DRAGONS NEW CEO TIM WATSFORD

[Dragon Slayer]

Call the leagues club press 3 for football department and give it to em

You actually have a football department?

I had to check it wasn’t April 1.

lol

 

[matPORTS]

As a joint venture:

- There were mistakes made during the Doust era (pre and post Bennett + not renewing him to the deal he wanted)

- There were mistakes made during the Brian Johnson era

- There were mistakes made during the Ryan Webb era

- Several iterations of the board/chairman have overseen many mistakes and errors of judgement as well

Tim Watsford is the current CEO - so what is being done now (be it by decisions he can directly make or by ways he can influence the board of directors in decisions they need to sign off on) to get this ship sailing in the right direction?

...because right now, we are the most rudderless we've ever been, in just about every aspect !

In all honestly, I do feel a little sorry for Tim, because it's clear that he has inherited an absolute mess (if you watch the interview he did with Craig Lowndes linked in my original post - he strikes me as a very smart and switched on guy). But this is what you sign up for, and it's fair to say we're not seeing results right now.

 

[John moz]

Time for Ceo Tim to arrange a crisis meeting with the Dragons board .
After yesterday 0.32 v Cowboys its now 0.5 losses in 2026 season is over start planning for 2027 .
Our team structure and defence its not going to change unless staff and players are moved on this season.
The last 3 years under the new coaching staff hasn't worked time for change.

 

[twinkletoes]

Old Tim has gone radio silent…. sign of a true leader

 

[twinkletoes]

We get a rebirth every few years as well.

But it’s sustaining it that’s hard.

Looking at Bennet this year, we find that the experienced coaching is only part of the solution.

So maybe the key issue is how to attract quality players to come and then to stay.

And the essence of that is getting into their heads and establishing a point of difference.

And a big part of that is getting the right people who know how to achieve this on board. Find out what young up and coming players want, then deliver it.

Anderson is an excellent operator as a start.

Who are the Storm back room operators? What do they see in young players? Drag them up to Sydney.

Anderson has been here 9 months…. 1 major first grade signing…. nothing for 2026. Not a great record in my opinion… lack of recruitment for 2026 is why we are going backwards.

 

[I'm Hornby]

Old Tim has gone radio silent…. sign of a true leader

He let Flanagan convince him that he was worthy of an extension with nothing other than two ordinary years as head coach behind him, not an astute CEO to say the least.

Like most of the pro Flanagan crowd, they're all currently looking for hidey holes to crawl in to.

 

[Como Connection]

Anderson has been here 9 months…. 1 major first grade signing…. nothing for 2026. Not a great record in my opinion… lack of recruitment for 2026 is why we are going backwards.

I'm told he had a 1/2 ready to sign this season but SF said no!
CC

 

[mattw5]

Agree Anderson needs to pull his finger out.

 

[Como Connection]

Agree Anderson needs to pull his finger out.

Not his fault.
CC

 

[qld redvee]

I'm told he had a 1/2 ready to sign this season but SF said no!
CC

Thats the thing cc if flanno doesnt wNt a player you dont sign hom but go for what thecoach wants maybe wr need a committee moving forward

 

[Macedonian Dragon]

I'm told he had a 1/2 ready to sign this season but SF said no!
CC

Shane Flanagan didn’t want to sign another half so he could play his son in the halves even though he’s not good enough. Favouritism over the club’s best interests is unacceptable

 

[I'm Hornby]

Agree Anderson needs to pull his finger out.

Hahahaha you're kidding yourself as usual big fella!

You haven't said one negative thing about Shane Flanagan in your posts on this forum, he has been here almost three years and now you're blaming Anderson who has been here three minutes?

Also why did you say in your post below that Flanagan has transformed the front office in December? Four months later and all of a sudden you're blaming the front office that you reckon he transformed?

What rubbish from you, why am I not surprised though?

Ps. You still reckon Ricky is building something over there at Canberra and we should aspire to the same lofty heights?

Shane Flanagan is far from a puppet funny how much has changed in the front office since he arrived he has seen what success looks like and how to get a club moving in right direction.

 

[I'm Hornby]

Proof is in the pudding you stick with a premiership winning coach look how Canberra are going could have punted Ricky a few times but held their nerve.

Flanno has done what we all wanted that previous coaches wouldn’t do give our juniors a go!

@mattw5

 

[WepnutV]

@mattw5

its not that funny. i have to agree with matt with what he is trying to say.. outside of how the team is going, flanno has made some good changes that other coaches couldn’t. hes also focused alot on juniors coming through.. Unfortunately the team is going shit and in this current rugby league landscape if you don't win games you get the sack.. If he doesn’t start winning beginning with the eagles this weekend he wont be around long… But we will see benefits of what flanno has done further down the track… Im convinced Jason Demetriou is the answer moving forward. He is the best option if hes willing to take the job

 

[WepnutV]

@mattw5

canberra won the minor premiership last year and if Eathan strange didn’t get injured in the prelim they may of went further.. Ricky is a good coach. IMO better then flanno

 

[mattw5]

its not that funny. i have to agree with matt with what he is trying to say.. outside of how the team is going, flanno has made some good changes that other coaches couldn’t. hes also focused alot on juniors coming through.. Unfortunately the team is going shit and in this current rugby league landscape if you don't win games you get the sack.. If he doesn’t start winning beginning with the eagles this weekend he wont be around long… But we will see benefits of what flanno has done further down the track… Im convinced Jason Demetriou is the answer moving forward. He is the best option if hes willing to take the job

Stand by my comments. Flanagan has done more then any previous coach besides Bennett that is fact. The unfortunate reality is that he took over from three poor coaches that set us miles back and trying to do a 5 year job in 3

 

[Redvdragons21]

Stand by my comments. Flanagan has done more then any previous coach besides Bennett that is fact. The unfortunate reality is that he took over from three poor coaches that set us miles back and trying to do a 5 year job in 3

Win record suggest otherwise

 

[I'm Hornby]

Stand by my comments. Flanagan has done more then any previous coach besides Bennett that is fact.

Like what?

 

[thebigredv]

Stand by my comments. Flanagan has done more then any previous coach besides Bennett that is fact. The unfortunate reality is that he took over from three poor coaches that set us miles back and trying to do a 5 year job in 3

His coaching record is indefensible but he clearly did not get the right backing to ensure the right players made their way over, then he signed up a lot sloppy seconds and paired them with an already weak squad. You have to hold him responsible for this, but I will say this about SF, he has definitely tried to get the right players over. I think of AFB, Metcalf and Dearden for example. The damage to our brand was already done before Shane took over, why no one else wanted it.

None of us know the back room ongoings. Is Shane tight? Is he on the nose with prospective and current players? What role is Anderson actually playing because clearly we can't assemble a competitive group of players.

Again, you can't tell me a win record of 1 in 3 and currently the worst team of players the club has ever seen means he has done more than others. If, however, we could click our fingers, and instantly have a squad with a few young elite players, some athletic outside backs and some decent halves, I would rather have him coach them, then a new coach come in and work with the current roster.

The fans have some more bleak times ahead. If we could beat Manly - which we purely cannot - it would just be a chance to extend out this debacle even longer, as if it somehow justifies the selections of old past it players and Kyle - who wouldn't get a run at any other club. The board need to be under more pressure than SF but we all know the coach takes the fall. I can't believe we are here again, so soon.

 

[denis preston]

His coaching record is indefensible but he clearly did not get the right backing to ensure the right players made their way over, then he signed up a lot sloppy seconds and paired them with an already weak squad. You have to hold him responsible for this, but I will say this about SF, he has definitely tried to get the right players over. I think of AFB, Metcalf and Dearden for example. The damage to our brand was already done before Shane took over, why no one else wanted it.

None of us know the back room ongoings. Is Shane tight? Is he on the nose with prospective and current players? What role is Anderson actually playing because clearly we can't assemble a competitive group of players.

Again, you can't tell me a win record of 1 in 3 and currently the worst team of players the club has ever seen means he has done more than others. If, however, we could click our fingers, and instantly have a squad with a few young elite players, some athletic outside backs and some decent halves, I would rather have him coach them, then a new coach come in and work with the current roster.

The fans have some more bleak times ahead. If we could beat Manly - which we purely cannot - it would just be a chance to extend out this debacle even longer, as if it somehow justifies the selections of old past it players and Kyle - who wouldn't get a run at any other club. The board need to be under more pressure than SF but we all know the coach takes the fall. I can't believe we are here again, so soon.

Surely Haran doesn’t survive this time ?