A year in review

[Mr Red]

You say we fell down with a lack of quality on the bench, but then say our bench did ok???

 

[Slackboy72]

Okay. Not great. Only Ah Mau gave us a lift when he came on. Latimore held his own and apart from Leilua late in the season, they didn't excel.

 

[Prometheus]

At the beginning of the year I decided that if we improved upon last year by making the finals, then I would consider that to be a successful year. We did.

 

[dannyt]

At the beginning of the year I decided that if we improved upon last year by making the finals, then I would consider that to be a successful year. We did.

So are you saying your hopes weren't higher during the season?

 

[Prometheus]

Oh, my hopes definitely got higher when we were leading the competition half-way through, but that doesn't make the season a failure. We improved on last year and that was what I went into the year hoping for.

I'm confident we will improve again next year.

 

[Brutalitops]

When all is said and done, I think it was a good season. They actually kind of managed to overcome a late season slide with two back to back great efforts where we just missed out in the end.

I think injury was our ultimate downfall. We probably beat Souths with Widdop, Vaughan and Sims in that second half, and our depleted team would have been rolled by the Roosters if you add on that JDB and Friz looked on their last legs.

My overall opinion that Mary is not our long term coach has not changed. I will absolutely give him credit for the Broncos game, that was a game where we were well coached, and he no doubt got us up for the finals. But it's time to move ahead. No extension unless we are premiers in 2019.

Ben Hunt should be proud of his year. It's an honour to have him playing for us. A target of disgusting and unfair vitriol, he completed owned the Broncos in the end and I believe he gets an unfair amount of blame for yesterday. Nobody deserves the blame for that loss. That was a great team effort and if we had to go down in a semi, I'm glad it was like that.

I'm extremely excited for next season. For the first time in years I'll go into a season with positivity. We should be proud of the team for what they achieved before Origin, and the way they rallied together in the end against it all

 

[dannyt]

Oh, my hopes definitely got higher when we were leading the competition half-way through, but that doesn't make the season a failure. We improved on last year and that was what I went into the year hoping for.

I'm confident we will improve again next year.

Glad you're happy.

I'm not, based on where we were during the year.

Expectations went up, and they were not met. Personally, I don't see why you would default to your original expectations.

Mind you, you're happy and I'm still pissed off.

So who has the right way of looking at it is debateable.

 

[epDragon62]

We showed a lot and overcame some real challenges to be so close in the end.

I do not feel Mary has what it takes and you can see it in execution and composure.

We are certainly close and improvement could see us really go close.

 

[getsmarty]

DRAGONS


NRL.com Dragons 2018 season review
Author
Alicia Newton
Timestamp
Thu 20 Sep 2018, 04:01 PM

St George Illawarra will look back on their 2018 campaign with mixed feelings after a season of early dominance was followed by a few speed bumps at the business end of the year.

After two seasons of slipping out of finals contention in shock fashion, the Dragons were equal competition leaders up until round 20 and looked like a team with premiership credentials.

Injuries were non-existent, key recruit Ben Hunt had found his groove with skipper Gareth Widdop and the Dragons forward pack was making more metres than any other team.

The challenging time for the side came during the State of Origin period, with five players earning selection for their state.

After winning 12 of their opening 15 matches, Paul McGregor's side slumped to just four wins in their final 11 games.

With the three-game interstate series came injuries, mental fatigue and a dip in form across the board – none more so than for Hunt, with the former Broncos recruit subject of plenty of criticism.

They went from a healthy team to a busted one by season's end, with six of their key men out or struggling with significant injuries.

NRL Teams rate the Dragons' season

Key man Widdop succumbed to a shoulder injury while Paul Vaughan, Jack de Belin, Tariq Sims and Nene Macdonald struggled with setbacks late in the piece.

The Dragons' strong start to the year was enough to see them feature in the finals for the first time in two years but McGregor's men will rue their inability to finish in the top four.

A barnstorming 48-18 effort against the Broncos after being written off in the opening week of the finals was a reward for the team, but their 13-12 semi-final loss to the Rabbitohs a week later showed there is still improvement required in the clutch moments.

Dragons fans should find hope in the season as a whole, with a wealth of youth in Luciano Leilua, Jai Field, Jordan Pereira, Zac Lomax and Blake Lawrie given their shot at the top grade. With a relatively unchanged squad next season, the experience of a finals series will only make the hungry for another giant step in 2019.

Best player

There were many standouts throughout the year but Cameron McInnes led from the front with some big numbers to come into calculation for NSW Origin selection.

The 24-year-old never missed a game and touched the ball more than any other player in the competition in 2018 with 2794 receipts. He fell second behind Damien Cook for most carries out of dummy half and set up nine tries from close range.

He finished the season with 1147 tackles at a team-high 93.5% tackle efficiency, and doubled his running metres compared to last season with 60.5 on average, offering more flare out of dummy half.

Overall there was a lot of consistency in the Dragons' game for most of the year with several players getting through every game unscathed. Centre Tim Lafai never missed a minute in 2018, while fullback Matt Dufty also starred in his debut season in the No.1 jersey with 16 line breaks, 106 tackle busts and 126.9 average running metres.

What-if moment

It would be easy to question Ben Hunt's decision to run the ball on the last tackle during the dying moments of the semi-final loss to the Bunnies but at that point it looked like the Dragons' season was just hanging on.

Put simply, the Red V needed to reach the top four given their start to the year, so looking at their period after round 16, what if they managed to come out on top in one or two more games they were expected to win? What if their key men remained fit? Given the closeness of the competition in 2018, it could've been a whole different finals scenario for them.

The quote

"I said through the week, if criticism was to come to the team it should come through the coach so leave my players alone," Dragons coach Paul McGregor said on August 18.

"I understand the criticism because it goes with my role. The players get 80 minutes every week to go and protect that character. Benny will be out next week protecting it."

Ben Hunt's performances in the second half of the season, when he also lost his Queensland starting jersey, brought wide media coverage and forced the Dragons coach to step in at various stages each week and defend his playmaker. Hunt later told NRL.com the pressure, expectation and criticism had got to a point where he needed to see a psychiatrist and step away from social media involvement.

Best win

The Dragons stood tall with big wins over Cronulla and Melbourne in the early rounds but given the circumstances late in the year, their 48-18 thrashing of Brisbane will be one to remember for the Red V faithful. After slipping to seventh of the ladder at season's end, there were few backing the Dragons to head to Suncorp Stadium and pull off an upset in the sudden-death clash. Jack de Belin was in a moon boot all week, while Gareth Widdop returned from a shoulder injury briefly to put Wayne Bennett's side to the sword. It was a enjoyable return to Brisbane for former Bronco Hunt, who had a big day out in his first appearance in rival colours at the venue.

Match Highlights: Broncos v Dragons - Week 1 Finals, 2018

Worst loss

The Dragons will rue home losses to the Wests Tigers and Warriors but their toughest defeat to accept would have been their 38-0 shutout loss to Canterbury in round 24. It was a tumultuous period for the club with their home fans booing players off the paddock after a promising performance a week earlier.

Roster rotation

St George Illawarra will keep their core side together for next season but will lose two players in consistent forward Leeson Ah Mau, who has signed with the Warriors, and long-time servant Jason Nightingale to retirement. The Dragons found a suitable replacement for Ah Mau with Broncos forward Korbin Sims signing a three-year deal with the club from next season, while Jordan Pereira has re-signed on a new two-year contract after a strong debut year. The club have most of their regular stars signed up to long-term deals with only James Graham, Tariq Sims, Nene Macdonald, Kurt Mann and Matt Dufty coming off contract next season.

2019 outlook

There is no reason why the Dragons can't find optimism out of 2018 and push on towards next year. The positives outweighed the negatives and with a healthier roster at the latter stages of the season, another strong start will boost the side to make further steps in ensuring their recent finals experience wasn't a one-off experience. The premiership window is open for the Dragons if they're good enough to build on their finals exit and build on it.


https://www.dragons.com.au/news/2018/09/20/st-george-illawarra-dragons-2018-season-review/

 

[possm]

At the beginning of the year I decided that if we improved upon last year by making the finals, then I would consider that to be a successful year. We did.

I call mediocracy! We are the Dragons and anything other than a GF appearance is not good enough especially if such a result could be avoided.

We did not make the GF mainly because our team was not coached / managed properly. We proved we had the players in the first half of the season and in the finals game against Brisbane. In addition but for a lack of coaching direction we would have won against Souths. I believe we have a better team than Brisbane and Souths and surely would still be there if we had either of these to teams head coach in charge.

 

[J.moz]

Bulldogs game at home cost us top 4 and hand given sharks the 4 .Again mary needs to go we have waiting Bennett with the team we have will win a grandfinal with in 2 years .Plus add Jimmy jet corey oats and pg junior.

 

[possm]

Bulldogs game at home cost us top 4 and hand given sharks the 4 .Again mary needs to go we have waiting Bennett with the team we have will win a grandfinal with in 2 years .Plus add Jimmy jet corey oats and pg junior.

Yes and not resting busted players for a few games still delivered a loss but denied our key players the rest they needed to recover and our young ISP players the experience and confidence they needed. I mean do you think Herbert would still be leaving if he was given a run in Nightingales wing spot. I believe he would have done much better than Nightingale and Fereira if given a chance.

 

[Crush]

The most talk all off season here will be about Zac Lomax and will Mary pick him as the starting centre.
Then come round 1 there will be a meltdown when we see Aitken and Lafai get the nod again with Lomax in ISP.
Only chance for Lomax will be at fullback instead of Dufty (which is unlikely).
MCGREGOR WILL NOT DROP AITKEN OR LAFAI FOR ROUND 1 IN 2019

 

[giboz71]

We effectively finished equal 5th, just outside the top 4. So overall, not a bad season.

That’s where I think we are as a team in reality. Not quite top 4 to compete with the likes of Melbourne and Roosters, but not too far away.

Speed in the outside backs and a more tactically astute coach is what we’re missing.

 

[possm]

The most talk all off season here will be about Zac Lomax and will Mary pick him as the starting centre.
Then come round 1 there will be a meltdown when we see Aitken and Lafai get the nod again with Lomax in ISP.
Only chance for Lomax will be at fullback instead of Dufty (which is unlikely).
MCGREGOR WILL NOT DROP AITKEN OR LAFAI FOR ROUND 1 IN 2019

I can believe you Crush because you and I seldom agree and as it turned out, you seem to know what Mary is going to do more often than any other on the forum. The season is over so tell me are you Mary? Don't be shy to tell your secret because my greatest shish is that Mary will be gone come November 1.

 

[possm]

We effectively finished equal 5th, just outside the top 4. So overall, not a bad season.

That’s where I think we are as a team in reality. Not quite top 4 to compete with the likes of Melbourne and Roosters, but not too far away.

Speed in the outside backs and a more tactically astute coach is what we’re missing.

I beg to differ. The first half of the season is the indication of our true capability. What brought us down was the same thing as the previous two seasons, 'lack of depth and bad player management'. We should have made better use of the bench and we should have rotated / rested key players when it was clear they needed a rest. Playing those unfit players did not give us a win so no gain only pain.

 

[Crush]

I can believe you Crush because you and I seldom agree and as it turned out, you seem to know what Mary is going to do more often than any other on the forum. The season is over so tell me are you Mary? Don't be shy to tell your secret because my greatest shish is that Mary will be gone come November 1.

No possm, I am not Mary but allow me to channel him here on Lomax non-selection for 2019 round 1.
"Zac did a great job for us when he came in late last season to replace the injured Aitken. He has a long career ahead of him and he will get his shot one day soon. But in Euan and Tim we have 2 established internationals who are in their prime now. Its a great problem to have with someone like Zac pushing these guys for their spots but Zac will have to wait for now, he'll get his chance before too long"

 

[giboz71]

I beg to differ. The first half of the season is the indication of our true capability. What brought us down was the same thing as the previous two seasons, 'lack of depth and bad player management'. We should have made better use of the bench and we should have rotated / rested key players when it was clear they needed a rest. Playing those unfit players did not give us a win so no gain only pain.

Yep that’s why I said we needed a more astute coach.

Hence Bellamy, Robinson and Sebold rested their players at different times of the season.

Mary has no ability to manage player workloads, unless he learns or we replace him, I fear we’ll go no better next year.

 

[ALSGI]

The most talk all off season here will be about Zac Lomax and will Mary pick him as the starting centre.
Then come round 1 there will be a meltdown when we see Aitken and Lafai get the nod again with Lomax in ISP.
Only chance for Lomax will be at fullback instead of Dufty (which is unlikely).
MCGREGOR WILL NOT DROP AITKEN OR LAFAI FOR ROUND 1 IN 2019

Good to see you back Crush.
Hope they all have a great boot camp and there’s genuine competition for spots. We all know that trials form means nothing, although it will be interesting to see if Aitken, Lafai, McIness and co realise they need to lift with the options available.
Good news is Nighty wont be considered for FB, Wing or Utility.

 

[Old Kogarah Boy 1]

At the beginning of the year I decided that if we improved upon last year by making the finals, then I would consider that to be a successful year. We did.

With half the team being representive players, anything but a top four finish must be considered a failure.

Even McNugget said we were a top four team.

We failed.