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CS for this week?

D

dungay dragon

Juniors
Messages
1,346
BrissyRedV said:
Charity shield line up:

Source Dragons website.

St George Illawarra Dragons captain Ben Creagh will lead the team out in his first appearance for the year in the 32nd Charity Shield against the South Sydney Rabbitohs at ANZ Stadium, Olympic Park on Saturday.
The Dragons skipper has been named as lock-forward for the marquee pre-season fixture and is part of a 26-man squad named by Head Coach Paul McGregor.
Dragons prop Jack de Belin will also make his respective first appearance for the Club this year on an extended interchange bench which will see ten players compete in this particular match for the first time.
?The Charity Shield is a special pre-season trial that all the players are always excited to be a part of if given the opportunity due to its history and tradition,? said Creagh.
?I have been lucky to have played my fair share and it is always a game played with high intensity which is what you need as a player leading into the new season.
"The Rabbitohs are the bench mark team and will be a great challenge and test for us.
?This will be my first game of the pre-season and am looking forward to running out onto the field in front of all the Red V Members and supporters who will be cheering us on from the stands.?
The Charity Shield commenced in 1982 and so too did the tradition of supporting local charities and causes. In 2015, proceeds from the Charity Shield will support three charities within the Dragons Community program ? the St George and Wollongong Public Hospitals in addition to the St.George Foundation.
Dragons Community was first established in 2008 and aims to have a positive impact on people?s lives within our community, which stretches from Kogarah in the north to Batemans Bay in the south.
Dragons Community currently runs more than 30 different programs across its eight pillars, those being Health, Education, Cultural, Environment, Women and Girls, Mentoring, Charity, and Grassroots Rugby League.
St.George Foundation was founded in 1990 by St.George Bank, the major partner of the St George Illawarra Dragons, to help build a secure future for disadvantaged children.
Since its inception, the Foundation has invested over $23 million in funding programs that enrich the lives of Australian children who are physically, socially or economically disadvantaged.
For the 2015 Charity Shield, St.George Foundation have taken the opportunity to nominate local charity Kookaburra Kids who support the thousands of children living in families affected by mental illness.
NRL Team Line-Up
1. Josh Dugan
2. Dylan Farrell
3. Euan Aitken
4. Dane Nielsen
5. Jason Nightingale
6. Gareth Widdop
7. Benji Marshall
8. Mike Cooper
9. Mitch Rein
10. Leeson Ah Mau
11. Tyson Frizell
12. Joel Thompson
13. Ben Creagh (c)
14. Peter Mata?utia
15. Will Matthews
16. Heath L?Estrange
17. Rory O?Brien
18. Jack de Belin
19. Dan Hunt
20. George Rose
21. Charly Runciman
22. Shannon Crook
23. Drew Hutchison
24. Eto Nabuli
25. Jake Marketo
26. Yaw Kiti Glymin
Dragons prop Trent Merrin has been rested due to his involvement in the upcoming NRL All-Stars fixture alongside Nathan Green and Kris Keating.
Furthermore, Dragons quintet Craig Garvey, Beau Henry, Rulon Nutira, Adam Tuimavave-Gerrard and Shannon Wakeman have all been named for the Illawarra Cutters pre-season fixture against the Newtown Jets.
Results
In 31 Charity Shield fixtures contested since 1982, the Dragons have recorded 16 wins, 11 loses and drawn on four occasions.
Ticketing Information
Tickets for the 2015 Charity Shield are now on sale to the general public through Ticketek.
Additionally, the following 2015 Red V Memberships include entry to the Charity Shield ? Platinum, All In, Metro Plus & West Wing.
For further information or to purchase tickets please click here.
Jersey Auction
The Dragons will be auctioning the player-worn Charity Shield jerseys with proceeds donated to the St George and Wollongong Public Hospitals.
The auction will commence following the final whistle with Red V Members and supporters alike able to bid until 9.00pm on Thursday, February 12.
Click to expand...
WTF with Merrin and meeow !! didnt we learn the lesson last year with Leeson ???????? and Merrin''s having a spell in readiness for the all stars ???
when he still hasnt decided about giving the Club the Flick , either this year or next ??
while he is still on the pay roll i would def have him in the Shield match,,,,,,,,,,,,,, and GREEN is being rested ... pleeeeaaasssseee .
All''s not lost guys..i see DAN HUNT is on the reggies list .That will have the bunnies trembling :D
 
Dragon66

Dragon66

Juniors
Messages
640
Absolutely shocked to see Hunt on the bench. Must have something to do with his $400k contract. Seems as If we are paying him that much we had better give him every chance to come good so we get some value for our money. Fat chance of that in my opinion. I not a Hunt hater I just think he is just not up to standard.

Merrin makes sense seeing he is in the All Stars.

One question - will Dugan play the full game? Mata-utia is the obvious replacement but surely he will be given every opportunity to win a centre spot.

Though I don't rate the starting pack I guess it's reasonable to give last season group first shot at holding their spot. They actually didn't do that bad late in the season in 2014. Still not up to top eight standard though.

I didn't really think about it but I agree with Nutria gretting more game time with the Cutters. Obviously he is down the pecking order and he will have to prove himself via the Cutters.

Interesting that Crook and Hutchinson are on the bench. It will be a good experience for them to run on against the premiers and will only help their development.

Not expecting Marshall or Widdop to spent much time on the field but am looking forward to seeing what the rest of the squad have to offer.

FoxSport 1 @. 7.30pm. I've book my lounge chair.
 
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dragon4

Juniors
Messages
59
Very dissappointed that Merrin isn't playing.....is there an edict from the NRL not to play AllStar players this weekend?
 
T

Twenty10

Juniors
Messages
1,616
Can't believe Nabuli is not starting winger. Is Mary on crack??? Farrell??? As threatening as a butterfly. Nabuli should have first crack in a first grade situation. Farrel is Hopeless.

Forwards look a little underwhelming... Really wanted to see butcher and Wakerman involved.
 
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watatank

Coach
Messages
14,221
GT0007 said:
It's a trial Tank thats what they are for. This is not NRL, that starts in a few weeks
Click to expand...

That being the case Cooper should really have an opportunity to consolidate his spot, especially since this time last year he was a fringe forward.
 
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getsmarty

Immortal
Messages
34,330
Euan Aitken surprise starter for Dragons in Charity Shield

By MITCH JENNINGS

Feb. 4, 2015, 9:23 p.m.
RUGBY LEAGUE


Euan Aitken

Dragons young gun Euan Aitken is firming as a shock inclusion for round one of the NRL season after being named to start in the centres in Saturday's Charity Shield.
Aitken will partner veteran recruit Dane Nielsen in the centres with Dylan Farrell named on the wing with other centre contenders Peter Mata'utia and Charly Runciman named on the extended bench. Aitken will feature in a backline that sees Josh Dugan officially return to fullback and star halves Benji Marshall and Gareth Widdop reunited for the first time in 2015.
Skipper Ben Creagh will have his first hit-out of the season at lock with Trent Merrin rested ahead of his involvement in the All Stars match on February 13.
Saturday's Charity Shield comes just a week after the Rabbitohs' Auckland Nines triumph and the defending premiers have named a formidable line-up despite the notable omission of newly-named skipper Greg Inglis.
The annual fixture - traditionally the highest-profile trial match on the NRL calendar - brings high expectations from fans, something the Dragons are keenly aware of after enduring a barrage of criticism after their poor showing in last year's game that continued well into the season proper. Dugan was a casualty of the loss in Wollongong when he tore ligaments in his left knee trying to prevent a rampaging George Burgess from scoring in the Rabbitohs' 38-20 victory. He said the Dragons haven't forgotten last year's loss and will be looking for an improved showing at ANZ Stadium.
"There's always going to be critics but we weren't too happy with how we performed last year either. It wasn't just from other people it was pretty warranted from our point of view as well," Dugan said.
"They won the Nines as well, so they're definitely a side that will be tough to beat this year. I don't think any of the boys are going to treat it as a trial."


http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/...n-surprise-starter-for-charity-shield/?cs=302
 
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GT0007

Juniors
Messages
1,967
BennyV said:
If we had some proven big men, there MAY be merit in this. But we dont. Realistically, Creagh is a better prop than the rest of them despute his size. He is a better defender, harder runner, pokes his nose through and gets quicker play the balls and is fit as anything...

Did noone watch him play prop last year?! Our issue wasnt the initial hit out, it was the period after 25 mins when our poor bench forwards came on.
Click to expand...

Creagh was one of the better props in the comp last year. Yardage at crucial times in the set
 
G

GT0007

Juniors
Messages
1,967
watatank said:
That being the case Cooper should really have an opportunity to consolidate his spot, especially since this time last year he was a fringe forward.
Click to expand...

A fair call though size was a well documented issue for us and Cooper doesn't have it. As he's been selected as starting prop in the CS that will also answer some questions. IMO he just suffered the drain of the intensity of his 1st NRL season however I don't see him as a starting prop. I suspect that his pending absence from the WCC has had an influence on his selection and I can't disagree.
 
D

dino2170

Juniors
Messages
1,119
why is green rested he should be gone. note to green- for the good of the club please leave YOU CAN NOT DEFEND, YOU CANNOT ATTACK AND YOU CANNOT CATCH
 
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Get2dachopper!

Juniors
Messages
1,691
In attack, Ah Mau was ok sometimes, along with Creagh, he was probably the only forward to poke his nose through the advantage line. But in defence, he has to be the worst arm grabber I've seen, especially for a forward. Watch Souths target him, especially 20 meters out from our try line.
 
Dragon66

Dragon66

Juniors
Messages
640
Though the forwards weren't embarrassed in the latter part of last season (except the Newie game) they still failed to make an impression in the forward battles. The performances of Marshall, Widdop ,Dugan, Bmoz and Nighty kept us in contention.

If our forwards don't make an impact this year we are in trouble again. Size was identified as a major issue and,as Benny alluded to, the lack of impact off the bench was woeful. Merrin was our main strike forward last year, the rest, including Ben Creagh, were good workhorses. They need to be much better.
If we run with basically the same pack, that still performs to the same standard as last year, our team is definitely going to end up in the middle of the pack.

It's our back line that will keep us in contention, but that's not enough to take the team to the next level.

L'Estrange, O'Brian and Rose had better come good. But no Ah Mau please.
 
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