disillusioned saint supporter

[Willow]

Thanks Willow, well written & nice advice . Have taken it onboard.Did not join to offend people,in this case just trying to get the fact out to fellow supporters that Dufty was told to look elsewhere.As it turns out he has now been offered a contract,so hopefully everyone will be happy

P.S didn't think i had a chip on my shoulder, then again thats not up to me to judge ha ha

Nah, I wasn't thinking you in particular had any chips on shoulder. Some do like them however, with extra salt.

I'm using the new toys of this new look forum and have to say I "like" your last few posts.

P.S. There's never anything wrong with stirring the pot. Just a question of how much we can get away with.

 

[Emu01]

Welcome from one emu to another emu.

 

[emu62]

Welcome from one emu to another emu.

cheers

 

[Dragon Revival]

Need to promote Dufty to replace Fai Fai Loa
and Mann or Milne to replace Lafai. Dufty is like Steve Morris and has blistering speed.
Melbourne want him. We should also use
players who can make an impact off the bench. Hind, Host, Leilua and Wakeman should be used instead of Havili, Marketo and Matthews who are all plodders. If Marshall stuffs up again he should be replaced by Hutchison. Mann and Widdop could also interchange. The coaches seem to give priority to players who can defend and not take risks. Accordingly we are watching boring football. While I watch all grades the priority is for the firsts to win and it seems like attacking players are being ignored. The only exciting players in firsts are Aitken, Dugan and Frizzell. We sorely miss Cooper, Gasnier and Brett Morris and have never tried to replace them. Why not get Mansour and Whare back as they are
former juniors.

 

[coast_dragons]

Hind and Wakeman hmm not signed can't be used.

Whare didn't even know he still played he's been injured that often and is another Lafai waiting to happen.

Mansour when was he a junior when he was like 5.

Aitken and Dugan are far from exciting I am afraid to say.

The only excitment at the club is how the lower grades are going and even when they lose they still play exciting football.

 

[Dragon Revival]

There is not much talent in Reserves but the backs in Under 20's could all be in firsts
in the next few years but with which club?Hind and Wakeman should have been signed before 30th June, 2016 especially with Creagh, Masoe and Idahifo not available.
Mansour left after S G Ball. Whare is at Penrith and played with Linnett in Under 20's. Who do you think are valuable players in Under 20's or Reserves?
I do agree with you that the lower grades play good attacking football and I prefer watching them to firsts. Head seems to be an up and coming coach.

 

[Dragonslayer]

There is not much talent in Reserves but the backs in Under 20's could all be in firsts
in the next few years but with which club?Hind and Wakeman should have been signed before 30th June, 2016 especially with Creagh, Masoe and Idahifo not available.
Mansour left after S G Ball. Whare is at Penrith and played with Linnett in Under 20's. Who do you think are valuable players in Under 20's or Reserves?
I do agree with you that the lower grades play good attacking football and I prefer watching them to firsts. Head seems to be an up and coming coach.

The problem (whilst I agree with you) is that at this stage of the season, you start robbing Peter to pay Paul (in our case is robbing Head or JD to pay Paul). Our u20's are 4th and look the goods for finals footy and the Cutters (who are 2nd) also look on track for a finals berth.
Taking the 'star" players from our lower grades only weakens their chances and giving them to Paul wouldn't enhance our ladder position.

I say let MacGregor deal with what he has, if he's a decent coach he will get the best out of his current, hand picked squad. WHy take away the chance at glory from those already playing gun footy in our lower ranks. Sad, I know, but these boys should have been given a run earlier in the season when injuries etc presented themselves. No guts no glory!

If our recruitment removed their digits from their back passage and actually started signing the likes of Dufty, Leilua etc then we would all feel much more comfortable about the Dragons future. Everyday I wait eagerly for the special announcement that we have signed them, and everyday I feel deflated as another 24hrs roles by.

 

[Dragon Revival]

I concur with your assessment. The 4 coaches of firsts have backed themselves into a corner as they are down 5 squad members being Creagh, Farrell, Glymin,
Idahino and Masoe plus a dodgy Marshall and have not replaced them with Reserve Grade or Under 20's players. Maybe they have given up on this year already. Last year due to similar injuries, they recruited two new forwards prior to the due deadline of 30th June. In my opinion both of the lower grades have more depth than First Grade due to roster mismanagement by
Mc Gregor, Demetriou, Hornby and Young.
Having been a teenage spectator at the winning 1963 and 1964 Grand finals, I will always rate a First Grade Premiership more
highly than the lower grades.

 

[Old Timer]

I concur with your assessment. The 4 coaches of firsts have backed themselves into a corner as they are down 5 squad members being Creagh, Farrell, Glymin,
Idahino and Masoe plus a dodgy Marshall and have not replaced them with Reserve Grade or Under 20's players. Maybe they have given up on this year already. Last year due to similar injuries, they recruited two new forwards prior to the due deadline of 30th June. In my opinion both of the lower grades have more depth than First Grade due to roster mismanagement by
Mc Gregor, Demetriou, Hornby and Young.
Having been a teenage spectator at the winning 1963 and 1964 Grand finals, I will always rate a First Grade Premiership more
highly than the lower grades.

Well said DR

All things are expendable for the betterment of the first grade side including players, administrators and coaches.

Sadly no Frank Facer's in this lot to sort out this unholy mess.

 

[2010]

Remember the old days when we had all three grades in the grand final, never going to see that again

 

[Old Timer]

Remember the old days when we had all three grades in the grand final, never going to see that again

Those were the days my friend we thought they'ed never end.

My mother said "never hate anyone son", but I still have a healthy dislike of George Taylforth.

The whole system now is stuffed just like the NRL itself and the loss of the lower grades was a disgrace..

Half the bums playing the game now need a good kick in the arse and put to work to understand proper values in life.

End of rant

 

[Dragon Revival]

If we retain the two lower grade coaches there is some hope as they outperform the
First Grade coaches.

 

[emu62]

There is not much talent in Reserves but the backs in Under 20's could all be in firsts
in the next few years but with which club?Hind and Wakeman should have been signed before 30th June, 2016 especially with Creagh, Masoe and Idahifo not available.
Mansour left after S G Ball. Whare is at Penrith and played with Linnett in Under 20's. Who do you think are valuable players in Under 20's or Reserves?
I do agree with you that the lower grades play good attacking football and I prefer watching them to firsts. Head seems to be an up and coming coach.

Do agree with you about Head.Some of those kids seem to have come along in leaps & bounds this year

 

[coast_dragons]

Well for a start the Illawarra Cutters are not the Dragons reserve grade team they are a feeder club that has a responsibility to its own contracted players so its not an easy case of just signing players to put them their or blooding under 20's players in that squad.

JD is a smart operator who has a knack of getting the best out of players ie Sironen and Hind as examples yet in one instance he is blamed for mismanagement of first grade then in the other hand he is praised which is a total contradiction in itself.

Let it be known he has little to no say in anything to do with first grade from what i have been told that Mary and his two cronies Hornby and Young totally dictate everything and its obvious to see it isn't working and shows how arrogant and stupid they are.

On Matty head he lets the guys play football and its obvious to see they are enjoying themselves and getting better as the season goes on and its great to see.

 

[Willow]

My mother said "never hate anyone son", but I still have a healthy dislike of George Taylforth

Not Taylforth's fault. He was actually graded at St George but he couldn't get into first grade.

Even Kevin Ryan, who is still considered a traitor in some quarters, wanted to stay at Saints.

The critics insist Kandos gave "our secrets" to Canterbury, which may be true, but he was shown the door by Fearless the year before.

 

[GC Dragon]

Well for a start the Illawarra Cutters are not the Dragons reserve grade team they are a feeder club that has a responsibility to its own contracted players so its not an easy case of just signing players to put them their or blooding under 20's players in that squad.

JD is a smart operator who has a knack of getting the best out of players ie Sironen and Hind as examples yet in one instance he is blamed for mismanagement of first grade then in the other hand he is praised which is a total contradiction in itself.

Let it be known he has little to no say in anything to do with first grade from what i have been told that Mary and his two cronies Hornby and Young totally dictate everything and its obvious to see it isn't working and shows how arrogant and stupid they are.

On Matty head he lets the guys play football and its obvious to see they are enjoying themselves and getting better as the season goes on and its great to see.

Spot on . I think if JD was made head coach for the rest of the year things would start to change quickly .

 

[Old Timer]

Not Taylforth's fault. He was actually graded at St George but he couldn't get into first grade.

Even Kevin Ryan, who is still considered a traitor in some quarters, wanted to stay at Saints.

The critics insist Kandos gave "our secrets" to Canterbury, which may be true, but he was shown the door by Fearless the year before.

Fearless was ruthless and always scheming to get the best cattle at St George and if I am not mistaken Ryan's exit was to help make way for Wittenburg but they may have messed up the timing as Witt had to sit a full year out and miss the Kangaroo tour which was 66 the last year of the run.

Canterbury were the beneficiaries of many a good St George Jnr and good luck to George he found a 1st grade home somewhere else "sound familiar"

I remember the goal as if it happened 5 minutes ago and the very sad reality that the end was nigh

When I worked with the govt in the early 70's I used to catch the train to Riverwood and walk home and and on a few occasions after working O/T Kandos would also be at the station and would get his cab to drop me off on his way home.

He said the greatest thing he taught "the Berries" as they were better known then, was the tough fitness regime St George had and he also on the odd occasion turned up at Jnr matches in the area and said fitness was everything to do with sport.

 

[2010]

We have seen how other clubs blood their juniors and we have seen how we don't, how are we ever going to find good players if we don't look in our own backyard, that's where our future stars will come from, they are already there

 

[Jubileeboy]

With respect, I thought Nightingale, Aitken, KFFL, Rein, and JDB all made their NRL debut with us?
Throw in Creagh, Host and Frizzell (Dragons jnr) and that's not too bad for a club that 'doesn't blood it's juniors'.

 

[coast_dragons]

Funny on one hand people want juniors to be blooded yet when some have and may not have had the best of games they are straight away labelled unworthy of first grade.

Some even went as far as saying bugger the juinor system lets just buy players and well if lafai is an example of that theory its very flawed.

This year the under 20's team started off slow but have certainly turned a cornor and with the Steelers SG Ball having a good year also hopefully that will reap some benefits in regards to future players.

The only down side is the coaching in first grade. It is very very poor and if not changed things will stay the same.