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I get your points, all good.
I will say, if you want a hardarse, Dave Furner is definitely that. Good boxer too, no one will be giving him shit. I know if he gets picked this place is going to go crazy but I would urge people to at least approach it with an open mind. He went away and did his time as an apprentice so who knows.
I'm now hoping that the Board now finds itself in a stalemate over the decision between Young and Griffin, and because of this, go for Wane who has the best record and top level experience. Wane might also be able to bring some big English props with him.
Well I'd say the Board would be stupid not to select Wane. My ratating of each contender in order of priority are:
If the Board can't agree between Young and Griffin, then I say Wane should be the candidate to break the ice. They all should recognise he is the best candidate for the job.It is my belief that hoping that Wane gets the gig is living in dreamland . Don’t get me wrong I would prefer him over the other candidates , however I just don’t believe that our donkey united board has the professionalism to land him .
I say this as there is a media report on how the Dragons board stuffed-up signing Craig Fitzgibbon as they went through the wrong channels , apparently Nick Politis should had been approached in the first instance before actually making an offer ( of $2 million ) to Fitzgibbon .
Our mob seem to have the bad habit of demolishing any and all negotiations out of habit .
Still our luck has to change one day - perhaps they will all get together at the next meeting to decide upon the new man and after having one or two or ten Crown Lagers become good mates and send Wane his plane ticket .
Wane’s the main man to make the Dragons great again
03 June 2020, 9:39AM 0 Comments
Written by John Davidson
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Photo by Getty Images
Paul McGregor is under massive fire and headed for the sack.
St George Illawarra were poor against the Warriors on the weekend and are yet to win a game this season. They have won just twice in their past 13 fixtures.
Last year they finished second-last and won just eight of 24 games. McGregor, a club legend, has been in charge at the Dragons since May 2014 with a 46% win percentage.
Since he took over they have yo-yoed, finishing 11th, eighth, eighth, ninth, seventh and 15th. It makes for uncomfortable reading.
The 52-year-old coach has unable to take them past just barely making the eight and get them into the top four, or a grand final. He’s had plenty of time, but it’s now time for a change.
Enter Shaun Wane.
Many in the NRL won’t know the pugnacious Englishman, but he is a perfect fit for the Red V.
At 55 he is experienced, successful and eager to prove himself in Australia. The current England national team coach, after taking over from Wayne Bennett, would be well-suited to the Dragons.
He was a tough, uncompromising forward as a player in the 1980s and 1990s, and he is a tough, imposing figure as a coach. In eight years as head coach of Wigan Warriors, he won everything on hand in Super League.
Wane got Wigan to four grand finals, winning three of them. Under him the Warrriors reached two World Club Challenges and two Challenge Cup finals, wining one of each. His winning percentage as a coach is 68%.
As an assistant Wane learned under Michael Maguire and like ‘Madge’, Wane’s teams are gritty, determined, defensively strong and difficult to beat. Wane would instill that toughness and mentality into the Red V.
A workaholic, the former Great Britain international has been studying the NRL for years. He has always wanted to coach down under. He also knows Ian Millward, St George Illawarra’s recruitment well.
Hell, he may be even able to entice his friend John Bateman, who he coached at Wigan, to come to Wollongong. That would be some coup.
St George Illawarra have a talented roster. They have the raw materials in Cam McInnes, Paul Vaughan, James Graham, Corey Norman, Ben Hunt, Euan Aitken, Trent Merrin and the Sims brothers to be a semi-finals team.
But they need a new coach to take over. Dean Young and Mathew Head have never coached in first-grade. Trent Barrett failed at Manly. Shane Flanagan is suspended. Anthony Griffin was punted by Brisbane and Penrith.
Why not take a chance on a talented, hard-nosed Pom?
The last time an Australian club did that was the Newcastle Knights with Malcolm Reilly. That ended with the Knights winning the 1997 grand final, pulling off of the biggest shock results in rugby league history.
Maybe it’s time another Aussie team did.
P.S Thank you @Dragsters
