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Coaching preference for 2024

What are you hoping for in our next coaching appointment?

  • Rookie Coach

    Votes: 21 14.5%
  • Premiership Winning Coach

    Votes: 105 72.4%
  • NRL Experience coach with no Premiership wins

    Votes: 6 4.1%
  • Coach from Overseas

    Votes: 5 3.4%
  • Extend Current coach

    Votes: 8 5.5%

  • Total voters
    145

Mojo

Bench
Messages
3,431
Listening to Flanno on 2GB, the Dragons would be mad not to sign him. He sound genuine, keen and has a proven record of success. Talks himself up but for good reason, since he left Sharks have still been a force so he set them up well from pathways up. He ticks all the boxes. The pathways bit and how he left the Sharks in good shape clearly has the points on Hasler. He leaves a mess behind.

Buzz on NRL 360 said he will not interview against others, if you want me come and get me more or less. Hopefully once Dragons talk to his Manager it will just be a matter of getting him to sign off on the paperwork.

I heard from another pod, Ryles was a done deal and was literally at the car park on his way to sign the contract. Then something happened from the carpark to the office that changed his mind. Apparently it will come out later. Whether this is true or not I am sure but we will find out I suppose. If Saints sign Flanno who cares in the end, as Saints got the safer option imo for fixing the mess and getting success more quicker which is what we need.
Fkn hell. Now we've got snipers.
 

Dragon David

First Grade
Messages
7,588
Spot on DD. Ok we get a good coach, assistants, support staff but just as important is player depth.
Exactly baggygreen man. A coach like Flanagan, who by the way was at our club for a few years helping out Mary and in Recruitment as we know, and who would not have had much say as an assistant. If he has more control and virtually no meddling from any higher ups, he will set the whole club back up from the lower grades to first grade. He knows his shit. But yes, quality players are needed to bolster our overall depth and to have the chance to challenge all comers in the competition.
 

RedV Resurgence

Juniors
Messages
726
My first choice has always been Flanno, putting aside past transgressions, he has the runs on the board setting up the club from juniors through the NRL level success. No one else including Hasler has demonstrated the broad skills that are required to right the Dragons ship.

From what I can remember, Flanno didn't administer the peptides rather he failed to ensure everything was above board. Please correct me if I am wrong in this.

I think we missed a bullet with Ryles, not because he can't coach, but we can't have a rookie coach at this stage. Ryles may turn out to be a great coach, and I hope he does, I think the next 3-4 years will be very turbulent at the Dragons and board members (on the StGeorge side of the fence) will be fighting for their survival. Our new coach will need to hold strong and push back on the board when they overstep.
 

redVinme

Bench
Messages
2,511
I'd like flanno from a pure football perspective. Hate what he did and don't support that but the fact the club is hesitant is a joke they have tried to sign a bigot and a rapist in the last couple of years so they are kidding themselves If they think it's an optics issue. They also currently employ those guilty of DV.

So no point drawing a line now
 

Unsainty79

Juniors
Messages
152
Reading some news.com / fox sports articles this morning I see the dribbling idiots on NRL 360 last night were spouting that we "must sign Flanagan or Hasler"... seems to be flowing into this forum. I get they both have good claims for the gig and I'd be able to get on board with them... but why "MUST" it be them? Neither are exactly a guaranteed salve and each have a few reasons why they'd be a bad choice. Cheika, also, has reasons he'd be a bad choice... but I like the depth and breadth of his coaching record, and I especially like that he'd be a bold choice. Something daring, and out of the box. This club used to be good at that type of thing
Because some of our fan base are obsessed with it not being given to Hornby or Young & because Flanagan is apparently on the nose with Doust.

I appreciate that there are concerns for a rookie coach and the link between Young and the Board and the abhorrent past 10 seasons. But we went with an experienced coach in Griffin and the majority of this forum sung his praises and look how that turned out.

Is Flanagan the answer? He has won a premiership, but he hasn't coached in 6 years and was bypassed by multiple clubs, and was also an assistant under Mary and part of the refusal to drop Corey Norman.

I personally have no problem with any of the options, but unfortunately, we need a coach as much as we do a mediator with the board. At the very least Hornby and Young know the board and the intricacies and may have the nous to deal with them, because my concern is Flanagan, like Ryles will want widespread changes (validly) and they may not happen. Does he crack the shits and move on halfway through his contract?

The worst part of this all is that no matter who the coach is, they need to be able to coach the team and mediate with the Board, who for better or worse, aren't going anywhere.
 

Mojo

Bench
Messages
3,431
Because some of our fan base are obsessed with it not being given to Hornby or Young & because Flanagan is apparently on the nose with Doust.

I appreciate that there are concerns for a rookie coach and the link between Young and the Board and the abhorrent past 10 seasons. But we went with an experienced coach in Griffin and the majority of this forum sung his praises and look how that turned out.

Is Flanagan the answer? He has won a premiership, but he hasn't coached in 6 years and was bypassed by multiple clubs, and was also an assistant under Mary and part of the refusal to drop Corey Norman.

I personally have no problem with any of the options, but unfortunately, we need a coach as much as we do a mediator with the board. At the very least Hornby and Young know the board and the intricacies and may have the nous to deal with them, because my concern is Flanagan, like Ryles will want widespread changes (validly) and they may not happen. Does he crack the shits and move on halfway through his contract?

The worst part of this all is that no matter who the coach is, they need to be able to coach the team and mediate with the Board, who for better or worse, aren't going anywhere.
All true indeed - but .... the Griffin debacle (and McG and Price before him) demonstrates that nobody has a crystal ball. All recruitment is a judgment call. Past experience is a key selection criterion but, objectively, so is our past experience of rat shit selections. I think this time we may be wise to go with someone who already feels a little uncomfortable. We really need a person who will challenge the status quo - and even the incumbents in director and management roles need to wake-up to themselves and accept this fact. It's the incumbents who need to show some guts, not just handball the challenge to a new fall guy.

Hornby and Young played for the club - back when it was last successful - when Bennett was the coach. And, what was Bennett's defining criterion? that the Board and management must stay away from the footy. You don't employ experts and then tell them how to do their job. Only arrogant egomaniacs would do that (d'oh).

I doubt either Hornby or Young will have the authority to 'mediate' with the board. In any case, mediation isn't required - the board need to be told to get out of the room and stay out. Go and do your jobs and leave the footy to the experts.

If Young is given the job let's face it - it will be perceived as unadulterated nepotism (rightly IMO) - which is an absolute open-door for the interfering mongrels. IMO, Young would be just about the worst possible appointment.

I think Hornby is an excellent assistant coach (quite possibly the best attacking coach in the game right now) but I think he'd be absolutely crazy to take on Saints as they are at present. It is more likely to end his career rather than launch it.
 
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