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NRL 2017: St George Illawarra stars Gareth Widdop and Josh Dugan dissect the Dragons’ attack
IT’S been called dire, dour and boring.
A lot has been made of St George Illawarra’s attack over recent seasons, but in 2016, that criticism went to a new level.
In the 24 matches they played, the team totalled 341 points — that’s 14.2 points per game and only just better than the 12.7 wooden spooners Newcastle were averaging.
Foxsports.com.au sat down with a couple of key players in five-eighth Gareth Widdop and fullback Josh Dugan to find out where it went wrong and what’s being done to rectify it.
WHAT WENT WRONG
Dragons’ attack looked incredibly rigid and predictable for much of 2016.
Too often they’d chance their arm in the dying stages of a game — when the result was out of reach — and ended up actually troubling the opposition’s defence.
“We probably needed to play more instinctive football,” Widdop said.
“It was more about finding a role and sticking to it. We were probably too inconsistent in doing that.
“I think last year with myself and Benji (Marshall) we were both dominant players and it probably didn’t work out as well as we wanted it to.
“With injuries we never had a strong halves combination, there was always swapping and changing and that doesn’t help your attack.”
Gareth Widdop and Benji Marshall were the Dragons halves in 2016. Picture: Gregg PorteousSource:News Corp Australia
While Widdop doesn’t believe the added responsibility of being captain created unnecessary pressure, he does admit the role sometimes took his mind off the main job at hand.
“Being captain, I thought I had to worry about everyone else rather than myself personally,” he said.
“It probably just got away from me a bit, the way I needed to play and was worrying about everyone else.
“I suppose you could say [it did get to me] a little bit, but it’s all part of learning about being a captain.”
HOW ARE THEY FIXING IT?
Well if Dugan’s comments are anything to go by, the revamp of the attack is a closely guarded secret.
“I don’t want to give away too much,” the NSW star said.
“(The attack) has changed a bit and we’re going to be working on that the next three of four weeks before we get into the trials.”
Widdop believed the Dragons have to find their own style of attack which compliments their players.
Gareth Widdop in action for the Dragons. Picture: Mark EvansSource: News Corp Australia
“We’ve brought in new staff this year and it’s certainly going to change things up,” he said. “It’s been positive at training.
“When things don’t work you have to look at ways to improve things.
“Last year was a big lesson for us and hopefully we can come up with something that suits the team we are.
“Every team is different and play different ways and if we find ways that as the Dragons want to play, we’ve got some great talent in our squad to help us.”
WHO WILL PLAY HALFBACK?
The Dragons playmaking plans were thrown into disarray before Christmas when young gun Drew Hutchison broke down at training with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.
“I actually went in on the day that he did it,” Dugan said.
“The poor bloke was devastated and we were all devastated for him because it was looking like he was going to get first crack at halfback.
“It’s sort of thrown a spanner in the works but we’ve got some worthy replacements.”
The Dragons have been linked to the likes of former NRL players Todd Carney and Chris Sandow, but the club have stuck to their guns stating they intend to look within their squad for a replacement.
That means former Raider Josh McCrone, utility Kurt Mann, Illawarra Cutters playmaker Shaun Nona and young gun Jai Field are left to battle it out for the No. 7 jersey.
Dugan has backed McCrone to start the year.
“I think with Josh (after) playing a bit last year,” he said. “He’s been in the system a little while longer than Shaun and Jai, although Jai knows the system and the structure being a local junior.
“But just that experience, and he’s got that old head on him so I think if we’re going to go forward, I think he’ll get first crack.”
Josh McCrone is tipped to be the Dragons’ halfback in round one. Picture: Gregg PorteousSource: News Corp Australia
Widdop said he didn’t mind which contender got the job, and he would even consider moving to halfback if it helped the halves chemistry.
“Whatever the coach feels is best for the team, I’m happy to play wherever,” he said.
“If they want me to play halfback, I’ll play halfback.
“It’ll come down to who we’ve got on the field that will decide the role they want me to play.”
THE FULLBACK ROLE
With Dugan possessing the ability to play both fullback and centre, there is a question about where he best fits into the Dragons line up, particularly with rising star Matt Dufty coming through the ranks.
Rising star Matt Dufty. Picture: Gregg PorteousSource: News Corp Australia
Dugan played over half of the 2014 season in the centres and started last season in the same role before shifting back to fullback where he remained.
While he’s had great success at Origin and international level playing out wide, the centre experiment at club level is over for now.
“I’ve told Mary that I want to play fullback for club and he said the same thing to me,” he said.
“It’s just another feather the cap that I can play a few positions and when it comes to rep footy it doesn’t hurt my chances of making teams.
“That utility role is something I’ll embrace over the next few years.”
Dugan is known for his running game as opposed to his ball playing and the numbers reflect that.
Since joining the Dragons in 2013, Dugan has averaged 156 running metres per game, but has notched up a total of just eight try assists over those four years — that’s less than his one 2010 season with the Raiders.
Josh Dugan in action. Picture: Mark EvansSource:News Corp Australia
Dugan has been working with the coaching staff to incorporate more ball playing into his game.
“If you look at my Canberra time I think I was a pretty good passer back then,” he said.
“I sort of took on a bit more of a running role when I got to Saints and that’s worked all right for me and the team. I feel like it’s helped us get on the front foot out of the back end of sets.
“I’ve always had that passing ability it’s just a matter of using it and over the next month I’ll be working hard at training to get it in my mindset a bit more to be able to pass and make that right decision.
“The way we played last year, I was always holding the short side so I wasn’t much of a ballplayer anyway. I said to Mary I want to be able to have that licence if I get it and he was all up for it.
“I’ve been working with Benny Hornby over the past week doing a few extras after training and I’ll continue to do so before the season.”
http://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl...k/news-story/9984ab40abd0b56c2b4166ddcf8d27c2
This article all but confirms our worst fears re: halfback with mccrone all but confirmed and it does not look good for Dufty at least early on.
Exactly how and why these "so called" changes to the attack, with the same players that were there for a large part of last season can be expected to work now but not then beggars belief!
Looks like the same old, same old...
Sounds to me like Dugan is looking after one thing. He is not stupid "new contract fullback $$$$$$".
Why does Euan Aitken constantly get left out of calculations for a centre spot?
When Paul McGregor is your coach, every training session is torture.
