Mark Coyne says

[Father Ted]

Coyne backs Bennett to get Dragons firing



Steve Jancetic AAP Wed, Aug 17, 2011 - 6:39 PM





Don't be fooled by the shrug of the shoulders, St George Illawarra coach Wayne Bennett still has a few tricks up his sleeve as he tries to reinvigorate the Dragons' NRL premiership push.
The joint-venture's inaugural captain Mark Coyne claims the game's most successful tactician is capable of lifting them out of a mire which has resulted in just two wins from their past ten matches.
Asked how he was going to turn his side's fortunes around after a fourth straight loss on Sunday, Bennett offered a simple "I've got no idea", but Coyne is adamant the departing mentor was simply keeping his powder dry.
"I don't think Wayne Bennett's ever clueless," Coyne told AAP.
"I think a lot of his words would have been for the players. I don't read too much into what Wayne says to the media.
"He generally manipulates the media how he wants to manipulate them."
While Coyne backed Bennett's ability to lift the Dragons to back-to-back titles, he admitted the coach's impending departure to Newcastle had been a factor in their slide down the premiership ladder.
Four points clear at the top of the ladder after round 12, the Dragons could end this weekend as low as seventh if they go down to the Storm and the Warriors and Wests Tigers both win.
"I don't think it's any one thing. I think it's probably a combination of a few things," Coyne said of the reasons behind the Dragons' staggers.
"It's been a long year for them. They started off with a lot of travel with the World Club Challenge on the back of a late finish to last year and then they had a lot of guys in the Origin period ... it's been a pretty heavy workload for them which a lot of them haven't been through before.
"Maybe it's been a bit hard knowing that the coach is going as well.
"Wayne's done a fantastic job and the players would probably have a bit of a view that they'd like him to stay on ... I'd like to think the players nowadays are professional enough not to let that get to them."
Coyne said the next fortnight would determine whether the Dragons could mount a serious tilt at the title, starting with Friday night's match against top-of-the-table Melbourne at AAMI Park.
"They need to turn things around pretty quickly because the last thing you want is to limp into the finals - they showed that two years ago when they limped into the finals and they went out the backdoor pretty quickly," Coyne said.
"It starts this week against the premiership favourites."

http://www.nrl.com/coyne-backs-bennett-to-get-dragons-firing/tabid/10874/newsid/64313/default.aspx

 

[MattYg1]

every story I read about our form slump just reminds me of this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4Oc7fLJ4ws

 

[Minh]

Mark Coyne is a legend, always backs the club up.

 

[_snafu_]

My favourite Saints player.

 

[Sans Souci Sainter]

I've always liked Mark Coyne. One of the few good Queenslanders. It must be the Red V in him.

I agree with everything he has mentioned btw.

 

[DirtyHarry]

My favourite Saints player.

Me too :thumb

 

[Cagey Mac]

Me too :thumb

I think that I'll jump on this bandwagon too!

 

[BigNormProvan]

Any room for me??

 

[Traditional Saint]

Coyne is a legend.

 

[Benny]

I would never go out of my way to get a photo with a current player BUT I have to admit I was pretty stoked to get my photo with Mark Coyne (and Ricky Walford) at the Grand Final fan day they put on last year at Kogarah Oval on the Saturday.

 

[Fingerbang]

Must be something about the initials MC.....Coyney will always be a Dragons legend, and Matt Cooper the next one.

 

[Father Ted]

Big Red V can beat the blues if they renew their desire

Greg Prichard

August 19, 2011

Pacing himself ... Dragons centre Mark Gasnier at a Kogarah training session before the Dragons' flight for Melbourne, where they play the Storm in a crucial game at AAMI Park tonight. Photo: John Veage.

THE St George Illawarra players know what it is going to cost them to get back into the premiership race from here. It's whether they want to pay the price, in terms of commitment and desire.
They didn't want to last weekend, against Sydney Roosters, when they were awful. If they don't tonight, against Melbourne, their premiership campaign could be dead. They don't necessarily have to beat the Storm, although a kill would be great, but they must at least be prepared to fight to the death.
Dragons coach Wayne Bennett, with his words at the media conference following the Roosters game, effectively created a gap for his players to run into. It's up to them whether they want to accept the pass.
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When Bennett says he has no idea, as he did in answer to the question of why his team had played so poorly, that's really Bennett coming up with another idea. There's no guarantee it will work, but you have to try something, and Bennett has often used that format to get something out there. It was clear he was publicly challenging his players to prove they still want something out of this season, and tonight we'll find out if they wish to provide that proof.
There is no doubt the State of Origin series has affected the Dragons badly. They had more players involved than any other club, and it is a mentally taxing experience. Some of those players have struggled since. It's no coincidence that Wests Tigers and South Sydney, two teams that weren't heavily affected by Origin, are storming home now.
On top of that, injuries have forced key Dragons players out for significant periods. A series of losses has eaten away at confidence and curbed enthusiasm. Mistakes now lead to heads dropping, instead of a collective belief that they will stop the opposition from taking advantage.
But, in the midst of all that, only two weeks ago the Dragons looked as if they were back. They lost to Wests Tigers, but only narrowly and in the final minutes of what was a high-quality game. They would surely build on that against a Roosters outfit seemingly on its knees, but instead they lost in the biggest upset of the season. The players have to take ownership for that sort of turnaround.
Bennett faced many difficult post-Origin periods when he coached Brisbane, which often produced the balance of the Queensland team while he was there. Sometimes he solved the puzzle of how to get the team to still contend for the title, and sometimes he didn't.
The Broncos of 2006 were in a similar position to the Dragons, having lost four straight games going into round 23. They played Melbourne, and although they lost again, they played well. That was the start of a recovery in which they lost only one of their last seven games along the way to winning the premiership.
The Dragons remain capable of doing the same, but it's a fact in any sport that you can't motivate players who don't want to be motivated. They have to come to the party first.
Plenty of theories have been expounded as to why the Dragons are having a second half of the season so opposed to their strong first half, but if the fact Bennett is leaving the club at the end of the season did give any of the players an excuse to drop intensity, then that would be an issue for those players. Coaches, like players, sometimes switch clubs, and the players have known for a long time that Bennett wouldn't be there next season.
Bennett would still be committed. He couldn't risk calling the players out as he did after the Roosters game if he wasn't putting in himself.
Indications are there is no infighting at the Dragons, just disappointment at recent results.
There is a real danger the Dragons, after leading the competition by four points mid-season, could end up seventh or eighth and face a sudden-death game in the first week of the finals. They can't afford to think about that. They must get their game right, as a priority.
Things can turn quickly. That's the nature of this game; if you've got the talent and you're prepared to supplement that by putting in the effort. It could be as simple as a couple of good things happening to them early in a game, and building on that. But they can't just expect it to happen. They are going to have to work for it.




Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...heir-desire-20110818-1j09o.html#ixzz1VVFvWts4​

 

[Minh]

Geez the Gaz looks big in that picture, wouldn't want to tackle the guy at full pelt.