Dragons need to learn to play 80 minutes of football.

[Dragonslayer]

I've noticed that Dufty is often out of position when we are close to our line. Markers close to our line should be our middle forwards and agile ones at that. I could live with Lawrie and McInnes standing as markers close to our line.

On the fatigue issue, the consensus is correct, bench management is the major cause and the power game plan is a contributor. We need to:

• Sack Mary and appoint a credible coach.
• Drop Rava, Aitken, Host and Latimore to CC.
• Promote Pearson, Lomax, Ford, Timm and Kerr to first grade.
• Warn Dufty and Pereira to lift their game or face time in CC.
• Prepare Saab for first grade starting in July - personal coach.

The end result will look like this:
1. Dufty
2. Pereira - Saab after June 30 if things do not go well.
3. Lomax
4. Lafai
5. Pearson - Saab after June 30 if things do not go well.
6. Field
7. Hunt
8. Kerr
9. McInnes
10. Vaughan
11. T Sims
12. Frizell
13. Lawrie

14. Graham
15. Timm
16. Leilua
17. Ford

Dont really understand your issue with Periera, he's probably the first back picked each week and his stats support that: up to rd 9 for ALL players
14th for try's scored
11th for linebreaks (more than Mitchell)
2nd for tackle breaks (1 less than tedesco)
11th for total runs (more than tedesco)
21st for run metres
37th for player in support
NOT in the top 50 for:
Missed tackles
Errors
Handling errors
Ineffective tackles

Just because hes not flashy doesnt mean he isnt doing his 1% efforts.

Saab is alternating between CC and JF so he wont be anywhere near ready for 1st grade this year.

However, agree 100% on Pearson coming into the team in place of Rava. We need his speed out wide and i'm aware he has some errors and defensively not always there, but so is Addo-Carr.

With Dufty, Field, Lomax and Pearson we have a formidable speedy backline with Periera to do the bullocking work and Lafai getting early ball we would score more try's than we would leak.

 

[possm]

Dont really understand your issue with Periera, he's probably the first back picked each week and his stats support that: up to rd 9 for ALL players
14th for try's scored
11th for linebreaks (more than Mitchell)
2nd for tackle breaks (1 less than tedesco)
11th for total runs (more than tedesco)
21st for run metres
37th for player in support
NOT in the top 50 for:
Missed tackles
Errors
Handling errors
Ineffective tackles

Just because hes not flashy doesnt mean he isnt doing his 1% efforts.

Saab is alternating between CC and JF so he wont be anywhere near ready for 1st grade this year.

However, agree 100% on Pearson coming into the team in place of Rava. We need his speed out wide and i'm aware he has some errors and defensively not always there, but so is Addo-Carr.

With Dufty, Field, Lomax and Pearson we have a formidable speedy backline with Periera to do the bullocking work and Lafai getting early ball we would score more try's than we would leak.

For me our wingers need speed and lots of speed. Our wingers also need to be reliable in defence. This season B Morris, Oaks, R Jennings and Ferguson were all on the market. These players are the sort of players I would have loved to see Millward sign.

After picking up any two of the above named wingers to replace Nightingale and Macdonald, then decide whether to keep Garrick or persuade Herbert to stay. Then and only then go through our juniors and identify Saab and any like potential outside backs and depending on the numbers sign additional depth if required.

 

[D4L_Dave]

[QUO

of

TE="Saint_JimmyG, post: 13540066, member: 46554"]Pretty much with what has been written above, we (as Dragons’ fans) have to take our medicine and accept 2019 is a complete write off due to the following (in no particular order):

1. McGregor’s inabilities coaching at NRL level.
2. inadequate offseason recruitment.
3. injuries.
4. the Widdop situation.
5. the JDB situation.
6. the club (i.e. the Board) run amateurish ly on several levels.

I’d like to look forward to 2020 with a degree of optimism but not with the status quo in charge.[/QUOTE]

I disagree about this year a write off far from it. Even this depleted team is more than capable I've getting us to the top 4 it's just a matter of getting our bench right and frizelle switching to lock

 

[blacksafake]

Dont really understand your issue with Periera, he's probably the first back picked each week and his stats support that: up to rd 9 for ALL players
14th for try's scored
11th for linebreaks (more than Mitchell)
2nd for tackle breaks (1 less than tedesco)
11th for total runs (more than tedesco)
21st for run metres
37th for player in support
NOT in the top 50 for:
Missed tackles
Errors
Handling errors
Ineffective tackles

Just because hes not flashy doesnt mean he isnt doing his 1% efforts.

Saab is alternating between CC and JF so he wont be anywhere near ready for 1st grade this year.

However, agree 100% on Pearson coming into the team in place of Rava. We need his speed out wide and i'm aware he has some errors and defensively not always there, but so is Addo-Carr.

With Dufty, Field, Lomax and Pearson we have a formidable speedy backline with Periera to do the bullocking work and Lafai getting early ball we would score more try's than we would leak.

I too am a fan of Periera.
He’s pretty safe & doesn’t drop his head if he makes a mistake. Actually it’s quite the opposite as he’s keen to make up for it.
The tackle break stats really surprised me, He seems to consistently break tackles but I’m really surprised he’s so close to Tedesco.

 

[Blood Shot Eyes]

Interesting topic isnt it Dragons need to learn to play for 80.....and Im in total agreeance....but we can look at it this way and this is the worrying bit...if we cant defend a lead after being clearly on top at half time or close to it eg The Eels .and The Warriors how on earth are we going to find the energy enthusiasm and skills to come from behind in games.....

 

[Dragon David]

Interesting topic isnt it Dragons need to learn to play for 80.....and Im in total agreeance....but we can look at it this way and this is the worrying bit...if we cant defend a lead after being clearly on top at half time or close to it eg The Eels .and The Warriors how on earth are we going to find the energy enthusiasm and skills to come from behind in games.....

Hi Blood Shot Eyes

I probably will be stating the obvious, but in many team sports you would look at the weakness in the opposition. In a lot of contact sport like league, the opposition can tell if your team is on for the game particularly in how hard your players are tackling in defence and how hard at running in attack. When there is a lack of vigour in both, the opposition tend to sense this and plan their game around it after say 10 minutes. Do we have this skill in our players or does the coach have this skill to see the weaknesses? In cricket for instance, weaknesses can be seen in some batsmen not being great in handling spin bowling etc. so the captain knows to bring on the spinners when this batsman comes to the crease.

So if our team was behind on points in games, besides having the will to win, the players need to assess any weakness in the opposition and exploit the weaknesses until we can capitalise. Easy said than done I suppose. Of course the coach would normally look at this to set his game plan before the game started but during the game and when we are behind on points, even though we might be fatigued (you never give up - never, has to be the attitude), whatever they can determine is the opposition's weakness no matter how small should be exploited and of course using their brains and brawn to execute this.

I am sure other coaches are changing tactics during the game when they work out our deficiencies/weakness eg., attacking our right edge and kicking high to our wingers - so obvious isn't it? That is how the eels and warriors won their games.

In my days of competition sport, I always had a never give up attitude and I could quickly determine the weakness of the opposing player and this has to be instilled in the players whether ahead or behind in points to complete the 80 minutes of a game that each player has been trained and paid to do.

These are my two cents worth of comments.

Nice to read your comments/posts on this forum over the years BSE.

Cheers
Dragon David

 

[possm]

I too am a fan of Periera.
He’s pretty safe & doesn’t drop his head if he makes a mistake. Actually it’s quite the opposite as he’s keen to make up for it.
The tackle break stats really surprised me, He seems to consistently break tackles but I’m really surprised he’s so close to Tedesco.

I give Pereira credit for the 110% he puts in each game. I'd say he is playing to his maximum ability. However, he has made a number of mistakes that have costed the team and he lacks the real speed we need out wide.

At this stage I would like to see Pearson replace Rava on the wing. In time Saab will compete with Pereira for the left wing spot.

 

[Blood Shot Eyes]

Hi Blood Shot Eyes

I probably will be stating the obvious, but in many team sports you would look at the weakness in the opposition. In a lot of contact sport like league, the opposition can tell if your team is on for the game particularly in how hard your players are tackling in defence and how hard at running in attack. When there is a lack of vigour in both, the opposition tend to sense this and plan their game around it after say 10 minutes. Do we have this skill in our players or does the coach have this skill to see the weaknesses? In cricket for instance, weaknesses can be seen in some batsmen not being great in handling spin bowling etc. so the captain knows to bring on the spinners when this batsman comes to the crease.

So if our team was behind on points in games, besides having the will to win, the players need to assess any weakness in the opposition and exploit the weaknesses until we can capitalise. Easy said than done I suppose. Of course the coach would normally look at this to set his game plan before the game started but during the game and when we are behind on points, even though we might be fatigued (you never give up - never, has to be the attitude), whatever they can determine is the opposition's weakness no matter how small should be exploited and of course using their brains and brawn to execute this.

I am sure other coaches are changing tactics during the game when they work out our deficiencies/weakness eg., attacking our right edge and kicking high to our wingers - so obvious isn't it? That is how the eels and warriors won their games.

In my days of competition sport, I always had a never give up attitude and I could quickly determine the weakness of the opposing player and this has to be instilled in the players whether ahead or behind in points to complete the 80 minutes of a game that each player has been trained and paid to do.

These are my two cents worth of comments.

Nice to read your comments/posts on this forum over the years BSE.

Cheers
Dragon David

Thanks for your comments David and your kind words....you have identified many areas that we have short comings in .... inuries and suspensions aside we should be doing a lot better than we are...our coach imo just doesnt seem to have the ability to mentally and physically get our plays across the line on a regular basis....its not just in recent games but has been a feature of our make up imo ever since Mary took over.....its not just lapses in effort and concentration over 80 mins on game day but its evident across a full season....if you look at the past few years we have been front runners in the comp for the first third only for it to unravel .....having said that our use and selection of our bench has been nothing short of appaling....its a 17 man game now and has been for many years....McGregors inability to read the state of the game and share the work load across our 17 accordingly proves to me that he shouldnt be in charge . In short David having been a professional coach I could coach you to be in the leading group of runners in a marathon at the half way mark, but its where you are placed coming into the last lap that divides the men from the boys....and to whether Ive done my job or not...end of story

 

[Dragon David]

Thanks for your comments David and your kind words....you have identified many areas that we have short comings in .... inuries and suspensions aside we should be doing a lot better than we are...our coach imo just doesnt seem to have the ability to mentally and physically get our plays across the line on a regular basis....its not just in recent games but has been a feature of our make up imo ever since Mary took over.....its not just lapses in effort and concentration over 80 mins on game day but its evident across a full season....if you look at the past few years we have been front runners in the comp for the first third only for it to unravel .....having said that our use and selection of our bench has been nothing short of appaling....its a 17 man game now and has been for many years....McGregors inability to read the state of the game and share the work load across our 17 accordingly proves to me that he shouldnt be in charge . In short David having been a professional coach I could coach you to be in the leading group of runners in a marathon at the half way mark, but its where you are placed coming into the last lap that divides the men from the boys....and to whether Ive done my job or not...end of story

G'day BSE. It would be a miracle if you were able to coach me to be in the leading group of marathon runners at any mark. I am 72 and my lungs have been affected by years of smoking - and although I have given up for almost 10 years, any amount of running results in puffing and panting even after a short distance so I'll give the marathons a miss thank you!!

I think our current coaches can be split into three categories, these being:-

1. Those coaches who have won several grand finals and who have had teams in multiple grand finals
2. Those coaches who have won 1 grand final and achieved getting the teams to other grand finals
3. Those coaches who have never won a grand final and just made finals

There might be other categories but I have only given those three as SGI would fit into category 3.

From 2012, our players have had poor coaching. So from then to the end of 2019 we would have 8 years of poor coaching. Surely those who run SGI should know from what has not been achieved, even to reach category 2, that there is something wrong with our coaching staffs' abilities. It is clear with the action of renewing McGregor's contract for a further two years after 2019 that the only success level they want to attain is category 3.

You know, there is a big difference in an older man running out of puff than it is for a younger man. Our players train hard, build up their stamina, get the best treatment from physios, doctors, dietitians and yet fatigue sets in, they "run out of puff" like they have had years of chemicals stuck to their lungs from smoking. What a load of crap. They train to reach peak fitness and they should not get to the fatigue stage and should even train to play in excess of 80 minutes.

You know, not all players play fully for 80 minutes. They might be on the field for that long but they are not all involved from the get go for the full first and second half. What are the stats that they are doing for each player, you know metres run, number of hit ups, number of tackles etc? And then you have bench players only on for short periods, what the hell, they definitely cannot use fatigue as an excuse for not playing for the full 80 minutes. The stats that the coaches should check on weekly, maybe they are, are who is not doing his fair share of work and not being involved to the extent needed to maintain things like the leads we have at the start of the game and how each player can maximise their effort to improving the scoreline, I don't know. Clearly, coaches are paid good money to work all these things out in consultation with the head of performance guy. Ours though just plod along and hope for the best.

Regards
Dragon David

 

[boardlumps62]

Last year we were leading the comp then fell away. Now i remember Mary recognised we had a problen peaked two early. Same pack of forwards except Ah Mau and Jack so this is Coaches response only play 40 minutes save your energy for when State of Origin. Actually we miss those two blokes coach must be worried.