How Hook turned ‘damaged’ Dragons into a Dads Army of fit and firing NRL rejects
Dragons
Dragons signing Andrew McCullough celebrates a try.Source: News Corp Australia
St George Illawarra was meant to be a wooden spoon contender this year.
Instead the Dragons are sitting fourth on the ladder after five rounds and looking like a genuine born-again finals threat.
And much of the praise for this unexpected purple form must go to new coach Anthony Griffin, who was doubted by many before a ball had even been kicked this season.
His side has won four of the opening five games, shocking Parramatta on Sunday with a 26-12 upset victory at Bankwest Stadium - a performance that even surprised the coach.
“That’s the first real big test, playing a top-four side... I’d say I was pleased,” Griffin told NRL 360 on Monday.
“To go to Parramatta and win like that was really pleasing.”
It’s a remarkable and sudden turnaround for a team that won only seven games last year, eight the season before that, and finished those in 12th and 15th place respectively.
Those dire results forced the Dragons to sack Paul McGregor from the coaching chair mid-campaign.
Dragons are "desperate for success"
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They went to market and found Griffin, but that appointment ruffled the feathers of certain people in league land.
Griffin had, after all, been unceremoniously dumped by Penrith only two years earlier. Before that he had coached the Broncos for four seasons without making a grand final.
Could this really be the guy capable of dragging the proud merger club out of the NRL quagmire?
Well, on current form, the answer has to be yes.
And this is how he’s doing it.
A ‘DADS ARMY’ OF BARGAIN BUYS
The Dragons were struggling to get their salary cap under control.
Battling halves Ben Hunt and Corey Norman are raking in $2 million between them.
They previously had Jack de Belin’s salary sitting on their books while he remains stood down and fighting rape charges in court. If he is acquitted and allowed to return to the fold, the club needs room to fit him back in.
St George Illawarra Dragons coach Anthony Griffin at training.Source: Supplied
St George Illawarra will lose Cameron McInnes to the Sharks but he isn’t leaving until the end of the year, and he’s also on a sizeable salary while out injured for the entire season.
It meant Griffin didn’t have a lot of cash to splash but he had holes in the team he wanted to fill with blokes he knew and trusted.
He wasted no time.
In November he landed the first big scalp when the Dragons signed former local junior Jack Bird.
Bird had been earning $800,000 a season at Red Hill but he had barely played in three years due to a series of serious injuries.
He was contracted to Brisbane for 2021 but the club happily released him and the Red V snapped him up for a fraction of that price. He’s now getting back to his best footy playing at left centre.
The next big move Griffin made was to bring veteran hooker Andrew McCullough to Wollongong, also on the cheap.
Again, the Broncos were all too happy to let McCullough go given he had suffered a serious hamstring injury last year and most thought his best footy was behind him.
For the Broncos they saw it as a chance to get two busted footballers off their books. Griffin, and the Dragons, saw it as an opportunity to get quality players for minimal money.
“For the type of person (McCullough) is, the type of leader he is, and that combination (with Hunt) I thought it was a great fit for the club,” Griffin said.
“He’s not the quickest hooker in the league but he makes everyone around him better with his service and his decision making, his leadership and toughness.
“It suited our budget, the trade with Brisbane, we both did very well out of it, and I was prepared to back him for another two years.”
The forward pack also has some new additions which the Dragons bought for a bargain.
Daniel Alvaro jumped ship from the Eels, where he was loaned to the Warriors last year and only played eight games for the entire season.
He’s played all five for his new club this year and looks to have found a new lease on life.
On Tuesday, St George Illawarra confirmed the signing of veteran hardman Josh McGuire, who the Cowboys agreed to release immediately.
Again, the Dragons found a quality player for a low price.
“He’s someone with experience, he’s played for Queensland, played for Australia, played a lot of finals football, he’s an extremely tough competitor,” Griffin said.
“And he’s probably underperforming where he is (at the Cowboys), which puts him on the market.
“He comes, with all due respect, at the right price for us, and I know what he brings to a team. I think he will be a great asset to the Dragons.”
If the Dragons are a ‘Dads Army’ outfit then Griffin is Captain Mainwaring leading from the helm (no offence intended, Hook).
‘DAMAGED’ DRAGONS FIND NEW LEGS
St George Illawarra was a bit of a laughing stock last year and the sacking of McGregor mid-season showed just how low the club had sunk.
Not many players were consistently putting in good performances, and the likes of Norman and Hunt certainly weren’t playing to their sizeable paycheques.
Suddenly some of them are playing their best football in years.
None more so than Hunt, who was in some white-hot form before breaking his leg a fortnight ago.
He had seriously battled to fulfil his $1.2 million salary in Wollongong, and was last year punted from halfback to play hooker in a move McGregor hoped would reinvigorate the former star.
Griffin shocked the NRL world when he named Hunt captain at the start of this year, punting McInnes from the role.
The bold decision had the desired effect on the player.
Dragons signing Andrew McCullough celebrates a try.Source: News Corp Australia
“I think he’s a good leader. He hadn’t been captain before but I’ve known him since he was 18 and he’s always had leadership qualities,” Griffin told NRL 360.
“He’s a really proud person, he works really hard. He’s desperate for some success, and I thought the captaincy would empower him, he needed the responsibility to draw out his best performances.”
The halves weren’t the only ones struggling for form in recent seasons.
Players like Matt Dufty, Mikaele Ravalawa, and a host of young forwards seem to have hit top gear under Griffin.
Last month Dufty lifted the lid on the “toxic environment” that had festered at the club.
“I didn’t know if I was going to play or get dropped – I didn’t think I should have, but that’s footy and I have grown up a lot since then,” he said.
“I’m a confidence player and I think when the year went on, I was confident in my own ability.”
The new coach concedes things weren’t so rosy when he arrived in the coastal city.
“The players... a lot of talent on the list but a little bit damaged, low in confidence,” he said.
“Good club, good people desperate for success.
“No one likes losing, particularly at this level. There’s a lot of expectation on every club and the people involved.
“The Dragons had a low couple of years and they obviously weren’t happy with it. From the top down they are really good people and there is great growth opportunities.”
Griffin is well on his way to proving a lot of people very, very wrong.
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