2021 - Squad, Signings, Re-signings

[SAP58]

Surely Host stays ? The club just used him as pin up boy in the article on studies. Perhaps the left hand is not talking to the right in the club ( again ! )
You would think Hook is now making the decisions here and Host is just the sort of player he likes .

I hope so but there were rumours he was talking to Souths & he has a great relationship with Ben Hornby & was knows Demetriou from when he was st the Dragons. If he goes it will he because the deal was done when the former head coach wouldn’t give him a game or any feedback why.

 

[True_Believer]

I hope so but there were rumours he was talking to Souths & he has a great relationship with Ben Hornby & was knows Demetriou from when he was st the Dragons. If he goes it will he because the deal was done when the former head coach wouldn’t give him a game or any feedback why.

Or maybe the new coach doesn't see any value in keeping him?

 

[be55]

Cordner has no mongrel and he goes just fine.

Horses for courses and we need a hole running back rower and Host fits that bill.

The Sims brothers were supposed to provide the mongrel so maybe they should be the ones discussed seeing our forwards are soft?

Almost forgot to add that once upon a time our props were supposed to provide some mongrel how are props doing in that regard and you can include Graham and Merrin for all they were worth in that assessment.

Old timer you mention the Sims bothers...you could take or leave Korbin but Tariq is a real enigma for mine...some days he looks like the enforcer we need and other days he looks completely disinterested.
I remember the day in 2018 when we played the titans at Toowoomba i think,Tariq made Konrad Hurrell look like his own personal tackling bag.He was like a human heat seeking missile.I bet Konrad is still having nightmares about him.
If Hook can find the key to him that would be great for us but unfortunately at the moment their is way too much difference between his best and his worst,that is when he actually manages to string some games together and he's not injured.You would have to say overall he has been very disappointing for someone who shows at times how devastating he can be.

 

[Mjab]

So if as someone says Merrin and KSims are not part of Hooks plans
Why can’t that include Norman
All still have a year left on contract

Merrin was a crazy buy , shit at panthers shit ESL even and we sign the lazy f**k for 2 years that was insane
I did have some hopes KSims but I think he has been busted too much and now not up to it

Norman should have been dropped over a month ago
A good kick up the arse needed and maybe a message he’s no longer wanted
Maybe he or his manager would have looked for options rather than CC
We could have tried other options and at least crossed off a few

a lot of this problem is Millward as well as Mary
The clean out should include Millward

 

[Crush]

Cordner has no mongrel and he goes just fine.

Horses for courses and we need a hole running back rower and Host fits that bill.

The Sims brothers were supposed to provide the mongrel so maybe they should be the ones discussed seeing our forwards are soft?

Almost forgot to add that once upon a time our props were supposed to provide some mongrel how are props doing in that regard and you can include Graham and Merrin for all they were worth in that assessment.

If the Sims boys could get on the park that would be a good start.
I'm still hopeful that they can be more consistent because when they are good they are very good.
Host, we'll see, he's only young still.

 

[denis preston]

Host lacks mongrel.
Hes OK at best.

Jesus Crush you obviously see the forwards role in a successful NRL side one dimensionaliy.

 

[Gareth67]

I think that the players will realize quick enough that their paycheck may be in jeopardy unless they perform up to Hook’s expectations of them .

Should the likes of Ofahengaue and McGrone sign on the dotted line then forwards such as Tariqu Simms will hopefully be spurred on to greater efforts.

At the moment Tariq Simms is and has been the only real firebrand in the Dragons pack and it must surely take it out of him being the only enforcer in the forwards week in week out .

I am sure that the Big Red V supporters will see him totally invigorated next season with a couple of other tough-nuts supporting him . He will no longer be playing a lone hand .

 

[possm]

So did the JAC deal with Tigers fall over ?
Also naufaoloma would be a good swap for storm I think

better than any shit we can swap
But if we could get him May well solve out FB issues

JAC for Dufty

 

[SAP58]

Or maybe the new coach doesn't see any value in keeping him?

You may be right & the Daily Telegraph today reports that he has had discussions with Souths. Watching the Souths v Canterbury game last night I thought Bayley Sironen played strongly when he came on, ran hard & has an offload. Reports are he is unsigned & could be a replacement for Host if he leaves.

 

[possm]

Old timer you mention the Sims bothers...you could take or leave Korbin but Tariq is a real enigma for mine...some days he looks like the enforcer we need and other days he looks completely disinterested.
I remember the day in 2018 when we played the titans at Toowoomba i think,Tariq made Konrad Hurrell look like his own personal tackling bag.He was like a human heat seeking missile.I bet Konrad is still having nightmares about him.
If Hook can find the key to him that would be great for us but unfortunately at the moment their is way too much difference between his best and his worst,that is when he actually manages to string some games together and he's not injured.You would have to say overall he has been very disappointing for someone who shows at times how devastating he can be.

Poor coaching and injury. T Sims will be our 11 in 2021. However, we do need a clean out so I'd like to see K Sims, Merrin, Host, Ellis and Lawrie moved on as soon as possible to make way for a fresh set of forwards who bend the line and have mongrel. Our forward pack has no ticker and does have a soft under-belly.

 

[Crush]

Jesus Crush you obviously see the forwards role in a successful NRL side one dimensionaliy.

I used to love Joel Thompson. That bloke hit hard in tackles. He hunted blokes on the park.

 

[possm]

I used to love Joel Thompson. That bloke hit hard in tackles. He hunted blokes on the park.

Yes if I remember correctly, Mary/Millward got rid of him early in order to keep Leilua. Then we lose Frizell for ....?

But with Griffin we are starting to re-build:
Ofahengaue for Graham

 

[Inisai Toga]

Jesus Crush you obviously see the forwards role in a successful NRL side one dimensionaliy.

I am a fan, cause I like the lines he runs, but agree but a bit more “oomph” in his game wouldn’t go astray.

 

[Old Timer]

If the Sims boys could get on the park that would be a good start.
I'm still hopeful that they can be more consistent because when they are good they are very good.
Host, we'll see, he's only young still.

T’s contribution since being here has been a couple of great games, a couple of above average games, a few big hits and a lot of average stuff pretty much commensurate with his days at Newcastle. Ge achieved his personal milestone SOO, plateaued, gone downhill

K’s input whilst hampered through injury is well short of that which he provided at the Broncos.

I honestly think that we overrated our forward pack all off the back of that run we had where Dragon Footy worked and we were the so called “benchmark”

The false belief that that was “premiership winning” football and sustainable has IMO created the very dilemma we find ourselves in today.

 

[Inisai Toga]

Old timer you mention the Sims bothers...you could take or leave Korbin but Tariq is a real enigma for mine...some days he looks like the enforcer we need and other days he looks completely disinterested.
I remember the day in 2018 when we played the titans at Toowoomba i think,Tariq made Konrad Hurrell look like his own personal tackling bag.He was like a human heat seeking missile.I bet Konrad is still having nightmares about him.
If Hook can find the key to him that would be great for us but unfortunately at the moment their is way too much difference between his best and his worst,that is when he actually manages to string some games together and he's not injured.You would have to say overall he has been very disappointing for someone who shows at times how devastating he can be.

Agree, always thought that when Tariq first signed with us he was highly motivated to play ‘State of Origin’ football. He’d always had the talent, but for different reasons it had never had eventuated. We were the beneficiary of this motivation as Saints were ‘his last chance‘ ; he achieved it along with DeBelin and Fritzell and our pack was considered one of the best on paper.

Since then, DeBelin’s hip was stuffed (when he should have been rested) then had his personal situation; Graham was realistically ‘past his best’ when we got him, Fritzell game plateaued at best and Tariq has been marred by injury or suspension; these factors could be due to age, poor game plans or coaching, yet, the tough pack myth was maintained....False in my opinion.

I feel with Graham, T Simms and even Fritzell that ‘on paper‘ we ‘looked’ firebrand, but it’s different when comparing to say the ‘77 pack with Young, Stone, Reddy, Starkey, & Jansen. The whole pack were young firebrands up for it and highly motivated every week!

Tariq has to be on the park doing his stuff consistently for us to start getting that tag back. Just question if the motivation is there for him to do so?

 

[Crush]

Yes if I remember correctly, Mary/Millward got rid of him early in order to keep Leilua. Then we lose Frizell for ....?

But with Griffin we are starting to re-build:
Ofahengaue for Graham

Not every comment comes back to Millward.
We were talking about back rowers.
Were you a Thompson fan? I was, he crunched blokes. Tough for his size.
The toughest though was Ian Roberts. That bloke was scary.

 

[True_Believer]

Not every comment comes back to Millward.
We were talking about back rowers.
Were you a Thompson fan? I was, he crunched blokes. Tough for his size.
The toughest though was Ian Roberts. That bloke was scary.

I think he's missing the point that Millward is still in recruitment. If we are indeed signing these players, it tells me that the issue came down to the coach and the coach only.

 

[Dragons4me]

Surely Host stays ? The club just used him as pin up boy in the article on studies. Perhaps the left hand is not talking to the right in the club ( again ! )
You would think Hook is now making the decisions here and Host is just the sort of player he likes .

Don't understand this. How can he not be wanted when the game plan seemed to have always been to just hit it up when you eventually get the ball with little forethought to run a line or offload. Second phase play? Doesn't look like it was ever practised so rarely happened in a game. And this is why Griffins appointment is so important. Sorry but not very big shoes to have to fill.

 

[possm]

I think he's missing the point that Millward is still in recruitment. If we are indeed signing these players, it tells me that the issue came down to the coach and the coach only.

From November on, Millward will be working under Griffin's directions and if he does not like that, he'll be gonsky just like Mary and Young before him.

 

[Dragonslayer]

From November on, Millward will be working under Griffin's directions and if he does not like that, he'll be gonsky just like Mary and Young before him.

I think you'll find he is already 'under' Griffin already.
I have no doubt Hook is already observing and tinkering with our roster. Unfortunately, the 'bubble' and his media committments probably prevent him from being more involved. He also has to pay some respect to Young as he was annointed intrim until round 20.

The rumoured/expected signing of Joe O is a good indicator of Griffins involvement. The fact that we are also chasing McGuire and a few others has Hooks fingerprints all over it.