What's new
The Front Row Forums

Register a free account today to become a member of the world's largest Rugby League discussion forum! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Dragons cashed up

SBD82

Coach
Messages
17,049
Yeah, i know that mate, but the article says "cashed up with a 4 mil war chest".

Since we haven't heard of any funds being injected into the JV, the $$ mentioned must cap space.
Sorry mate. I thought you meant that the NRL grant could be diverted to pay out Mary. My bad.
 

Gareth67

First Grade
Messages
8,407
Gaz, its not the $$ amount my friend.
4 mil is a massive chunk of the cap, however the question is at what cost ? Key players?
Surely, a portion of that could have been used to pay out Mary, and move on. Just my opinion.

You are correct TruSaint - in fact the report had said that the cost could be Fizzell - Graham whom is in his final year , possibly and likely De Belin plus a host of our young players . Just whom would they replace Fizzell with has me stumped ? Undoubtedly the one of the best in the game .

However one of the worst aspects of this report is what was left unwritten , but something that many members have realized immediately and that is that season 2020 we will be traveling around with the same players as last in 2019 - will that be good or bad ?
 

Coffs dragon

Bench
Messages
4,250
Poor Pricey :mad:...pffttt
Yes maybe his hands were tied by Young & Doust and poor recruiting but I will never see Price as a successful NRL head coach. It is a bit of a bias and personal thing with me but I dont believe he has the real management and team building / coaching innovation skills needed to be successful here.
But probably a great assisstant coach.
Do I rate him better than Mary..from what he has done over here in 2.5 yrs as a head NRL coach...no.
Mary basically took his team from easy beats to leading a comp falling into just semi final bound a year later. But I dont rate Mary as a coach either.
I still feel Mary will be judged as the worse coach in the Dragons history, as he holds more records of woeful embarrassment to the club. Sure Pricey was bog average, but he is a proven good assistant with 2 NRL premierships.
Mary's credentials are he took us deep into Wooden Spoon territory, he painted the Gym, he enjoys a beer and has mates in high places.
Pricey earnt his promotion on merit alone and then failed before being punted and gracefully departing without a harsh word or excuse.
I dread to hear the shit come out of McDeflectors mouth once he's pushed out!
 

Slippery Morris

First Grade
Messages
7,470
I still feel Mary will be judged as the worse coach in the Dragons history, as he holds more records of woeful embarrassment to the club. Sure Pricey was bog average, but he is a proven good assistant with 2 NRL premierships.
Mary's credentials are he took us deep into Wooden Spoon territory, he painted the Gym, he enjoys a beer and has mates in high places.
Pricey earnt his promotion on merit alone and then failed before being punted and gracefully departing without a harsh word or excuse.
I dread to hear the shit come out of McDeflectors mouth once he's pushed out!

Price v Mary....Mary had Saints in top 8 more times than Pricey ever did. Mary had then top 4 for half a season. He has had some good moments. Price had no good moments? I cannot think of a single game Saints played well under him, where as Mary that Bronco's semi was 1 of my favourite all time games under tough circumstances. Saints were tipped to get belted. Not saying Mary is a good coach at all but a hell of a lot better than Price that is for sure. There is no way in the world Saints beat the Bronco's in the semi if Price was coach.
 

Coffs dragon

Bench
Messages
4,250
Price v Mary....Mary had Saints in top 8 more times than Pricey ever did. Mary had then top 4 for half a season. He has had some good moments. Price had no good moments? I cannot think of a single game Saints played well under him, where as Mary that Bronco's semi was 1 of my favourite all time games under tough circumstances. Saints were tipped to get belted. Not saying Mary is a good coach at all but a hell of a lot better than Price that is for sure. There is no way in the world Saints beat the Bronco's in the semi if Price was coach.
Fair call Slippery, but Price had some of the worse recruitment in our History : Josh Miller, Michael Witt, Bronson Harrison, Gerard Beale, Josh Drinkwater, Harry Siejka, Denan Kemp, Atelea Vea, Dylan Farrell, Matt Groat
FMD Young & Doust gave the bloke some monumental Phuckin Duds......any wonder he failed!
 
Last edited:

Slippery Morris

First Grade
Messages
7,470
Priority would be to keep Lomax and Frizell. I think teams will be racing to get to the front of the queue to try and get Lafai of us,,,,,,yeah right.
 

SGMax

Juniors
Messages
441
Price v Mary....Mary had Saints in top 8 more times than Pricey ever did. Mary had then top 4 for half a season. He has had some good moments. Price had no good moments? I cannot think of a single game Saints played well under him, where as Mary that Bronco's semi was 1 of my favourite all time games under tough circumstances. Saints were tipped to get belted. Not saying Mary is a good coach at all but a hell of a lot better than Price that is for sure. There is no way in the world Saints beat the Bronco's in the semi if Price was coach.

Yes SM, Mary added a degree of toughness and aggression which was enough to give us a few highlights.This has run its course now and after about 5 years even successful coaches are sometimes moved on.
Price on the other hand thought he could improve on Bennett's work by attacking more and this is where the defensive line was allowed to stand and wait for the opposition to run at it. Hard to attack from your 10m line every set.
Perhaps if he had concentrated on defense more, Price could have a few memories worth keeping too.
 

emu62

Juniors
Messages
601
Quote from article -"But with so many big-name players off-contract, the club will be in a position to make some smart roster management decisions".
HAhahahahahahaahahahahhaa . That would be a first
 

Slippery Morris

First Grade
Messages
7,470
Yeah, the team won the comp 2 years before and the year before he took over were tipped to win it again till Origin hit so he had a decent squad. Can you see the Chooks or Storm having a weak team in a year or 2? He made them a benchmark team to a soft team with no heart in 1 season. Ask Willie Mason. Luckily Mary toughened them up at least. Please watch 2012 - 2013 seasons again to remind you of the disaster that Price was. I dare you. It's Halloween season so will be a good horror show for you.

Plus Price pi$$ed Soward off and put the best hooker at Saints as the half from memory, How did that go? Ask Soward how good a coach Price is. He would know better than us that is for sure.
 

possm

Coach
Messages
15,591
In today’s market $4mil. will not take you too far - now if they had said $14mil. that would had got me excited, perhaps enough to have a little celebratory drink .

Still it certainly is not chicken feed and hopefully Mr. Millward will be able to put it to good use .
Just under half our cap! I suppose it all depends on who they are counting on leaving. If the list includes Frizell and Leilua then we are sure to be worse off.

Right now the positions we need to fill are:
Fullback
Left centre
Right centre
Lock


If we don't have cap space and I doubt this is the case as many players have exited or are exiting before years end. I would fill the above positions as follows:
1. Lomax
3. Ravalawa
4. Ford
13. Leilua
 

Dragonsamy

Bench
Messages
2,882
Would love to know why Dean Young has been kept on but Hornby hasn't. They've both had their time during the meekest, poorest coached sides in memory.
I'd love to know what he's got that Hornby doesn't.
Oh....


He has his dad Craig on the board that's why
 
Messages
1,054
Fair call Slippery, but Price had some of the worse recruitment in our History : Josh Miller, Michael Witt, Bronson Harrison, Gerard Beale, Josh Drinkwater, Harry Siejka, Denan Kemp, Atelea Vea, Dylan Farrell, Matt Groat
FMD Young & Doust gave the bloke some monumental Phuckin Duds......any wonder he failed!

Sorry, I’m still pissing myself laughing reading those names over and over again :joy::joy::joy::joy::joy::joy::joy:
 

possm

Coach
Messages
15,591
Poor Pricey :mad:...pffttt
Yes maybe his hands were tied by Young & Doust and poor recruiting but I will never see Price as a successful NRL head coach. It is a bit of a bias and personal thing with me but I dont believe he has the real management and team building / coaching innovation skills needed to be successful here.
But probably a great assisstant coach.
Do I rate him better than Mary..from what he has done over here in 2.5 yrs as a head NRL coach...no.
Mary basically took his team from easy beats to leading a comp falling into just semi final bound a year later. But I dont rate Mary as a coach either.
Bennett provided Price a blueprint for success however, Price decided to trash it and do his own thing that proved to be unsuccessful.
 

BLM01

First Grade
Messages
9,058
Priority would be to keep Lomax and Frizell. I think teams will be racing to get to the front of the queue to try and get Lafai of us,,,,,,yeah right.

Add Leilua. Where were the questions asked by ouu mis-managed media personnel of the Managing Director of Pathways to our Club, Recruitment, Rentention & List Management in regards to making these 3 a priority now. I think that is more important than who gets a promotion into the Top 30 but our website already had Dragons supporters already attuned to that one. :rolleyes:
Manly were smart enough to lock up the Turbo's bros quickly and other clubs as well.
Roosters with Manu
Dragons are working on something behind the scenes but an update would not of gone astray.
 

possm

Coach
Messages
15,591
You are correct TruSaint - in fact the report had said that the cost could be Fizzell - Graham whom is in his final year , possibly and likely De Belin plus a host of our young players . Just whom would they replace Fizzell with has me stumped ? Undoubtedly the one of the best in the game .

However one of the worst aspects of this report is what was left unwritten , but something that many members have realized immediately and that is that season 2020 we will be traveling around with the same players as last in 2019 - will that be good or bad ?
Well done Millward! All but one player signed before season 2019. so Millward always has known the mess he created and lifted not one finger to improve the top 17 for 2020.
 

Old Timer

Coach
Messages
16,941
The Price V Mc Gregor argument has a few other elements to consider.
  • Price had the issue the players wanted Bennett and were pissed off that he wasn't going to be staying on. Deflating moment for the team and no way a rookie was ever going to survive that.
  • The team of 2010 was splitting up and going in different directions so the hard core nucleus was being eroded.
  • The recruitment was worse than bog average it was the stuff nightmares are made of.
  • The cuckoo birds of the old boy brigade were already laying their eggs in others nests to ensure incumbents would be pushed out. When you have board members conspiring against you what chance do you have of winning over the roster?
Mary had benefits such as
  • In the end the players wanted anyone but Price so were obviously going to play better.
  • Recruitment went from nightmare stuff to bog average with a couple of worthwhile signings.
  • The Illawarra old boys wanted him in the chair so they gave him a lot more chances and support despite his deficiencies.
  • Young Snr could see a real dud in the making and nestled his boy into a rails run so Mary was always going to survive.
In the end both monumental duds but Price a much better person and has proven against all odds that he could improve and learn from his mistakes.
 

Gareth67

First Grade
Messages
8,407
Well done Millward! All but one player signed before season 2019. so Millward always has known the mess he created and lifted not one finger to improve the top 17 for 2020.

Mate I really don’t know anymore in respect of who is actually making the decisions when it comes to recruitment. Yes that is undoubtedly Millard’s role , however I get the feeling that there are other fingers in the pie and Millward himself does not have too much say . Of course that is my sentiments only and could be - probably am off the mark .
 

Latest posts

Top