Dragons in crisis

[Slippery Morris]

When Parra got beat 29-0 there was talk that Smithy and Fitzgerald were under review and may not be there next year, the fans have had enough of them and being minor premiers and losing 29-0 in the finals shows they may have every reason. That looks more like a crisis to me. The amount of money they have spent on players and to choke like that shows that they definately have problems upstairs.

Not one thing has been mentioned about them in the press since their loss.

Saints have a couple of players who have played all their lives at the club, and the club is trying to squeeze them under the salary cap and it is a crisis. This all came about when Creagh made the Aussie team.

Saints should ask Parra for tips on how to stay away from the media as they appear to be doing a good job.

Saints have had 2 crisis's in 1 year is that some record. They were in crisis after round 5 when they were last and had a few big guns out and in crisis at the end of the year after missing out on the GF by 1 game from a team that won the comp. I am suprised they weren't in crisis when Baz did his pushups.

They must have the same headline in the paper each year "Dragons in Crisis" and just change a few words and names when they get bored.

Bronco's lose last 9 games in a row - No crisis
Parra buy 1000 players and not win the Premiership - No crisis
Roosters - don't make the top 8 after losing 1 player from last year - No crisis
Bulldogs - finish 3 points from last and get pumped by 50 2 weeks in a row - no crisis
Panthers - 1 injury (Pulatua) all year and don't make the 8 - no crisis
Sharks - top 8 all year and lose 8 from last 11 games - no crisis
Manly - as per sharks - no crisis

Dragons - 2 veterans asked to attend a meeting to discuss future - Crisis.

 

[Godz Illa]

Saints are a glamour club. Glamour clubs sell papers. People like to read 'trouble in paradise' stories, no matter how minute and trivial (and fictitious) the trouble may be.

 

[Saint 60]

Smith would be in no trouble at Parra...they won the Table race and won well --
1 bad game and it was an important game was the end of their season...same thing with us -
If Parra got rid of Smith he would be picked up in an instant - he seems to have got his team that he wants and it worked for him, I dont think youd find an unhappy with Smith Parra supporter - how the hell Fitzgerald keeps getting the job is their problem lol

Seems to me the press want a story on whats going on at Saints..and they are not taking NO for an answer...they really want to know whats doing and are putting the pressure on and filling in their own gaps to make the club tell them what they are doing --- and the pressure seems to be working.....ehhh

 

[Ribs]

Its not like they can talk about the cricket after that rubbish test match....

Its the off season and now that players are behaving themselves, they have to dive deeper to get, and maintain, a story.

The pick us because we are the greatest club of all time.

 

[Wobbygong]

As Godzilla rightly points out, a crisis in the shire hardly registers a blip on the media radar, to sell papers you need to manufacture a crisis at a glamour / popular club like Saints, Dogs, Roosters or the Broncos etc.

 

[Wobbygong]

For example the out of court settlement paid to Anderson by the Sharks got three lines in the paper, reason........... no one really cares!

Had that been a pay out to a dragons player or coach it's back page news!

 

[bluey]

Keep dreaming

 

[Wobbygong]

While I'm on a roll, the recent article in the SMH the other day talking about how the Dragons managed to make the new signings to the top tier squad ie Bickerstaff 60k and Lagi Setu (Union) etc while we had all these salary cap problems, was simply a case of sensationalism. What the journo (and a certain well known nimrod on the sharks forum) forgot to mention was the fact neither of these signings actually count towards our 2006 salary cap. Players signed from the ESL or in Bickerstaff's case the French comp don't count on the cap for next season, nor does our rugby union convert because as you may or may not be aware under 21 union converts are given a full exemption from the cap.

Just another example of a media beat up.

 

[Ribs]

The Shire?

Isnt that where that Desalinisation Plant is going?

Ha ha ha good.

 

[Willow]

While I'm on a roll, the recent article in the SMH the other day talking about how the Dragons managed to make the new signings to the top tier squad ie Bickerstaff 60k and Lagi Setu (Union) etc while we had all these salary cap problems, was simply a case of sensationalism. What the journo (and a certain well known nimrod on the sharks forum) forgot to mention was the fact neither of these signings actually count towards our 2006 salary cap. Players signed from the ESL or in Bickerstaff's case the French comp don't count on the cap for next season, nor does our rugby union convert because as you may or may not be aware under 21 union converts are given a full exemption from the cap.

Just another example of a media beat up.

It got a run here in another thread.

I mentioned it in the NRL forum. The facts weren't seedy or negative enough so it was largely ignored. I didnt even bother trying to correct the scummer kiddies. You could be excused for thinking some those turkeys don't follow rugby league and are actually Union plants.

It was a SMH article and typical of any article they have about League, they only told half the story.

 

[Stagger eel]

Slippery Morris -- ever stopped to release that maybe, just maybe we spend just as much as any other club under the cap??? this notion that we spend millions of dollers and buy thousands is crap!!

yes, we do things properly upstairs, we keep our internal problems in house and have for years, to add to that our players take great pride in representing our club and very rarely find themselves in mischief, we're not perfect but our management have excellent people skills and know how to manage a club properly. we bloody have to because out of all the clubs in the comp we're the ones that come under most scrutiny by the Mainstreem media.

 

[Willow]

we keep our internal problems in house and have for years,

That is since the last time Denis blurted something out to the media, or the last upheaval when Smithy was under the pump. Short memory.

to add to that our players take great pride in representing our club

and the last club they played for... and the next club....

and very rarely find themselves in mischief,

Nice use of the word 'rarely'. Most players rarely find themselves in mischief. No club has a mortgage on that.

we're not perfect but our management have excellent people skills and know how to manage a club properly.

'not perfect'... surely you jest. From the way you were describing it, I thought Parra Leagues Club was the place Angels go for a piss up after work.
Are you saying that people skills and proper club management is unique to Parra?

out of all the clubs in the comp we're the ones that come under most scrutiny by the Mainstreem media.

Really? Examples? Why is that?
I'll think you'll find the media has not scrutinised Parra very much at all recent times. At least not much since Smithy stopped looking tired and emotional in front of the cameras.

 

[The Preacher]

Surely you jest Eelavation. If it wasn't for Greg Mitchell actually running Parra, Emporer Fitz of Parramatta would be showing the rugby league public exactly what sort of administrator he is. The Neil Harvey of League. If there is a stupid comment to make, He'll make it. If there is a ridiculous agenda for a CEO meeting, He'll draft it.
All Emporer Dennis is, is a bumbling media mouthpiece that wouldn't know good administration if it bit him on the ARSE. Let the nameless do the work and laud what a good bloke you are, THATS your boss cocky.

 

[GAMEFIRST]

If you are comparing St Georges ceo/coach to Parra, then it is a mismatch-Smithy and Fitz are experienced and at least professional-if not completely successful- while Brown's slapping-perchant for gambling-hanging out at the TAB-with Douse, and Douse's handling of this Thompson-Salary cap issue- says it all in only 2 years!


Fitz/smithy have been 9 years long and the worst is Fitzy making some controversial media comments!

Dragons are my second team as such as they supported my brother in tough times, but they have have to learn real heart and professionalism is Lance and to ignore this that shows they have little heart in trying to win the title!

 

[Wobbygong]

Gamefirst,

Give me a break, you talk about professionlism, look at the revolving door policy the eels have had in recent years, where you sign players from elsewhere then release them the following year, look at all the players you let go that went on to be top players at other clubs. The poor way you treated blokes like Donald, Hodgson, Schifcoske, Drew, Grothe Jnr (before he came back) etc. Professionalism just look at our junior policy all our test & SOO players ARE local juniors, Hornby, Gasnier, Cooper, Barrett, Timmins, Creagh, Bailey, Ryles.

As for "Heart", I'm not saying the Dragons are any better, however you can hardly associate heart with the eels. Let's be honest here they are a team made up of a few local juniors mixed with mercenaries recruited from elsewhere, whose clear lack of heart has been apparent for the last 10 years given their consistent failure to perform in semi finals. The 29-0 loss the Cowboys was clearly a display where little or no heart was shown.

If I were an eels fans I would be very concerned with the eels habit of failing in the biggest games of the year (prelim finals and the GF). Against the Cowboys they started well didn't get the immediate results and packed it in for the rest of the match, where was their "heart" and "soul". While the dragons were also disppointing against the eventual premiers at least we were in the game well into the second half and had a dig.

So don't kid yourself that the eels have any more heart than any other team because clearly from recent results that's a load of rubbish.

 

[GAMEFIRST]

Gamefirst,

Give me a break, you talk about professionlism, look at the revolving door policy the eels have had in recent years, where you sign players from elsewhere then release them the following year, look at all the players you let go that went on to be top players at other clubs. The poor way you treated blokes like Donald, Hodgson, Schifcoske, Drew, Grothe Jnr (before he came back) etc. Professionalism just look at our junior policy all our test & SOO players ARE local juniors, Hornby, Gasnier, Cooper, Barrett, Timmins, Creagh, Bailey, Ryles.

As for "Heart", I'm not saying the Dragons are any better, however you can hardly associate heart with the eels. Let's be honest here they are a team made up of a few local juniors mixed with mercenaries recruited from elsewhere, whose clear lack of heart has been apparent for the last 10 years given their consistent failure to perform in semi finals. The 29-0 loss the Cowboys was clearly a display where little or no heart was shown.

If I were an eels fans I would be very concerned with the eels habit of failing in the biggest games of the year (prelim finals and the GF). Against the Cowboys they started well didn't get the immediate results and packed it in for the rest of the match, where was their "heart" and "soul". While the dragons were also disppointing against the eventual premiers at least we were in the game well into the second half and had a dig.

So don't kid yourself that the eels have any more heart than any other team because clearly from recent results that's a load of rubbish.

I wasn't comparing results in finals-where Dragons have lost the last 6 GF's they have played by the way- i was refering specifically too our general respect/professionalism in treating all issues like the salary cap-sure all clubs lose good players- but the way its handled/players are treated and told-players like Schifkofske still hold high regard for Smithy/Fitzy- why??

Because of the way we run the club and treat players great-and when we talk of the Dragons, they treat their most passionate player the worst-*all out in the media and as yet still haven't come out to diffuse or protect him-that is what respect is!!

 

[Wobbygong]

That's right the eels have only made "one" GF in the last 20 years, and messed it up anyway.

Scary thing is the eels and dragons last premierships were two decades ago. (1986 - 1979)

Sorry but the eels are no more professional than Dragons, Roosters, Broncos or Panthers for that matter when it comes to management. Keeping a bloke who has coached for 20 years with a win ratio of barely 52% and has lost every big match his club (at the time) has been involved ie GF's is not good business.

Bad business having the highest paid coach with the poorest big match record, mate he's no Wayne Bennett, Phil Gould or Tim Sheens.

 

[Saint 60]

just quickly
lol...ask Price and Cronin what they think of Fitzy...
while your at it ask any Melbourne supporter...
ask the Balmain supporters what they thought of Parras merge proposal...and he did it without laughing
how to win friends and influence ppl...
o and by the way, mentioning the slapping incident - i actually thought it worked lol
and Smith is all professional? listen mate Saints had him and his Brother for a few years..his brother? enough said

 

[Willow]

This reminds me a forum convo I was having with Moffo a few years ago. He was stirring the pot about how Saints are always in the media (Mundine etc). Being a Bulldogs supporter, Moffo was pretty smug about how well run his club was compared to Saints.

I told him every club has its share of media attention and just because you read it in the paper doesn't neccessarily make it a crisis. The media's hunger for trivial scoops is proof of this and they scrutinise anything that might sell papers. Equally, other things happen and the media are sometimes the last to know.

In reply, Moffo employed the old saying, 'where there is smoke, there is fire'.

A few weeks later the Oasis scandal surfaced and the Bulldogs were found to be rorting the cap by millions. Soon after, there were resignations, 37 points stripped, and the Canterbury club were labelled cheats forever more. The media have since hounded them with the sexual assault allegations etc.

I later asked Moffo if given the choice, would he swap Saints' Mundine saga for the Bulldogs' salary cap rort. Unfortunately he never replied. ;-)

The moral of the story... What goes around, comes around.
...another old saying.

 

[The Colonel]

I'd just like to point out that someone in here is fighting above his weight so to speak....:lol: His attempts at looking like he has much of an idea both now and in the past have been cringeworthy at best....

That is all.

Sorry Willow but I just had to say it..... ;-)