Steve Price put to the test early
BY MICHAEL CARAYANNIS
11 Oct, 2011 04:00 AM
DRAGONS’ rookie coach Steve Price has been forced to undergo his first real test as a NRL head coach before the start of the season. The Tim Moltzen affair will have a major impact on St George Illawarra being a premiership threat next year, as MICHAEL CARAYANNIS reports.
ST GEORGE Illawarra fans should feel slightly anxious and excited about the post-Wayne Bennett era.
With the master coach joining Newcastle alongside star fullback Darius Boyd, the Dragons are certainly a different proposition to the one which have had such a successful three years.
While the bulk of the squad remains, several old heads have moved on in recent seasons.
Despite his age, Boyd is a big game player with two premierships, a Clive Churchill Medal plus a handful of State Of Origin and Test matches.
Throw in the retirement of Mark Gasnier and last year’s loss of Jeremy Smith, Neville Costigan and Luke Priddis, and you lose almost 1000 games of NRL experience.
Price has recruited a stack of young, fresh and exciting players.
At times the road ahead will be rocky.
The Dragons will use the core concepts that Bennett implemented, but with change comes new ideas, and the team’s entire coaching set-up has been revamped.
Aside from a new head coach, former Bulldogs mentor Steve Folkes is now an assistant, while Shane Flanagan’s right-hand man at the Sharks, Joey Grima, is the new video analyst.
Ex-Olympics sprinter Matt Shrivington is on board to help out with high performance director Andrew Gray.
The side might not be as consistent as in past years and their defensive wall might be penetrated more often, but the fresh faces will add to attack, so more points should result.
A great disparity between the good and bad will be highlighted by the Dragons’ No.1 off-season purchase in Tim Moltzen.
Moltzen is seen as a direct swap for Darius Boyd and will — provided he honours his three-year deal with the club — battle it out with Kyle Stanley and Bronx Goodwin for the fullback position.
Boyd was crisp when returning the ball and played on the left edge with near perfection in attack, but his support play was poor.
Coming from the Tigers where he spent a lot of time playing up the middle lurking around big forwards, Moltzen will be sniffing around that ruck to encourage the Dragons’ second phase.
To add to that, Price has bought players with ball-playing ability; bigger and stronger with big leg drive and fast feet to help the Dragons cause a bit more of a problem for opposition defences in the middle third of the field.
Leeson Ah Mau (Cowboys), Atelea Vea (Storm), Will Matthews (Titans) and Jeremy Latimore (Warriors) are all 100-kilogram plus players with an ability to off-load.
Veteran Josh Miller (Raiders) adds some stability and reliability to the pack, while young and attacking backs will add to an already exciting backline.
Aside from Moltzen, St George junior Chase Stanley returns to take on ex-Raider Daniel Vidot for Gasnier’s vacant centre position.
Returning from injury, Cameron King will place plenty of pressure on the Dragons’ hooker rotation of Dean Young, Mitch Rein and Nathan Fien. Price has a huge wrap on King, with his inclusion likely to shift Young to lock permanently.
Under-20s’ player of the year Jack De Belin will move to the full-time squad.
The Dragons will be pushing for a top four spot next year.
But the Moltzen situation will force Price to already rethink his game plan — well before the season proper.
DRAGONS POSSIBLE 2012 TEAM
Tim Moltzen, Brett Morris, Chase Stanley, Matt Cooper, Jason Nightingale, Jamie Soward, Ben Hornby, Dean Young, Ben Creagh, Beau Scott, Michael Weyman, Mitch Rein, Dan Hunt.
Reserves: Matt Prior, Kyle Stanley, Trent Merrin, Atelea Vea, Will Matthews, Nathan Fien, Leeson Ah Mau, Josh Miller, Jeremy Latimore, Cameron King, Bronx Goodwin, Jack De Belin.
COMINGS AND GOINGS
Additions: Chase Stanley and Atelea Vea (Storm), Will Matthews, (Titans) Jeremy Latimore (Warriors), Tim Moltzen (Tigers), Leeson Ah Mau (Cowboys), Josh Miller and Daniel Vidot (Raiders).
Losses: Darius Boyd and Alex McKinnon (Knights), Jack Bosden and Peni Tagive (Roosters), Jon Green (Sharks), Mark Gasnier and Reece Simmonds (retirement), Michael Greenfield (Storm), Daniel Penese (Parramatta),
Adam Cuthberston.
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