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Always good to see the doggies lose. Ex-dragons players DeBelin and Volkman did well.
Yes mate, unheard of in these parts. How many different people kept using our injuries as an excuse last year for losing games?
Ryles getting great output from the majority of his squad whether or not they're regular first graders, signs of a good coach in the making.
And he’s not a yes man like Flanno
I doubt that
he was disgusting. He was worse than 2022 Morgan Harper on Sifa Talakai (which i don’t think he was barely seen in first grade after)DRAGONS’ $1M PROBLEM
Valentine Holmes is St George Illawarra’s $1 million dollar problem.
Holmes is the Dragons’ highest paid star and one of Shane Flanagan’s most experienced players.
Not that you’d know it.
Holmes had a shocker against the South Sydney Rabbitohs on Saturday night and was sorely exposed in defence by powerhouse centre Latrell Mitchell.
When he wasn’t left clutching at thin air, Holmes’ defensive reads made him look like a player out of his depth. He finished the Rabbitohs clash with 13 tackles, and his poor defensive efforts led to three of Mitchell’s four tries.
Holmes is a shadow of the player that made him a Maroons and Kangaroos star.
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Valentine Holmes missed 12 tackles against South Sydney. Picture: NRL Images
He’s also another of Shane Flanagan’s guys, bought to the club for his experience and representative calibre.
Right now, the Dragons, who have lost seven-straight this season and 11-straight including 2025, are not getting a return on investment on either front.
When Flanagan needed Holmes the most, the Queensland outside back let down his under siege coach.
Holmes is no match for Mitchell
Mitchell storms through again
Holmes with a poor read on Johnston
Another Rabbitohs break down Holmes' side
Flanagan’s recruit decisions have been under the blowtorch with that of fullback Clint Gutherson the most scrutinised.
But it’s the decision to sign Holmes, who still has one more year left on his deal, that should be under the brightest spotlight given his efforts in recent weeks.
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Criticism of Holmes came thick and fast after the Rabbitohs clash, namely that he looks disinterested. It’s a damning accusation but one that is hard to argue with.
Holmes’ spot in the side for the Anzac Day fixture against the Roosters should be in jeopardy.
What will save him is the severe lack of depth in the outside backs for the Dragons at the moment.
Flanagan has maintained his players haven’t stopped playing for him, and a handful of Dragons are helping the coach save face on that front.
But not Holmes, whose efforts against the Rabbitohs did Flanagan’s fight for survival no favours.
Luke Keary's scathing assessment of Dragons' $1m man Valentine Holmes
And Haran
