2019 Trials

[Drag Queen]

Why?

Yeah mine freezes occasionally too..

I blame this guy:

I've dissed Jai Field in the past.. FMD.

 

[getsmarty]

I've dissed Jai Field in the past.. FMD.

I think we have all done this at one stage or another...as I said elsewhere, my fear is McGregor will stick and pick with his regulars and guys like Field/Kerr/Timm/Robson etc will be offered opportunities elsewhere by coaches who actually know how to develop the young guys...for mine, I wouldn't even bother with Aitken in first grade.

 

[Overseas dragon]

I've dissed Jai Field in the past.. FMD.

we all make mistakes drag .unfortunately mary makes more than most ......yes jai field had a good game today lets see if he can do it in first grade .my mate dufty wasnt too shabby either drag .......

 

[epDragon62]

I think we have all done this at one stage or another...as I said elsewhere, my fear is McGregor will stick and pick with his regulars and guys like Field/Kerr/Timm/Robson etc will be offered opportunities elsewhere by coaches who actually know how to develop the young guys...for mine, I wouldn't even bother with Aitken in first grade.

If there is one thing that stood out for me today more than anything it is that Aitken's time is NRL is over unless he has a major improvement by playing ISP; we have better options by far.

 

[Drag Queen]

we all make mistakes drag .unfortunately mary makes more than most ......yes jai field had a good game today lets see if he can do it in first grade .my mate dufty wasnt too shabby either drag .......

I didn't take notice of Dufty at all. It was a trial match etc. Widdop did FB better.. Jai Field was our standout player. I did not expect that.

 

[Frank Facer]

Yep, saw him motoring along the sideline.
He's got some speed, not to mention unlimited kilometre warranty!

Saab Turbo.

 

[Frank Facer]

I didn't take notice of Dufty at all. It was a trial match etc. Widdop did FB better.. Jai Field was our standout player. I did not expect that.

What did Widdop do?

 

[Drag Queen]

What did Widdop do?

Showed who was the boss in the backline Frank. Did you watch the first half??

 

[Frank Facer]

Showed who was the boss in the backline Frank. Did you watch the first half??

I missed the first 10 mintues, but I didn't see him do anything in the 30 minutes of the first half that I did watch. I am not even convinced that he is a better fullback then Dufty. I will wait until I see more than 30 minutes to make a concrete judgement.

So what exactly did Widdop do, that was so good in your eyes?

Your statement that he showed who was boss, doesn't explain anything that he did. I don't even know what you mean when you say that he showed who was the boss. lol

 

[getsmarty]

I didn't take notice of Dufty at all. It was a trial match etc. Widdop did FB better.. Jai Field was our standout player. I did not expect that.

Respectfully Disagree...Dufty bought pace and had a good game...much better fullback option than Widdop , but you can't leave Widdop out of the team..there lies the problem.

 

[getsmarty]

Match Highlights: Dragons v Knights
St George Illawarra Dragons have defeated the Newcastle Knights 18-10 at WIN Stadium in Wollongong.

https://www.dragons.com.au/news/2019/02/23/match-highlights-trial-v-newcastle-knights/

 

[getsmarty]

St George Illawarra secure NRL trial victory over Newcastle Knights

• Cameron Mee

Dragons Den

Crashing over: Paul Vaughan crosses for a try in Saturday's trial. Picture: Anna Warr.

After all the drama of the past three months, the St George Illawarra Dragons would have been relieved to finally take the field for their first trial at WIN Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

While the result was not of importance in the clash with Newcastle, coach Paul McGregor was pleased to see the side secure a 18-10 victory.

"It was good," McGregor said. "We got to use 28 players, I thought the first 20 minutes were really clean, we had really nice control on the ground, we ran some good shape and executed quite well.

"All in all, it's a trial, it's a build to round one. The boys are back playing, against opposition now other than themselves, which they've done for 14 weeks and it does open up a little bit of how well some players went for selection."

The trial, hastily relocated from Kogarah on Thursday, was the first opportunity for the Dragons to show off their new look attack and the early signs were promising for the Dragons faithful.

As had been speculated throughout the summer, the Dragons lined up with captain Gareth Widdop playing fullback, new recruit Corey Norman at five-eighth, Ben Hunt at halfback and Cameron McInnes in the number nine jersey.

While the combination clearly reflected their limited time spent together, Norman and Hunt combined well throughout the opening 40 minutes. Widdop's opportunities were limited, however he showed glimpses of what the Dragons hope to gain from his positional switch.

The move to fullback allowed Widdop to pop into the attack without the pressure of steering the team around the park, with one particular moment just four minutes into the match providing a taste of the team's attacking potential this season.

"I thought their [the halves] start was good and then we didn't play quick enough after that. I thought we were walking on to the footy instead of coming on to it hard and thus we probably didn't control possession well enough.

"It's only game one of a long season, so it's going to take a little bit of time."

It was Paul Vaughan who opened the scoring for the Dragons in the 14th minute, capping a fairly high-quality opening 14 minutes.

Vaughan was impressive in his first match since August last season, adding grunt to the St George Illawarra forward pack. Tariq Sims was also solid, while brother Korbin produced a quality performance in his first game in red and white.

"Paul was, for the first 25 minutes, the best player on the field," McGregor said. "He's come back real good. That goes to the way he's been training as well, he's had a major setback and we missed him at the back end of last year.

"His rehabilitation has been so professional, he holds himself to high standards and he's started the year as he finished before he got injured, one of the dominant front rowers in the competition."

The forward pack was missing a few key names, the most notable being Jack de Belin, who was ruled out with a virus earlier in the week. Questions have swirled regarding de Belin's eligibility to play after being charged with aggravated sexual assault in December.

The ARL Commission will meet on Thursday to determine whether the NRL's rules require updating from the current stance of allowing court proceedings to play out prior to discipline being handed down.

McGregor provided a statement that affirmed the club's support for de Belin's wellbeing throughout this period.

"I recognise the significance and importance surrounding the current proceedings regarding Jack de Belin and the allegations against him. There is a judicial process underway to establish a resolution to this allegation and dispute," McGregor said.

"Jack's welfare is our main concern and it is important that integrity and wellbeing are considered.

"If history and the past decade has taught us anything in rugby league, it is to refrain from making assumptions prior to legal proceedings being concluded.

"My focus needs to be on all 35 players in our squad and starting the season well for everyone associated with the Dragons and as such, I'm not interested in adding anything further to the commentary on this matter."

The Dragons went to the sheds on Saturday trailing 10-6, with the right defensive edge exposed on two occasions.

The second half saw many of the top players take a breather, with Widdop, Norman and Hunt all finished for the afternoon. That decision provided Matt Dufty with the opportunity to step up, and the fullback did not disappoint.

Playing mostly with reserve grade players, Dufty was busy throughout the second 40 minutes and was dangerous each time he touched the football.

The Dragons had multiple tries disallowed throughout the second period, however it was Josh Kerr and Mikaele Ravalawa who crossed for St George Illawarra, with Ravalawa producing a piece of individual brilliance to beat multiple defenders on the way to the line for the first of his two tries.

Ravalwar crossed for a second in the 77th minute to seal the match, with emerging youngster Tristan Sailor, son of Wendell, providing a handy assist.


https://www.illawarramercury.com.au...trial-victory-over-newcastle-knights/?cs=3713

 

[Frank Facer]

I just read on Foxsports that Host suffered a shoulder injury and will be unavailable until round 1.

 

[Drag Queen]

Respectfully Disagree...Dufty bought pace and had a good game...much better fullback option than Widdop , but you can't leave Widdop out of the team..there lies the problem.

I respectfully disagree with you too. Both showed their stuff in half of a game. No doubt Dufty has pace but I'd be more inclined to put him on the wing tbh. Very hard to judge on one game though, even if it was a trial. Anyways, I'm off to work. Damn,

 

[Overseas dragon]

Showed who was the boss in the backline Frank. Did you watch the first half??

drag if widdop played good in the first half then my mate DUFTY played much better in the second half made a couple of nice tackles and even caughty some kicks ,so maybe hes improving give the kid a chance ........

 

[Drag Queen]

drag if widdop played good in the first half then my mate DUFTY played much better in the second half made a couple of nice tackles and even caughty some kicks ,so maybe hes improving give the kid a chance ........

From my perspective both teams played their best players in the first half. Second half meh. I have stated that Dufty could go well in a wing position. I would've liked to see Norman at FB in part of the game mate. It was a trial game at the end of the day. Difficult to call. I thought Field looked the goods and Lomax looked lost. Aitken has to go. I should probably not comment until I see the first official game. Cheers mate Xx

 

[Overseas dragon]

From my perspective both teams played their best players in the first half. Second half meh. I have stated that Dufty could go well in a wing position. I would've liked to see Norman at FB in part of the game mate. It was a trial game at the end of the day. Difficult to call. I thought Field looked the goods and Lomax looked lost. Aitken has to go. I should probably not comment until I see the first official game. Cheers mate Xx

well your entitled to your opinion DRAG.even if its a bit biased ........have a good day at work ........

 

[possm]

drag if widdop played good in the first half then my mate DUFTY played much better in the second half made a couple of nice tackles and even caughty some kicks ,so maybe hes improving give the kid a chance ........

I can say that I was very disappointed to see Widdop's performance against Newcastle yesterday. It is clear Widdop is not fit and playing injured. I say stand him down until he is 100% ready to take the field. If this ends up being a medium to long term problem, then release him early.

From Widdop's point of view, the worst thing that could happen is that he again injures the shoulder and as a result compromises his ability to fulfil his ESL commitments.

 

[Drag Queen]

well your entitled to your opinion DRAG.even if its a bit biased ........have a good day at work ........

Quiet at work OD. Yeah I'm guilty of showing bias. Enjoy your day mate.

 

[getsmarty]

I respectfully disagree with you too. Both showed their stuff in half of a game. No doubt Dufty has pace but I'd be more inclined to put him on the wing tbh. Very hard to judge on one game though, even if it was a trial. Anyways, I'm off to work. Damn,

Fair enough..again don't agree..Dufty is not a winger.....not just judging off one game...Dufty bought speed and elusiveness to our backline last season so also taking that into consideration . For mine, Widdop doesn't work at fullback...he was our best player most of the time @ 5/8. I would leave him there and either play Norman or Dufty @ fullback.

Here's an outside the square suggestion
1/.Dufty 2/Rava/Pearson 3/Lomax 4.Norman 5.Periera/Pearson 6 Widdop 7 Hunt ( That's an exiting backline for mine )

Mind you it will never happen because McGregor is too conservative...
he will pick
1. Widdop 2 Lomax 3.Aitken 4 Lafai 5 Periera 6 Norman 7 Hunt .....for mine that is not a speedy backline...and will take time to gel.