Dragon Dave
Bench
- Messages
- 2,776
...but I'll post the story so they don't get any hits 
THIS is why Wayne Bennett is the best coach in rugby league - and why St George Illawarra are officially the best team in the world.
It's also why Todd Carney is bad business for the NRL.
Bennett puts trust in players, which makes players trust themselves - and believe in the team.
At the St George Illawarra Dragons, it's all about the team. Which is credit to the coach.
It's why when they flew out for England recently to prepare for the World Club Challenge, not one player felt compelled to have a crack at David Boon's drinking record.
Now over the years, we've all heard stories. Almost every sporting team that flies out of Australia bound for England has at least one larrikin keen for a crack at Boonie's 52-beer record.Not this time, though.
Season preview: Our experts give the lowdown on the Dragons
As one fellow passenger told a staff member here at the paper over the weekend: "I couldn't believe it, I was on the flight over with them and not one of them touched a drop ... their behaviour was impeccable."
By that stage the Dragons were well on their way to winning the World Club Challenge against Wigan, even before they landed in England. We're told the no-drinking policy didn't come from the coach, either. It came from the players - and it was across the board.
Not on the plane over. Not on sight-seeing trips around London.
When Mark Gasnier took a group for a quick trip to Paris, no drinking.
When others high-tailed it for a look at Amsterdam, no drinking.
The coaching staff didn't need to carry breathalysers around England or go smelling Ben Hornby's breath at morning training sessions, either.
They trusted the players, the players trusted themselves. Like anything in life, it goes both ways.
Players didn't want excuses, so they didn't go looking for them.
They took ownership to England instead - and now they're coming home as world champions. It's why when Bennett was forced to fly home on the weekend to be with his family, the coach boarded the plane out of England with no fear in the back of his mind that they would stuff it up in his absence.
You want to know why this team no longer answers to that chokers tag? This is it. They don't look for excuses anymore.
Dean Young pulls out with a knee injury? No excuses.
Outsiders will never fully understand what Dean Young means to this team - the players do, though.
So instead of using his absence as an excuse, they step up.
Dan Hunt has a blinder.
The same when Bennett flew home because he had to.
Assistant coach Steve Price takes control. They don't miss a beat.
Like Bennett told us yesterday when he was on his way to hospital to be with his family, this win was about the team. "And they should be proud," Bennett said. "It's a good story for us ... and it's a good story for the game."
It couldn't come sooner.
This is why St George Illawarra are champions of the world.
And why Todd Carney can't be trusted.
Always full of promises.
Promises to give up the drink, promises to seek counselling ... promises to go to Alcoholics Anonymous. Promises he won't do it again.
His Roosters teammates must be getting sick of his promises by now.
In the build-up to yesterday's game, we hardly heard a word about the Dragons because of Carney.
He was back page, front page, first break on the nightly news and dominated talkback radio. Even on Saturday morning, when Carney was caught drink-driving, it happened at about the same time the Dragons sent out their team sheet to the media in the lead-up to the World Club Challenge.
So on Sunday morning we're talking about a habitual mug instead of our NRL champions fighting for the World Club Challenge. Again.
It's always the way.
No hanging offence, Carney's supporters keep telling us. Give him another chance. How long before someone at the Roosters realises the guy is a parachute like Canberra did?
He always lets them down slowly. Just like our own Charlie Sheen.
On the eve of the NRL's season launch, organisers are forced to make last minute changes to pull Carney out of the promotions to save further embarrassment.
Meanwhile, yesterday at the St George Leagues Club, staff are busy clearing room in the cabinet after hours earlier hundreds of fans - some dressed in their pyjamas - had turned up to cheer them on against Wigan. On Thursday morning the Dragons will be arriving home with another trophy in their possession.
Hopefully those Dragons fans turn up to cheer their arrival.
Hopefully this time another habitual mug doesn't steal their thunder.
Dragons 21 (Morris 2, Cooper, King; Soward 2 goals; field goal) Warriors 15 (Carmont 2 tries; Deacon 3 goals; Tomkins field goal)
THIS is why Wayne Bennett is the best coach in rugby league - and why St George Illawarra are officially the best team in the world.
It's also why Todd Carney is bad business for the NRL.
Bennett puts trust in players, which makes players trust themselves - and believe in the team.
At the St George Illawarra Dragons, it's all about the team. Which is credit to the coach.
It's why when they flew out for England recently to prepare for the World Club Challenge, not one player felt compelled to have a crack at David Boon's drinking record.
Now over the years, we've all heard stories. Almost every sporting team that flies out of Australia bound for England has at least one larrikin keen for a crack at Boonie's 52-beer record.Not this time, though.
Season preview: Our experts give the lowdown on the Dragons
As one fellow passenger told a staff member here at the paper over the weekend: "I couldn't believe it, I was on the flight over with them and not one of them touched a drop ... their behaviour was impeccable."
By that stage the Dragons were well on their way to winning the World Club Challenge against Wigan, even before they landed in England. We're told the no-drinking policy didn't come from the coach, either. It came from the players - and it was across the board.
Not on the plane over. Not on sight-seeing trips around London.
When Mark Gasnier took a group for a quick trip to Paris, no drinking.
When others high-tailed it for a look at Amsterdam, no drinking.
The coaching staff didn't need to carry breathalysers around England or go smelling Ben Hornby's breath at morning training sessions, either.
They trusted the players, the players trusted themselves. Like anything in life, it goes both ways.
Players didn't want excuses, so they didn't go looking for them.
They took ownership to England instead - and now they're coming home as world champions. It's why when Bennett was forced to fly home on the weekend to be with his family, the coach boarded the plane out of England with no fear in the back of his mind that they would stuff it up in his absence.
You want to know why this team no longer answers to that chokers tag? This is it. They don't look for excuses anymore.
Dean Young pulls out with a knee injury? No excuses.
Outsiders will never fully understand what Dean Young means to this team - the players do, though.
So instead of using his absence as an excuse, they step up.
Dan Hunt has a blinder.
The same when Bennett flew home because he had to.
Assistant coach Steve Price takes control. They don't miss a beat.
Like Bennett told us yesterday when he was on his way to hospital to be with his family, this win was about the team. "And they should be proud," Bennett said. "It's a good story for us ... and it's a good story for the game."
It couldn't come sooner.
This is why St George Illawarra are champions of the world.
And why Todd Carney can't be trusted.
Always full of promises.
Promises to give up the drink, promises to seek counselling ... promises to go to Alcoholics Anonymous. Promises he won't do it again.
His Roosters teammates must be getting sick of his promises by now.
In the build-up to yesterday's game, we hardly heard a word about the Dragons because of Carney.
He was back page, front page, first break on the nightly news and dominated talkback radio. Even on Saturday morning, when Carney was caught drink-driving, it happened at about the same time the Dragons sent out their team sheet to the media in the lead-up to the World Club Challenge.
So on Sunday morning we're talking about a habitual mug instead of our NRL champions fighting for the World Club Challenge. Again.
It's always the way.
No hanging offence, Carney's supporters keep telling us. Give him another chance. How long before someone at the Roosters realises the guy is a parachute like Canberra did?
He always lets them down slowly. Just like our own Charlie Sheen.
On the eve of the NRL's season launch, organisers are forced to make last minute changes to pull Carney out of the promotions to save further embarrassment.
Meanwhile, yesterday at the St George Leagues Club, staff are busy clearing room in the cabinet after hours earlier hundreds of fans - some dressed in their pyjamas - had turned up to cheer them on against Wigan. On Thursday morning the Dragons will be arriving home with another trophy in their possession.
Hopefully those Dragons fans turn up to cheer their arrival.
Hopefully this time another habitual mug doesn't steal their thunder.
Dragons 21 (Morris 2, Cooper, King; Soward 2 goals; field goal) Warriors 15 (Carmont 2 tries; Deacon 3 goals; Tomkins field goal)
