Jason Demetriou

[Gareth67]

David Waite took us to the GF in 96 and 99 if I recall correctly

Better than I thought . But he proved that a new coach can get the best out of a team very quickly , unfortunately Griffin has been unable to get the Dragons close to the semis .

What amazed me was that our board at the time replaced Waite with the untried Andrew Fararr .

 

[Inisai Toga]

Excellent synopsis on your part

2011 should have been the back to back premiership no ifs no buts.

Rather than see the reality of that so many find it easier to blame it all on Doust for not signing Mr Burns for 5 years or more.

IMO that despite all the guffaw about Bennett’s man management skills bla bla bla he must have lost the shed for us to fall so far and fail so dismally or perhaps the 2010 was a little tainted due to the Storm fiasco or perhaps in a full comp in 2011 we weren’t as good as we thought?

But to blame Doust and not question Bennett is a complete cop out on our part.

Alas the 2010 premiership seems to have been enough to tide some over or to only be critical of where we are now but 2011 hurt me more than most of the last 10 years.

Make some good points OT, but don't share all of them. Agree, it was disappointing not to win 2011, that was our year and also shits me we didn't win it . Actually rallied back quite well and we unlucky in the finals we played well. However, I personally think the knowledge of the Newcastle switch mid year and seven Saints players backing up from Origin were major factors for our end of year slide.

I think he inherited a ‘reasonable’ roster but he bought some with him and shaped players attitudes and belief and club culture due to his man management skills in a way that we never seemed to demonstrate under coaches before (or since). Just my opinion…

 

[smi962]

Make some good points OT, but don't share all of them. Agree, it was disappointing not to win 2011, that was our year and also shits me we didn't win it . Actually rallied back quite well and we unlucky in the finals we played well. However, I personally think the knowledge of the Newcastle switch mid year and seven Saints players backing up from Origin were major factors for our end of year slide.

I think he inherited a ‘reasonable’ roster but he bought some with him and shaped players attitudes and belief and club culture due to his man management skills in a way that we never seemed to demonstrate under coaches before (or since). Just my opinion…

Agree with this. Although there was a lot of talent at the club he still recruited very effectively (given Dragons general recruiting ability) to improve the team. But he really established the winning culture and confidence/belief in the players that they could be a top side. Although there was work done prior to him coming, to me these things alone were far more significant than just adding a bit of polish.

But the focused required to win a premiership within that window cost us the next 5 years at least, as a result of the relative weakness of Dragons as a club.

 

[Qdf]

Excellent synopsis on your part

2011 should have been the back to back premiership no ifs no buts.

Rather than see the reality of that so many find it easier to blame it all on Doust for not signing Mr Burns for 5 years or more.

IMO that despite all the guffaw about Bennett’s man management skills bla bla bla he must have lost the shed for us to fall so far and fail so dismally or perhaps the 2010 was a little tainted due to the Storm fiasco or perhaps in a full comp in 2011 we weren’t as good as we thought?

But to blame Doust and not question Bennett is a complete cop out on our part.

Alas the 2010 premiership seems to have been enough to tide some over or to only be critical of where we are now but 2011 hurt me more than most of the last 10 years.

In 2011we again lead the competition. Bennett announced he was going to Newcastle. We hardly won another game. Bennett left,
taking half our forwards with him to Newcastle. Now Price was left to execute DOUST'S
Master plan.( Price to learn off Bennett,then after 3yrs swoop in & take over.)
Thanks DOUST you parasite.
Now we all know how that worked out. If we had Bennett for 5 years with that team,
I dare say there where more than one premiership coming our way.

 

[Old Timer]

In 2011we again lead the competition. Bennett announced he was going to Newcastle. We hardly won another game. Bennett left,
taking half our forwards with him to Newcastle. Now Price was left to execute DOUST'S
Master plan.( Price to learn off Bennett,then after 3yrs swoop in & take over.)
Thanks DOUST you parasite.
Now we all know how that worked out. If we had Bennett for 5 years with that team,
I dare say there where more than one premiership coming our way.

The point I am making is if Bennett is as good as people say then in 2011 we should have won the comp no ifs no buts.

Obviously “he” lost the shed not Doust regardless of the fact that he is responsible for not having Bennett longer.

Regardless of what a Bennett did it didn’t do post 2011 the fact is with what he had he should have won the comp

That being the case his record is not as good as people claim post his heavily supported and preferences days at the Broncos.

 

[possm]

The point I am making is if Bennett is as good as people say then in 2011 we should have won the comp no ifs no buts.

Obviously “he” lost the shed not Doust regardless of the fact that he is responsible for not having Bennett longer.

Regardless of what a Bennett did it didn’t do post 2011 the fact is with what he had he should have won the comp

That being the case his record is not as good as people claim post his heavily supported and preferences days at the Broncos.

I can clearly recall how many of us were greatly disappointed with the news that Bennett was moving to Newcastle and our then Captain, Gasnier would retire at seasons end.

We were traveling well, so well that the bookies were paying out bets on our success mid-season.

We could have had Bennett for five years, that is what he requested from Doust. But Peter Doust turned him down and insisted on a 3 year deal.

I feel very confident that we would have won in 2011 if Bennett was on a 5 year deal rather than the 3-year deal.

 

[BLM01]

The point I am making is if Bennett is as good as people say then in 2011 we should have won the comp no ifs no buts.

Obviously “he” lost the shed not Doust regardless of the fact that he is responsible for not having Bennett longer.

Regardless of what a Bennett did it didn’t do post 2011 the fact is with what he had he should have won the comp

That being the case his record is not as good as people claim post his heavily supported and preferences days at the Broncos.

Sorry OT that is rubbish and a big bow to draw on that he lost the dressing room becuase he was leaving
Souths did Ok last year. Bennett is as good as or very close to as good as they say.
Had us well drilled in defense from the 1st game he coached us against Melbourne where we nearly won that and a real competitive side for 80 mins when we were classified the "chokers"
Won MP in 2009 and 2010
There is likely many more reasons before that
1. Origin hangover (how many players did we lose)
2. We won the year before
3. I almost call it a conspiracy when One sports betting agency (name escapes me) paid out punters from R13 for those that had us to win the minor premiership. It went down hill from there

 

[BLM01]

In 2011we again lead the competition. Bennett announced he was going to Newcastle. We hardly won another game. Bennett left,
taking half our forwards with him to Newcastle. Now Price was left to execute DOUST'S
Master plan.( Price to learn off Bennett,then after 3yrs swoop in & take over.)
Thanks DOUST you parasite.
Now we all know how that worked out. If we had Bennett for 5 years with that team,
I dare say there where more than one premiership coming our way.

Thats rubbish too. He announced around R3? that he was going. We still finished 5th and won plenty that year.

 

[Old Timer]

I can clearly recall how many of us were greatly disappointed with the news that Bennett was moving to Newcastle and our then Captain, Gasnier would retire at seasons end.

We were traveling well, so well that the bookies were paying out bets on our success mid-season.

We could have had Bennett for five years, that is what he requested from Doust. But Peter Doust turned him down and insisted on a 3 year deal.

I feel very confident that we would have won in 2011 if Bennett was on a 5 year deal rather than the 3-year deal.

5 years 3 years whatever years he should have won the comp
It is just making excuses for Bennetts failure to keep the team focussed and at the top of their game

 

[Qdf]

Thats rubbish too. He announced around R3? that he was going. We still finished 5th and won plenty that year.

No that's rubbish. Mid season announcement.
It clearly took the spirit out of the team , when Bennett made his decision. The dressing room was devastated. They dropped off
the pace, after a good start. The rest is history.

 

[Qdf]

5 years 3 years whatever years he should have won the comp
It is just making excuses for Bennetts failure to keep the team focussed and at the top of their game

No it was another DOUST blunder. To be able to have Bennett for 5yrs instead of 3yrs, what a joke,and that imbercile Doust knock him back. Only
would happen at the Dragons with "again"Doust doing the deal.

 

[Old Timer]

No it was another DOUST blunder. To be able to have Bennett for 5yrs instead of 3yrs, what a joke,and that imbercile Doust knock him back. Only
would happen at the Dragons with "again"Doust doing the deal.

Doust blunder or not over the term of the contract Bennett knew the tenure when he signed on and he should have delivered from the 1st day to the last day and done everything not to derail the season regardless of his own circumstances

 

[Gareth67]

Thats rubbish too. He announced around R3? that he was going. We still finished 5th and won plenty that year.

In fact I am sure that we lost the preliminary final against the Broncos by the solidarity point in 2011 due to a piece of Darren Lockyer brilliance .

So the Dragons were still well in the fight that season even after Bennett’s weekend n Steel city .

 

[BLM01]

No that's rubbish. Mid season announcement.
It clearly took the spirit out of the team , when Bennett made his decision. The dressing room was devastated. They dropped off
the pace, after a good start. The rest is history.

You need to look again and do you research before you catastrophise so much about the club you supposedly support
..mid year announcement..OK,..I will stick to Round 3 or thereabouts
Dont worry I will do it for you
How does 30th March 2011 sound


As you say the rest is history !

 

[BLM01]

In fact I am sure that we lost the preliminary final against the Broncos by the solidarity point in 2011 due to a piece of Darren Lockyer brilliance .

So the Dragons were still well in the fight that season even after Bennett’s weekend n Steel city .

Yeh true but after Wayne visited the Newcastle dressing room during the week..LOL

 

[possm]

5 years 3 years whatever years he should have won the comp
It is just making excuses for Bennetts failure to keep the team focussed and at the top of their game

Squad development for a three-year term with the aim of winning a competition is a much different strategy than that of a five-year term. Peter Doust has been the main person responsible for destroying our club and the kingmaker when it comes to the old boy's backroom deals.

And again when Bennett was leaving the Broncos and we were on a hiding to nothing under Mary as head coach, Peter Doust and Craig Young had a meeting with Bennett to discuss another term at the Dragons but decided not to sign Bennett but rather to stick with Mary instead.

What fools! what incompetent fools! I can just hear it now;
'Peter, if I decide to come to the Dragons again, I would want to have full control over the recruitment of the top 30 squad. I would also want to bring my fitness staff and choose my assistants.' Bennett would have said.

'Ok Wayne, we'll give this some thought and get back to you.' Doust said.

Of course, they knocked him back because this would get in the way of their lucrative backroom deals between the old boys movers and shakers.

 

[Gareth67]

Yeh true but after Wayne visited the Newcastle dressing room during the week..LOL

Yes that certainly affected the boys , no doubt about it .
Absolute shame as they gave their all in their match against the Broncos .

 

[epDragon62]

Yes that certainly affected the boys , no doubt about it .
Absolute shame as they gave their all in their match against the Broncos .

And it was Lockyer's last act as a player that snatched it. I felt that we might have got up again if we had won that match...

 

[possm]

And it was Lockyer's last act as a player that snatched it. I felt that we might have got up again if we had won that match...

If I am recalling the situation correctly, in the set prior to Locker's field goal, when we were in possession and had the opportunity to take a field goal, the ball went to Hornby, and instead of passing back to Soward (like we all thought he would on the last tackle), he passed to ball to our outside backs to run the ball. We could have won that game if Soward was given the ball to shoot for a field goal.

 

[Slippery Morris]

I blame 2011 to Origin as Saints had a heap of players playin in the series and before Origin kicked off they were top of the league. I am not a fan of Origin for that reason as NRL teams suffer if they have a heap of players involved. Brisbane suffered this year big time. Some teams can handle it much better than others or have the depth to rest players but Saints from memory did not rest players during the period and copped some injuries in the back end which really impacted their performances.