St George Illawarra’s multimillion-dollar skipper Ben Hunt has pleaded with passionate Red V fans to wait at least a month before launching a fresh attack on the perennial underachievers.
While Hunt is clinging to faint hope Corey Norman escapes an NRL-imposed one-match ban for his Cronulla street fight and is free to partner him in the halves for next weekend’s opener against Cronulla, he also knows patience will be required from supporters.
Did you hear the one about the Dragons collecting the spoon? Ben Hunt with Daly Cherry-Evans and Clint GuthersonCREDIT:GETTY IMAGES
Dragons fans were fuming after the 48-16 Charity Shield blowout, with plenty in the game expecting new coach Anthony Griffin to collect the wooden spoon.
They have made the finals just twice in the past nine years.
Hunt described the club’s fans as much more savage than the Broncos supporters he once played for, and a group who had at least something to cheer in terms of finals appearances over the past decade.
“You saw how we went last year, then we come to our first semi-serious game [last weekend] and we dished that up, so I can totally understand what the fans are looking at,” Hunt said.
“I think we got some big lessons out of that game.
“But give us a couple of months. We have a new coach, new staff and new players. We’re changing how we defend. It’s going to take time.
“After five or six rounds if we’re still throwing that up, then fly into us.
“The [Dragons fans] are pretty savage at times. We had a fair bit of success at the Broncos so there probably wasn’t as much of a chance for the fans to pile on and really get into us.
“Down here we have had some bad years and the fans have stepped it up a notch.
“I’m new to the club and we haven’t done anything at this club since 2010. It’s been a while since we’ve had some success. The fans are getting a bit riled up.”
i think he is right and this gives me some hope that they are actually working on things that obviously will get worse before they get better. Mind you if things go pearshaped i wouldn't like to be in his shoes!