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Paul McGregor - contract extension

RedV Resurgence

Juniors
Messages
726
Well congratulations Mary.

Please prove me wrong, and be bring success to the dragons. I will confess I didn't think you are the right person for the role. We have been winning , which is great, but there are a number of areas that we need to improve.

With your contract now signed, I will support you and hope you can continue to improve and bring success to the club. I'm hoping we don't fall of a cliff now you are confirmed.
 

borat

Bench
Messages
3,511
McGregor's re-signing is indeed premature. Hope is not a strategy!

We might be 3rd at the moment but 4 out of our 8 wins have been against dysfunctional Tigers and Warriors.

Our game is better this year but we're not executing for a full 80 mins to a standard that has the full measure of Storm/ Broncos/ Eels/ Roosters/ Sharks etc. to be a real Premiership threat.

McGregor's coaching methodology drove the Dragons into the ground in 2016 ... for 2017 there's no doubt improvement, and a refreshing new approach that is getting results ... but how much credit is McGregors vs. that of the Performance support team (Coyne etc) bought in to prop up McGregor's tenure as coach?

He's got things to a stage we're we'll achieve top 8 finishes, but doubt McGregor has the wherewithall to match Bellamy / Bennett etc and crank up the Dragon's gameplan gears when it matters.

Yet another few seasons of lowered expectations as a Dragon's fan... whilst we support another inexperienced in-house coach on his career learning curve.

Statements like these are going to be quite the laugh if the team kicks on and becomes successful, as the signs are clearly pointing that way. Nothing has been achieved yet for sure, but predicting doom and gloom from the side that is running 3rd despite losing key players to long injury lay offs. Only dragons fans would do that.
 

blacksafake

First Grade
Messages
8,988
Am i thrilled about his extension, no but I can understand it with the way they are playing & their position on the ladder. I would have given him until later in the season. Let's hope he has learnt from his mistakes & continues to improve. If not & we revert back to our previous poor selves I hope they have the balls to terminate him swiftly.
 
Messages
17,055
I read where the players basically told him that they didn't like the way he was coaching that it wasn't working and something needed to change.

So the staff went back to the drawing board and started again and it seems to have made a difference.

Mary himself said it was a massive slap in the face he needed the harsh reality the team looked like shit and played the same way.

I am not saying he's the perfect guy for the job but he has the job.
 

Saint or sinner

Juniors
Messages
163
Mary re signing is well deserved ..he head us in top 4 and playing well players seem to like him and it shows in their performances so far.. He is building a good roster and players are signing with us now..he didn't sign rein or Marshall , he took over when club was in a mess and has slowly put pride back in our jersey..got us into top 8 in his first full year as coach..I admit last year was rubbish and he admitted it as well..give him a go with a team he wants and who knows..there might be a premiership soon..we are supposed to be supporters not HATERS.. Of this club
 
Messages
3,582
Mary re signing is well deserved ..he head us in top 4 and playing well players seem to like him and it shows in their performances so far.. He is building a good roster and players are signing with us now..he didn't sign rein or Marshall , he took over when club was in a mess and has slowly put pride back in our jersey..got us into top 8 in his first full year as coach..I admit last year was rubbish and he admitted it as well..give him a go with a team he wants and who knows..there might be a premiership soon..we are supposed to be supporters not HATERS.. Of this club

He may be the head, but I suspect the neck is responsible for the improvement we have seen.

Recruitment success plus improving juniors

strength and conditioning improvements

Better go forward as a result of recruitment success. Opposition defences are being forced to back peddle giving Widdop the time and space to show his stuff.

What I will credit Mary with is man management. The players are pumped. We all love and support the club. It doesn't mean we should walk around with rose tinted glasses. Continuous improvement comes from constant evaluation.
 

Ted bartolo

Juniors
Messages
293
I still can't forget the football we played last year and the way he has treated the fringe players on the bench.And the lack of tactics and a gameplane.I hope he proves me wrong
 

getsmarty

Immortal
Messages
33,485
McGregor rewarded for Dragons turnaround

Mitch Jennings@@Mitch_Jenno

8 Jun 2017, 8 p.m.
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STAYING PUT: Dragons coach Paul McGregor. Picture: Adam McLean

HE describes a tough 2016 campaign as “a smack in the mouth” that he needed, but Dragons coach Paul McGregor’s real lesson in resilience had nothing to do with rugby league.

On Thursday, the club confirmed that McGregor will be rewarded for the dramatic turnaround he’s orchestrated at the club this year with a two-year contract extension.

It comes little more than a week after the passing of his mother Jean, a woman who was his greatest supporter and remains his inspiration.

“She’d be looking down and she’d be proud,” McGregor said when asked about what’s been a tough time for his family since Jean suffered a stroke in February.

“She was a huge supporter of myself as a player and obviously going into coaching. She was very proud of what I achieved in the game and what I’m achieving as a coach.

“I think I saw mum cry about half a dozen times in her life so she was always the strong, resilient, tough one in the family. She’s been through it all and she’d be looking down now and saying ‘I made you resilient’ in some way.”

That resilience is something McGregor leaned on heavily in a tough 2016 season that saw poor results on the paddock and calls for his head off it.

Coming into 2017 he was top of most ‘first coach sacked’ markets leading a team strongly tipped to finish with the wooden spoon.

Instead, the Dragons sit third on the ladder and are odds-on for a top four finish thanks, in no small part, to Jean’s advice.

“She always talked about belief in yourself and certainly not listening to any external pressure, and to just concentrate on what you need to do,” McGregor said.

“There was a lot about continuous learning to with mum. It’s something you don’t think a lot about because you get told it consistently but, when someone’s not there anymore, you look back and see that was pretty good advice that’ll stay with me forever.”

It was a self-belief that never wavered, even throughout a tumultuous 2016 and, what some considered, a prolonged wait until the club confirmed his future this week.

It’s enough to make any coach second-guess themselves, but McGregor was unequivocal when asked if he ever had cause to doubt himself.

“No not at all,” McGregor said.

“[After 2016] you certainly have a real good look at where we went wrong and have open discussions about where you need to go.

“Once you have all that, it’s time to have a really good look at if you want to change.

“I coached in the bush [with Wests Illawarra] for three years and won three comps. I went to NSW Cup with Illawarra in it’s first year of existence and we made the finals. In my first year as [Dragons] coach we played finals footy so the first time I really faced failure as a coach was 2016.

“When you face it, you’ve got to understand that you need to make some change. If you don’t make change you’ll probably fail again.

“Success if failure turned inside out and what I needed to do was really look at that and find a way to change my ways to suit the playing group we’ve got now.

“That’s what we’ve done. We’ve found a style of play that fits who we are, not what other teams are. That’s learning and growth.”

http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/...ls-inspiration-in-dragons-turnaround/?cs=3713
 

getsmarty

Immortal
Messages
33,485
St George Illawarra's 2016 season was the smack in the mouth I needed: Paul McGregor
Andrew Parkinson
8 Jun 2017, 1 p.m.
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Staying on: St George Illawarra coach Paul McGregor at the announcement of his contract extension on Thursday morning. Picture: Adam McLean

Paul McGregor says last season was the “smack in the mouth” he needed.

St George Illawarra formally announced on Thursday morning they had re-signed McGregor for a further two seasons.

The Dragons have surprised many with their start to the 2016 campaign, sitting in third place after 13 rounds despite missing stars Gareth Widdop, Josh Dugan and Euan Aitken for chunks of the season through injury.

St George Illawarra have dominated most teams they’ve played so far with an exciting, physical brand of football. A far cry from their mostly poor 2015 season.

It was that campaign, where McGregor missed the finals for the first time in his career as a coach, that caused him to start again.

An honest assessment of his coaching methods and the standards set by his players over the off-season, as well as McGregor shifting his focus to solely on football matters, have seen a massive change in the club. The Dragons are breathing fire again.

“It was something I took personally. It hurt because I knew I needed to obviously commit to some change. And the players were strong enough and honest enough to have some open discussion about where we needed to go,” he said.

It's official. Paul McGregor extends contract with @NRL_Dragons@theleadernewspic.twitter.com/GstJHwUEp0

— Andrew Parkinson (@andy_parko) June 8, 2017
“We put a lot of work in around our leadership. For me it was just about conserving my major energy into coaching and not worrying about salary caps or the future. [Staying] more in the present, the processes than the results and the future.

“I think that’s something I really learnt because the game changes. You’ve really got to live in the now. And that’s what I’ll continue to do as a coach.”

McGregor, 49, played 158 games for Illawarra and St George Illawarra in a glittering playing career that saw him represent Australia, play 14 State of Origin matches for NSW and make five appearances for NSW Country.

He has since coached the Dragons 76 times, qualifying for the finals in his first full season in charge in 2015.

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Dragons chairman Brian Johnston (left) with coach Paul McGregor and captain Gareth Widdop at St George Leagues Club on Thursday morning. Picture: Adam McLean

Now he has his eye on the future. While he has lost star fullback Josh Dugan for next season, McGregor is keen to push on with a strong squad capable of competing near the top of the table.

Captain Widdop, representative stars Tyson Frizell, Joel Thompson and Aitken, star signing Paul Vaughan and new recruit Ben Hunt will lead the Dragons into next season. Factor in the potential emergence of the exciting Jai Field and the club’s future looks bright.

“I think the foundations are pretty solid,” McGregor said.

“When you’ve got three teams out of three [at the club] in the top four [of their respective competitions]. We’ve got some really good kids coming through. We’ve got some really good leaders in the club and we’ve got to continue the learning around that, creating that environment where players can reach their potential.

“If you look at how hard we worked in the pre-season. People talk about it now but looking back it was something that was needed and something we’ll continue to improve upon now that solid base is there.”

http://www.theleader.com.au/story/4717175/2016-was-the-smack-in-the-mouth-i-needed-mcgregor/?cs=3833
 

possm

Coach
Messages
15,587
I still can't forget the football we played last year and the way he has treated the fringe players on the bench.And the lack of tactics and a gameplane.I hope he proves me wrong

Let's look at the bright side of things; We didn't sign a rookie coach this time.

Now for the bad news; Millward does not know if he should recruit replacements for Packer or Dugan because the juniors he has signed for those positions have not been tested at first grade level. According to Mary, who is only focused on 2017, will not be testing Field/Dufty/Kerr/Lawrie unless a vacancy is caused through injury/rep duties.
Going on this season so far, it will be Nightingale at fullback, FFL on the wing and Sims to prop if Vaughan is selected for SOO, Sele to edge forward if Frizell is seclected with Host on the bench.

I will be a great mess and there will be no where for Club management to hide. Bring on the WIN TV buy in and cean our EVERY management position, including all Board positions.
 

dino2170

Juniors
Messages
1,119
I will SUPPORT the team BUT I WILL NEVER support a person that cannot and will not see better options than he initially picks for the playing roster
 

hazzbeen

Bench
Messages
4,617
I will SUPPORT the team BUT I WILL NEVER support a person that cannot and will not see better options than he initially picks for the playing roster
Dino boy , I am not a Mary fan also but mate something has changed don't know if its Mary's coaching , or the players are warming to him , or the other teams are playing crap but let's just go with it . We will know by seasons end if they have made the right call ......
 

getsmarty

Immortal
Messages
33,485
Success for McGregor is good for St George Illawarra’s soul
TIM BARROW
8 Jun 2017, 8:38 p.m.
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So close: Rod Wishart knocks the ball back, for Dragons coach Paul McGregor to gather and score a try in the 1999 NRL grand final loss to Melbourne. Can he win one as coach?

PAUL McGregor’s new two-year deal is more than a reward for the Dragons’ jaw-dropping NRL rise.

It’s a chance for one of their own to finally deliver a premiership.

Because, suddenly, and with more certainty than at any time since Wayne Bennett was in Wollongong, St George Illawarra are in a position to win the title in the next three seasons.

They are, to steal the cringeworthy and now largely redundant AFL term, in a premiership window.

They now run hard, they can score points, they have game-breakers.

Importantly, St George Illawarra have players with upside, like Paul Vaughan, Cameron McInnes, Nene Macdonald, Jai Field and established stars Tyson Frizell, Jack de Belin and Gareth Widdop.

And they also have tossed a few very large eggs in the basket of axed Brisbane Broncos playmaker Ben Hunt.

Not to say they can’t win it this year, but at 28, Widdop’s expected combination with 27-year-old Hunt next season provides a senior, experienced pairing who should be at the height of their careers.

Vaughan and McInnes have been two of the buys of the year and were the examples McGregor used when asked about Hunt being dropped by Bennett at Brisbane.

“I’ve got no doubts (about Hunt) at all,” McGregor said on Thursday.

“Ben’s certainly a good acquisition for our club in 2018.

“He is playing with the Broncos in 2017 so he’s not going to help us this year but going forward he’s definitely a player we think will take the club in a good direction.

“…We’ve seen this year with the players that have come to our club in Cameron McInnes and Paul Vaughan… they didn’t finish in first grade last year and they’re playing the best footy of their careers.

“I’ve got no doubt when Ben does come into our environment he’ll play really good footy.”

Even when you factor in losing Josh Dugan to Cronulla, with emerging talent like Field in the ranks, the Dragons have a club profile with the ability to win a title in the near future.

And so two decades after captaining the losing grand final effort, McGregor has the chance to renew some faith in Dragons fans supporting their own.

Because McGregor has already silenced the experts, knockers and trolls this year. #FailMary and #HaulPaul became regular Twitter hashtags last year and in the pre-season, as the Steelers, Dragons and NSW great became a pantomime villain.

Because St George Illawarra fans have a knack of turning on their own.

It’s because Nathan Brown couldn’t win a premiership – and lost his hair trying.

Steve Price was handed a salary cap mess after Bennett left and never recovered.

McGregor seemed destined for the same fate, when the Dragons predictable and impotent attack fumbled around last year.

The newly-minted contract extension takes McGregor to the end of 2019, 20 years after the grand final loss to Melbourne.

The sliding doors moment that condemned them to a premiership drought, which was only broken by Bennett’s title-or-bust plan and the iron will of a guy like Dean Young.

In 1999, as it ticked over 56 minutes, McGregor offered St George Illawarra renewed belief their time had come.

Hopes and dreams were peaking towards reality when leading 14-nil, but the tension rose as Anthony Mundine dropped the ball over the line and Melbourne started their comeback.

McGregor scored off one of the ultimate Illawarra connections in play.

Trent Barrett’s kick to the wing, Rod Wishart knocking the ball back inside, McGregor try.

It made it 18-6, before the fateful Craig Smith-Jamie Ainscough penalty try madness.

So now, having missed out on a title as a player and shown the door at the club when Bennett arrived at the end of 2008, McGregor has clear air to deliver.

As one of their own.

http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/...s-good-for-st-george-illawarras-soul/?cs=3713
 

The Damo

Juniors
Messages
1,991
Let's look at the bright side of things; We didn't sign a rookie coach this time.

Now for the bad news; Millward does not know if he should recruit replacements for Packer or Dugan because the juniors he has signed for those positions have not been tested at first grade level. According to Mary, who is only focused on 2017, will not be testing Field/Dufty/Kerr/Lawrie unless a vacancy is caused through injury/rep duties.
Going on this season so far, it will be Nightingale at fullback, FFL on the wing and Sims to prop if Vaughan is selected for SOO, Sele to edge forward if Frizell is seclected with Host on the bench.

I will be a great mess and there will be no where for Club management to hide. Bring on the WIN TV buy in and cean our EVERY management position, including all Board positions.
Where have you got this Sele edge forward idea? Has he ever come in to play on the edge?
 

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