do with the Dragons now but boy, one of them would have been handy for us this year and future years.

Yep...
Dragons logic " he had brain snaps as a player ".
Chooks and Storm, " he has a brain ".
 
Messages
8,480
This was posted in the main NRL forum. After 5 rounds these were the stats for each team in Win/Loss/% etc.

Before this we'd beaten an awful Sea Eagles, equally awful Cowboys, decimated Knights and a quality win against the Eels.

Not rubbing anything in - I've admittedly bagged the club a lot. But sweet Jesus this is horrifying, and in my opinion absolutely no excuses for anyone in the club - top to bottom. In anyone's language these figures are completely unacceptable.

There's a bit of a clean up going on but how will the club turn this around - everyone from board to coach to the playing group?

Who are the leaders in our club, and will they stand up?

That's the biggest change I see that we need.

Pos
Team
P
W
L
W%
1​
Storm
20​
19​
1​
95%​
2​
Rabbitohs
20​
17​
3​
85%​
3​
Panthers
20​
16​
4​
80%​
4​
Sea Eagles
20​
15​
5​
75%​
5​
Roosters
20​
13​
7​
65%​
6​
Eels
20​
12​
8​
60%​
7​
Knights
20​
10​
10​
50%​
8​
Sharks
19​
8​
11​
42%​
9​
Raiders
19​
7​
12​
37%​
10​
Tigers
19​
7​
12​
37%​
11​
Titans
20​
7​
13​
35%​
12​
Warriors
19​
6​
13​
32%​
13​
Cowboys
19​
6​
13​
32%​
14​
Broncos
19​
6​
13​
32%​
15​
Dragons
19​
4​
15​
21%​
16​
Bulldogs
19​
3​
16​
16%​
 

Mojo

Bench
Messages
3,346
This was posted in the main NRL forum. After 5 rounds these were the stats for each team in Win/Loss/% etc.

Before this we'd beaten an awful Sea Eagles, equally awful Cowboys, decimated Knights and a quality win against the Eels.

Not rubbing anything in - I've admittedly bagged the club a lot. But sweet Jesus this is horrifying, and in my opinion absolutely no excuses for anyone in the club - top to bottom. In anyone's language these figures are completely unacceptable.

There's a bit of a clean up going on but how will the club turn this around - everyone from board to coach to the playing group?

Who are the leaders in our club, and will they stand up?

That's the biggest change I see that we need.

Pos
Team
P
W
L
W%
1​
Storm
20​
19​
1​
95%​
2​
Rabbitohs
20​
17​
3​
85%​
3​
Panthers
20​
16​
4​
80%​
4​
Sea Eagles
20​
15​
5​
75%​
5​
Roosters
20​
13​
7​
65%​
6​
Eels
20​
12​
8​
60%​
7​
Knights
20​
10​
10​
50%​
8​
Sharks
19​
8​
11​
42%​
9​
Raiders
19​
7​
12​
37%​
10​
Tigers
19​
7​
12​
37%​
11​
Titans
20​
7​
13​
35%​
12​
Warriors
19​
6​
13​
32%​
13​
Cowboys
19​
6​
13​
32%​
14​
Broncos
19​
6​
13​
32%​
15​
Dragons
19​
4​
15​
21%​
16​
Bulldogs
19​
3​
16​
16%​
The win against the Eels early in the season was the only respectable game I can recall from 2021. Why was it so different to all of our other performances?
 
Messages
3,489
Since the JV we have produced very few genuine gun spine players
from my memory.

the best one we’ve had is Boyd, obviously brought over with his dad in 2009. Converted from a winger though during his time.

5/8: You could put Mundine and Barrett in the locally produced product and they are touching on great but not quite up with the Fitlers or Daley’s of the time, and both before the JV started.

Halfback: Probably one of our consistently weakest positions, Hornby a utility turned fullback turned halfback was probably the best but I’d put him more in the well coached did a job for us type player than a complete player who regularly toyed with defences.

Hooker: Browny was the best locally produced hooker but he was prior to the JV. Since then we’ve had local players like Gorrell who did a job, Dean Young who was a great utility but not an out and out hooker in the mould of Buderus.

I’m not saying all our players need to be juniors but it’s surprising how few spine players we seem to produce and even that we have had in general at the same time when you think about it. In terms of forwards and especially wingers/centres we’ve regularly pumped out greats even all time greats. Ryles, Bailey, Cooper, Gasnier, Morris x2. Garrick and Saab aren’t going too bad either much to my deep pain.
Do Brad McKay, Lance Thompson and Wayne Bartrim make the cut.

Fullback: I don’t think we’ve produced one,

Luke Patten.
 

Inisai Toga

Juniors
Messages
1,427
Luke Patten is not a great imo. He’s a steady player but I could name 100 better fullback. None of the others are spine players.
Agree with your thoughts about the JV spine FCD. Having said that, i actually rated Mark Piggy Riddell as a good one at Hooker. Couldn’t give a rats about his so called (lack of) fitness; he’d win you a game of football! Tough, clever and competitive; I wish he’d stayed longer in the Red V.
 

Forbes Creek Dragons

First Grade
Messages
5,078
Agree with your thoughts about the JV spine FCD. Having said that, i actually rated Mark Piggy Riddell as a good one at Hooker. Couldn’t give a rats about his so called (lack of) fitness; he’d win you a game of football! Tough, clever and competitive; I wish he’d stayed longer in the Red V.
Yeah I agree, loved him. I think we signed him from the Rorters but he definitely was one of our better halves. Basically my thoughts were around the fact that this could with the right amount of work, good planning and luck be our best ever spine, JV spine of course.
 

possm

Coach
Messages
15,587
Why not get rid of Horan and Millward and bring in Bennett and a recruitment officer he suggests. The get rid of Griffin's asstants and hir some smart young coaches. So, two old heads and two young ones. That should be a great coaching combo.

Bennett knows how to strengthen our forwards and install a good defensive system.
 
Messages
8,480
Yeah I agree, loved him. I think we signed him from the Rorters but he definitely was one of our better halves. Basically my thoughts were around the fact that this could with the right amount of work, good planning and luck be our best ever spine, JV spine of course.

Piggy was awesome - like a big rubber brick that would buffet his way through the defence and bounce people off him.

As for other genuine spine players, but products of the Dragons..

Hornby - was a genuine fullback who made good at 7. Won us a comp. Love the bloke
Mundine - best 6 we've had in club history i've seen IMO.
Young was a 9 for a while, but more known as a 13 in his later years..
Barrett - if you count the steelers, he was a gun and played his guts out every game - even though results may not have reflected it

But yeah - it's slim pickings overall for these spots we've produced. Geez..
 

OneEyedDragon

Juniors
Messages
1,432

Great story about the training methods used during the glory days of the Dragons and comparing it to the modern day Storm.

Hook should read it and take a LOT of notes.
 

blacksafake

First Grade
Messages
8,988
Go

Great story about the training methods used during the glory days of the Dragons and comparing it to the modern day Storm.

Hook should read it and take a LOT of notes.
Good read, thanks OED.
 

denis preston

First Grade
Messages
8,157

Great story about the training methods used during the glory days of the Dragons and comparing it to the modern day Storm.

Hook should read it and take a LOT of notes.
Hook said one of his first main foundations was defence so he should be very disappointed with the players and the defence coach.Perhaps the defence coach gets a reprieve due to the worst defensive players getting flicked ?
 

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