2021 - Squad, Signings, Re-signings

[Old Timer]

Thank god you pointed that out because everybody that read my post would have been so confused as to the sentiments that i was trying to convey.Thank god for a PEDANT like you or else most of us wouldn't know what each other were actually trying to say half the time.I'll try to be more accurate going forward.
Keep up the good work mate

LMFAO and good on you.

How anybody could misinterpret your "you could resign Sailor" or could consider that you meant piss him off (technical term for the opposite of re-sign) is beyond me.

The place is full of wannabe school teachers who failed simple comprehension.

 

[redandwhite4evr]

Thank god you pointed that out because everybody that read my post would have been so confused as to the sentiments that i was trying to convey.Thank god for a PEDANT like you or else most of us wouldn't know what each other were actually trying to say half the time.I'll try to be more accurate going forward.
Keep up the good work mate

You're welcome

 

[blacksafake]

If Young is signed, Which i'm kind of expecting i would think that we are then going to be forced to pay overs in order to attaract any decent signings.

 

[Mjab]

If Young is signed, Which i'm kind of expecting i would think that we are then going to be forced to pay overs in order to attaract any decent signings.

The advantage of Bennett maybe

 

[George Dragon]

Dragons has tabled a three-year offer worth more than $1 million to Christian Welch

The Dragons have set their eyes on a Storm State of Origin star and a German-born winger, while a former skipper has put up his hand for the St George Illawarra coaching job.
A State of Origin star is weighing up a move to Wollongong, a former skipper has put his hand up for the Dragons coaching job, and a German-born winger is on the radar — it’s all happening at St George Illawarra.
The Dragons has tabled a three-year offer worth more than $1 million to entice Queensland prop Christian Welch to the club.
The Dragons were left impressed when they met with Welch on Zoom last week, prompting the club to make a formal offer this week. It is expected Welch’s decision will come down to sticking with the Storm or joining the Dragons with the 26-year-old off-contract at season’s end.
The Dragons have identified Welch, who played one game for Queensland last year as a much needed addition to beef-up their forward stocks given the departures of Tyson Frizell and James Graham plus the ongoing uncertainty surrounding Jack de Belin – who returns to court next Friday.
While the Dragons are pursing Welch aggressively, they are also looking at former Super League rookie of the year Tom Johnstone. The 25-year-old winger is a try-scoring machine but has been hampered by serious injuries in recent years. He has scored 72 tries from 85 games for Wakefield Trinity and crossed for a treble in his only Test for the Wayne Bennett-coached England in 2018 against France. He was picked in the Super League team of the year that same season. Johnstone missed large chunks of the 2017 and 2019 seasons with torn ACLs in each knee.
The Dragons aren’t the only club sniffing around the German-born star and Wakefield have attached a transfer fee to his signing with Johnstone not off-contract until the end of 2022. If the Dragons land Johnstone that could clear the path for Jason Saab’s immediate exit with the club in negotiations with rivals about a potential player swap.

One person who is interested in the Dragons head coaching role is their premiership winning skipper Ben Hornby. Hornby, who is also the club’s most capped player, is expected to put his hand up for the vacant head coaching role after the Dragons three-tiered criteria for their next coach was revealed on Wednesday. Hornby ticks the boxes – defensive mindset, strong on discipline and has spent time at a successful culture. It has been dubbed the Bennett blueprint. Hornby reunited with Bennett at South Sydney this year as part of a two-year deal.
Interim coach Young said Bennett “gave him a bit of advice” ahead of his first game in charge against the Broncos on Friday night.
“I’d tell you (what the advice was) but Wayne gets cranky when I tell people secrets so I’m not allowed to say,” Young said. “I’ve got six weeks now and it’s a good opportunity to do things my way. I’m pretty good at staying focused on task and my job was to do my job for ‘Mary’ (Paul McGregor) for the Parramatta game and after that was when my mind started going a thousand miles an hour.
“There were a fair bit of butterflies when I addressed the staff and players on Monday morning. I think that’s a good thing
“The players know what I value. I value players who compete, I value players that are disciplined and I value players who are consistent. There is no grey in that. It’s black and white for me.
“You either compete hard or you don’t, you are disciplined or you are not and you are consistent or you are not. It’s pretty easy for me to see and I let the players know on Monday that that is what I value so now it is over to them.”


https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/s...s/news-story/e63772ef60a4ba6114c0b94368a22b80

 

[redVinme]

Dragons has tabled a three-year offer worth more than $1 million to Christian Welch

The Dragons have set their eyes on a Storm State of Origin star and a German-born winger, while a former skipper has put up his hand for the St George Illawarra coaching job.
A State of Origin star is weighing up a move to Wollongong, a former skipper has put his hand up for the Dragons coaching job, and a German-born winger is on the radar — it’s all happening at St George Illawarra.
The Dragons has tabled a three-year offer worth more than $1 million to entice Queensland prop Christian Welch to the club.
The Dragons were left impressed when they met with Welch on Zoom last week, prompting the club to make a formal offer this week. It is expected Welch’s decision will come down to sticking with the Storm or joining the Dragons with the 26-year-old off-contract at season’s end.
The Dragons have identified Welch, who played one game for Queensland last year as a much needed addition to beef-up their forward stocks given the departures of Tyson Frizell and James Graham plus the ongoing uncertainty surrounding Jack de Belin – who returns to court next Friday.
While the Dragons are pursing Welch aggressively, they are also looking at former Super League rookie of the year Tom Johnstone. The 25-year-old winger is a try-scoring machine but has been hampered by serious injuries in recent years. He has scored 72 tries from 85 games for Wakefield Trinity and crossed for a treble in his only Test for the Wayne Bennett-coached England in 2018 against France. He was picked in the Super League team of the year that same season. Johnstone missed large chunks of the 2017 and 2019 seasons with torn ACLs in each knee.
The Dragons aren’t the only club sniffing around the German-born star and Wakefield have attached a transfer fee to his signing with Johnstone not off-contract until the end of 2022. If the Dragons land Johnstone that could clear the path for Jason Saab’s immediate exit with the club in negotiations with rivals about a potential player swap.

One person who is interested in the Dragons head coaching role is their premiership winning skipper Ben Hornby. Hornby, who is also the club’s most capped player, is expected to put his hand up for the vacant head coaching role after the Dragons three-tiered criteria for their next coach was revealed on Wednesday. Hornby ticks the boxes – defensive mindset, strong on discipline and has spent time at a successful culture. It has been dubbed the Bennett blueprint. Hornby reunited with Bennett at South Sydney this year as part of a two-year deal.
Interim coach Young said Bennett “gave him a bit of advice” ahead of his first game in charge against the Broncos on Friday night.
“I’d tell you (what the advice was) but Wayne gets cranky when I tell people secrets so I’m not allowed to say,” Young said. “I’ve got six weeks now and it’s a good opportunity to do things my way. I’m pretty good at staying focused on task and my job was to do my job for ‘Mary’ (Paul McGregor) for the Parramatta game and after that was when my mind started going a thousand miles an hour.
“There were a fair bit of butterflies when I addressed the staff and players on Monday morning. I think that’s a good thing
“The players know what I value. I value players who compete, I value players that are disciplined and I value players who are consistent. There is no grey in that. It’s black and white for me.
“You either compete hard or you don’t, you are disciplined or you are not and you are consistent or you are not. It’s pretty easy for me to see and I let the players know on Monday that that is what I value so now it is over to them.”


https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/s...s/news-story/e63772ef60a4ba6114c0b94368a22b80

Thanks for sharing mate.

Sure is some interesting points in there. Jason Saab player swap interests me a lot.

As long as they don't sign young little by little we are seeing good signs. Bit more intent at least.

Any of this line up with something you've heard?

 

[Dragon David]

Thanks George Dragon for your post. Very interesting to read. Hopefully we can land Welch. I have injury concerns for Tom Johnstone and Ben Hornby applying for head coach at this stage of his assistant coaching career is like Young in a way. Maybe he could be a dark horse if he ticks all the boxes.

 

[blacksafake]

Dragons has tabled a three-year offer worth more than $1 million to Christian Welch

The Dragons have set their eyes on a Storm State of Origin star and a German-born winger, while a former skipper has put up his hand for the St George Illawarra coaching job.
A State of Origin star is weighing up a move to Wollongong, a former skipper has put his hand up for the Dragons coaching job, and a German-born winger is on the radar — it’s all happening at St George Illawarra.
The Dragons has tabled a three-year offer worth more than $1 million to entice Queensland prop Christian Welch to the club.
The Dragons were left impressed when they met with Welch on Zoom last week, prompting the club to make a formal offer this week. It is expected Welch’s decision will come down to sticking with the Storm or joining the Dragons with the 26-year-old off-contract at season’s end.
The Dragons have identified Welch, who played one game for Queensland last year as a much needed addition to beef-up their forward stocks given the departures of Tyson Frizell and James Graham plus the ongoing uncertainty surrounding Jack de Belin – who returns to court next Friday.
While the Dragons are pursing Welch aggressively, they are also looking at former Super League rookie of the year Tom Johnstone. The 25-year-old winger is a try-scoring machine but has been hampered by serious injuries in recent years. He has scored 72 tries from 85 games for Wakefield Trinity and crossed for a treble in his only Test for the Wayne Bennett-coached England in 2018 against France. He was picked in the Super League team of the year that same season. Johnstone missed large chunks of the 2017 and 2019 seasons with torn ACLs in each knee.
The Dragons aren’t the only club sniffing around the German-born star and Wakefield have attached a transfer fee to his signing with Johnstone not off-contract until the end of 2022. If the Dragons land Johnstone that could clear the path for Jason Saab’s immediate exit with the club in negotiations with rivals about a potential player swap.

One person who is interested in the Dragons head coaching role is their premiership winning skipper Ben Hornby. Hornby, who is also the club’s most capped player, is expected to put his hand up for the vacant head coaching role after the Dragons three-tiered criteria for their next coach was revealed on Wednesday. Hornby ticks the boxes – defensive mindset, strong on discipline and has spent time at a successful culture. It has been dubbed the Bennett blueprint. Hornby reunited with Bennett at South Sydney this year as part of a two-year deal.
Interim coach Young said Bennett “gave him a bit of advice” ahead of his first game in charge against the Broncos on Friday night.
“I’d tell you (what the advice was) but Wayne gets cranky when I tell people secrets so I’m not allowed to say,” Young said. “I’ve got six weeks now and it’s a good opportunity to do things my way. I’m pretty good at staying focused on task and my job was to do my job for ‘Mary’ (Paul McGregor) for the Parramatta game and after that was when my mind started going a thousand miles an hour.
“There were a fair bit of butterflies when I addressed the staff and players on Monday morning. I think that’s a good thing
“The players know what I value. I value players who compete, I value players that are disciplined and I value players who are consistent. There is no grey in that. It’s black and white for me.
“You either compete hard or you don’t, you are disciplined or you are not and you are consistent or you are not. It’s pretty easy for me to see and I let the players know on Monday that that is what I value so now it is over to them.”


https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/s...s/news-story/e63772ef60a4ba6114c0b94368a22b80

I really like Welch but his knees are a problem.
As for the Pom knowing he’s missed a large chunk of seasons with ACL’ s is a huge concern.

 

[Gareth67]

I really like Welch but his knees are a problem.
As for the Pom knowing he’s missed a large chunk of seasons with ACL’ s is a huge concern.

It is sounding like a bit of a ‘ lucky-dip ‘ with those 2 players. I am watching the Eels / Storm game as I write and noticed Welch grap at his shoulder after a tackle however he continues to play O.K.

But the pommy fella should send the alarm bells ringing , he may very well have recovered from those injuries , but as we are all aware they really serious injuries that never seem to go away once sustained.

 

[Dragon David]

I'm watching the Eels/Storm game and say that if the Storm was at full strength, the game would have been a lot closer. Bellamy needs the cattle to win games.

 

[Gareth67]

I'm watching the Eels/Storm game and say that if the Storm was at full strength, the game would have been a lot closer. Bellamy needs the cattle to win games.

It was a good hard fought win by the Eels , BUT - did you see those crusher tackles by the ‘ wrestlers ‘ ? 2 consecutive tackles and they done some damage to the Parramatta players . Gus ‘ the human football ‘ Gould said that he ( Andrew Johns son ) was terribly hard done by with that decision - a penalty and 10 in the bin .

The next was just as bad with Brown being forced off the field and lo and behold you then had the Storms giant Nelson Alfoa Solomona really coming in hard with a late shoulder charge that knocked the hell out of the poor eel .

Meanwhile Gus is saying how the NRL is coming down hard on those types of tackle - well Gus baby it’s about bluudy time . Bellamy defensive tactics have caused some horrendous injuries to players over the years and although one the very best coaches in the game his ruthlessness to win at all costs leaves a lot to be desired.

Rant over .

 

[blacksafake]

I'm watching the Eels/Storm game and say that if the Storm was at full strength, the game would have been a lot closer.
Bellamy needs the cattle to win game[/QUOTE

 

[blacksafake]

I think Bellamy showed tonight that even lacking in quality cattle he can coach.

 

[possm]

I really like Welch but his knees are a problem.
As for the Pom knowing he’s missed a large chunk of seasons with ACL’ s is a huge concern.

I can't believe that Millward is chasing a Pommy winger for our NRL squad. We have so many young outside backs coming through who in my opinion would be best served by playing on the wing in their initial stint in the NRL. At this moment wing is our least problem with Ravalawa and Pereira going so well right now and Ramsey and Schiller coming through.

The main problems we have in our backlineright now are:
Fullback - although Dufty has improved a lot, he is still too small and can be suspect under the high ball, a speed bump in defence and on many occasions, he is out of position when our line is broken. I like Dufty but believe fullback is not his best position on the field. I've made no secret that I think he would make a great partner for Clune in the halves.

We could also do with a quality left-center while our youngsters are coming through. Like many of our first-graders, Williame is a good backup player that is first-grade ready. So a top grade fullback or left-center are what we need in our backline for the next couple of years.

A move of Dufty to the halves and Norman moved on makes a lot of sense to me however, some people on here think that Dufty would not go well at 6 for the same reasons he struggles at fullback. With a coach like Bennett or someone else with extensive first-grade coaching experience, would devise a plan to assist Dufty in defence as we did with Soward. Dufty has lightning speed, a good passing game and is very elusive. He would be a huge upgrade on Norman and at half the price.

If I was in charge, I would go for A Johnson from South Sydney mainly because he a proven first-grader with good ability and is very versatile being able to play fullback, centre and wing. I would try to swap Norman for a top-grade prop. Even if we had to pay some to off-load him. We also ned to find a back-row forward to replace Frizell. I feel McInnes is a great lock and would be an adequate replacement for De Belin if necessary.

So looking forward we have potential depth in all of our problems:
Fullback - Johnston, Ramsey, Schiller and Dufty
Winger - Johnston, Ravalawa, Pereira, Ramsey, Feagai, Schiller,
Centre - Lomax, Johnston, Williame, Feagai
Halves - Clune, Dufty, Sailor, Sullivan
Prop - New prop, Vaughan, Kerr, Ellis and Blacker
Backrow - T Sims, new back-rower, Ford, McInnes, Host and maybe De Belin
Hooker - Hunt, Brittain, and McInnes

Some of our current first-grade 17 are good backup players and if possible it may be good to retain a few of them; Williame, Pereira, Sailor, Host and maybe Merrin.

Others who we should let go; Norman, K Sims and maybe Merrin.

Already gone or on their way are Aitken, Lafai, Frizell, Luke, Saab, and maybe De Belin. More than enough salary cap to buy a fullback, prop and second-rower.

So if it is Bennett to be our new coach with Young and Hornby as his assistants, I feel sure Bennett would already be controlling recruitment behind the scenes and would most probably bring players from Souths and Broncos with him; Pangai Jr prop, Johnston fullback and possibly a good second rower from another club. Bennett would instil pride, loyalty and discipline into our squad. You can be sure tough forward pack and a brick-wall defence would be a feature of a Bennett coached Dragons team. You can be sure our youngsters coming through will receive the necessary support and development as they progress to first-grade.

Under Bennett, maybe Young and Hornby will receive the apprenticeship the so badly need if they want to move to a head coach position.

 

[Inisai Toga]

I can't believe that Millward is chasing a Pommy winger for our NRL squad. We have so many young outside backs coming through who in my opinion would be best served by playing on the wing in their initial stint in the NRL. At this moment wing is our least problem with Ravalawa and Pereira going so well right now and Ramsey and Schiller coming through.

The main problems we have in our backlineright now are:
Fullback - although Dufty has improved a lot, he is still too small and can be suspect under the high ball, a speed bump in defence and on many occasions, he is out of position when our line is broken. I like Dufty but believe fullback is not his best position on the field. I've made no secret that I think he would make a great partner for Clune in the halves.

We could also do with a quality left-center while our youngsters are coming through. Like many of our first-graders, Williame is a good backup player that is first-grade ready. So a top grade fullback or left-center are what we need in our backline for the next couple of years.

A move of Dufty to the halves and Norman moved on makes a lot of sense to me however, some people on here think that Dufty would not go well at 6 for the same reasons he struggles at fullback. With a coach like Bennett or someone else with extensive first-grade coaching experience, would devise a plan to assist Dufty in defence as we did with Soward. Dufty has lightning speed, a good passing game and is very elusive. He would be a huge upgrade on Norman and at half the price.

If I was in charge, I would go for A Johnson from South Sydney mainly because he a proven first-grader with good ability and is very versatile being able to play fullback, centre and wing. I would try to swap Norman for a top-grade prop. Even if we had to pay some to off-load him. We also ned to find a back-row forward to replace Frizell. I feel McInnes is a great lock and would be an adequate replacement for De Belin if necessary.

So looking forward we have potential depth in all of our problems:
Fullback - Johnston, Ramsey, Schiller and Dufty
Winger - Johnston, Ravalawa, Pereira, Ramsey, Feagai, Schiller,
Centre - Lomax, Johnston, Williame, Feagai
Halves - Clune, Dufty, Sailor, Sullivan
Prop - New prop, Vaughan, Kerr, Ellis and Blacker
Backrow - T Sims, new back-rower, Ford, McInnes, Host and maybe De Belin
Hooker - Hunt, Brittain, and McInnes

Some of our current first-grade 17 are good backup players and if possible it may be good to retain a few of them; Williame, Pereira, Sailor, Host and maybe Merrin.

Others who we should let go; Norman, K Sims and maybe Merrin.

Already gone or on their way are Aitken, Lafai, Frizell, Luke, Saab, and maybe De Belin. More than enough salary cap to buy a fullback, prop and second-rower.

So if it is Bennett to be our new coach with Young and Hornby as his assistants, I feel sure Bennett would already be controlling recruitment behind the scenes and would most probably bring players from Souths and Broncos with him; Pangai Jr prop, Johnston fullback and possibly a good second rower from another club. Bennett would instil pride, loyalty and discipline into our squad. You can be sure tough forward pack and a brick-wall defence would be a feature of a Bennett coached Dragons team. You can be sure our youngsters coming through will receive the necessary support and development as they progress to first-grade.

Under Bennett, maybe Young and Hornby will receive the apprenticeship the so badly need if they want to move to a head coach position.

Think you make some fair points Possum.The attraction of what Bennett brings to compliment a team would not be lost on our BOD, i’m sure. Again my only opposition of what you put forward is Dufty’s move to five eighth. IF Bennett came and IF Beau Scott M11 comes, then maybe; however, even then, there’s been rules changes since 2010 and it’s even harder to hide players. Furthermore, Soward had one of the best kicking games one would ever see and therefore it was arguably worth accommodating his defensive liabilities. Dufty doesn’t!

 

[George Dragon]

Thanks for sharing mate.

Sure is some interesting points in there. Jason Saab player swap interests me a lot.

As long as they don't sign young little by little we are seeing good signs. Bit more intent at least.

Any of this line up with something you've heard?

I had heard about the player part so that seems close to the mark.
Nothing on coach side.

 

[matPORTS]

As I've written on this forum several times...

We've yet to replace the 200+ games of experience in our back five that Jason Nightingale left behind in 2018.

Until we bring in an experienced back five player (Alex Johnston or equivalent), JP or Rava gain an extra yard or two of pace (they may go another leg now that the coach has changed but no guarantees) or unearth a freak of a talent (no guarantees on Ramsey or the Feagais doing this - at least this early in their development) this will continue to be a massive problem for us.

At the best of times, we've seriously lacked the ability to get ourselves on the front foot coming out of our red zone throughout 2019 and 2020. As much as Nighty lost a bit of pace and had a battered body in his final couple of years, he was always a master at this and safe has houses.

Alex Johnston is a must buy - and the club needs to be prepared to pay overs as well. We then run the risk of those junior outside backs exploring options in future years, but that's also an area the club needs to fix up in its various coaching and support staff overhauls.

 

[getsmarty]

Rugby League news: NRL club target Tom Johnstone, latest on Toronto takeover, World Cup ticket details released
All the major stories and transfer news from Super League and the NRL

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Tom Johnstone celebrates a try against Warrington (Image: Dean Williams/News Images)
Hello and welcome along to today's live rugby league blog where we will be bringing you all the latest news and rumours all day long.

There's no Super League this weekend, with only two teams in action as Catalans Dragons take on Wakefield Trinity in the Challenge Cup.

Clubs have got a bit more clarity after Super League released the fixture details up to round 12, with dates and venues now firmed up.

The results of the retests at St Helens should be made public at some point in the coming days and we'll bring you the news as soon as we get it.

We'll be keeping you across all the top stories elsewhere in the sport, as well as score updates from the NRL, with Penrith Panthers taking on Cronulla Sharks and Brisbane Broncos hosting St George Illawarra Dragons.

Sport Telegraph in Australia has linked St George Illawarra Dragons with a move for Wakefield Trinity winger Tom Johnstone.

The 25-year-old is widely regarded as the best finisher in Super League and has scored six tries in as many games this year.

He is currently sidelined with an elbow injury and has previously suffered with knee issues.

The Dragons are said to face competition for his signature.

When Andy Last said it might take up to 10 wins for Hull FC to reach the play-offs he undoubtedly set the bar high.

He knew it would be a challenge with just 13 games remaining, but it was a signal of intent as he prepared to begin his tenure in charge of the Black and Whites.

Expectations are high at the club, but none are higher than Last’s who believes this side are still more than capable of hunting down a play-off spot over the course of the next few months.

Of course, those ambitions were laid out prior to their hammering at the hands of Salford, a day before 12 players and staff tested positive for coronavirus.

https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/rugby-league-live-transfer-news-4444750

 

[possm]

As I've written on this forum several times...

We've yet to replace the 200+ games of experience in our back five that Jason Nightingale left behind in 2018.

Until we bring in an experienced back five player (Alex Johnston or equivalent), JP or Rava gain an extra yard or two of pace (they may go another leg now that the coach has changed but no guarantees) or unearth a freak of a talent (no guarantees on Ramsey or the Feagais doing this - at least this early in their development) this will continue to be a massive problem for us.

At the best of times, we've seriously lacked the ability to get ourselves on the front foot coming out of our red zone throughout 2019 and 2020. As much as Nighty lost a bit of pace and had a battered body in his final couple of years, he was always a master at this and safe has houses.

Alex Johnston is a must buy - and the club needs to be prepared to pay overs as well. We then run the risk of those junior outside backs exploring options in future years, but that's also an area the club needs to fix up in its various coaching and support staff overhauls.

Maybe Johnston to fullback with Dufty to five-eighth. Ramsey to left wing.

 

[boardlumps62]

Well we have forced Euan out by not being offered a contract. I guess all is not that bad when we consider the youngster coming through.
Williame will take Euans spot next year unless coaches are game to give the Fengai Boys a run. They are probably ready now both 186cm and weighing in at Max 98kg and Mat 96kg.
I was just watching the Raiders thinking how big is Jarrod Crocker. Well he comes in at 184cm and 93kg and what a player. Euan is 182cm and 93kg with Zac 190cm and 94kg. Cody Ramsey 185cm and 82kg at 20 yrs is still a lightweight.
Fengai Boys are 19yrs birthday in February so they have to get a crack next year or we can kiss then goodbye.
We don't want that.