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Matt Cooper Says:

RedVDave

First Grade
Messages
5,571
Look at the scoreboard, Matt Cooper taunts
623053-matt-cooper-dragons.jpg

Back in action ... Matt Cooper. Source: The Daily Telegraph


ST GEORGE Illawarra strike weapon Matt Cooper has rubbished criticism that the undefeated Dragons are boring, declaring yesterday: "We don't care because we're winning."

Despite another faultless start to the season, the barbs have already been fired over the Dragons' conservative, error-free football that has claimed the scalps of title heavyweights Parramatta and the Bulldogs.
While the Roosters, Tigers and Eels have set alight the NRL with their free-wheeling attack, the Dragons' safety-first approach has left some league fans reaching for the No-Doz. But Cooper insists the flair can take a back seat. The Dragons machine won't be recalibrated.
"People can say that about us, but at the end of the day we're winning," the 30-year-old said. "I think Dragons fans would be more worried about us winning than putting on fancy plays and all that sort of stuff."
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...er/story-e6frexnr-1225844484992#sidebar-start





The Dragons strangled the life out of rivals last year to claim the minor premiership and have already slipped seamlessly back into character this year with the same miserly defence and disdain for the risky.
No team knocks back a quick tap for a penalty goal more than Wayne Bennett's men and already this year the side has scored more points from penalty goals and had more attempts than the 15 other NRL clubs.
It was in evidence during Friday night's 26-6 win over the Bulldogs when Jamie Soward opted for the two points instead of an attacking raid when the Dragons were awarded a penalty and leading 22-6 with five minutes remaining.
Some critics also labelled Soward's ploy of kicking the ball dead to nullify Jarryd Hayne in the round one win as "against the spirit of the game".
But Cooper, who returns from a hamstring injury to make his first NRL appearance of the year against the Cowboys on Friday night, says neither the players or supporters are worried by the criticism.
"I think they [the fans] walked away from the game on Friday night really happy and that's what it's all about I suppose," he said.
Cooper says the side has found a comfortable formula. It's also the key to the club's early-season rhythm.
"I think our style of football is probably one that if we do it right at the start of the season then we're going to do it right all year," he said. "It's just completion rate, get our defence right and the rest will come."
Cooper's left side is one area where the Dragons have been vibrant with the ball, with Brett Morris bagging a hat-trick against the Dogs and backrower-cum-prop-cum-centre Matt Prior proving hard to contain.


http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...test-matt-cooper/story-e6frexnr-1225844484992
 

Willow

Assistant Moderator
Messages
108,127
What a crap paper.

They can't even get this part right: "Despite another faultless start to the season"

We rarely get two wins on the board after two rounds.

What a crap paper.
 

petetheileet

First Grade
Messages
5,605
What a crap paper.

They can't even get this part right: "Despite another faultless start to the season"

We rarely get two wins on the board after two rounds.

What a crap paper.

After 56,000 posts willow i think this is your most accurate assessment of anything

they are a bloody joke!
 
Messages
1,991
your a Champion Cooper, could be more right in saying "I think Dragons fans would be more worried about us winning than putting on fancy plays and all that sort of stuff."

f**king Jealous haters, only round 2 look at all the negative media towards the saints.
 

Gaba

First Grade
Messages
8,197
like i been doing all you can do at reports like this :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol: thats all it good for
 

big pat

Coach
Messages
10,452
listen very carefully, i shall only say this once, buy the illawarra mercury, its heaps better.
 

TheRev

First Grade
Messages
8,020
I have watched enough years of 'Dragons with Flair' and seen enough lost grand finals, to be very welcoming of actually winning games and not making as many s***id mistakes that always do.

Its the most exciting time to be a dragons fan.. well in the last 30 years anyway.

I do agree that kicking dead is (kinda) against the spirit of the game, its almost rugby union like, however its really no different to kicking for touch (which is usually applauded), if it really is a problem then they should just change the rules to further discourage the kicker from doing it.. I mean it does give up a lot of metres, but its a safer tactic than broken play, and it suits our teams style.
 

Drew-Sta

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
24,567
It's a case of people being spoilt by 'what's good for TV' instead of actual, tough, grinding Rugby League.

When did the old adage of 'defence wins games' go out of fashion?
 

Willow

Assistant Moderator
Messages
108,127
After 56,000 posts willow i think this is your most accurate assessment of anything

they are a bloody joke!
lol. And the other 55,999 are diamonds in the rough.

Pat, you're right. Illawarra Mercury is a Fairfax publication, same stable as St George and Sutho Leader, Sydney Morning Herald, The Age etc.

ie not News Ltd which owns the aforementioned crap paper.
 

jargan83

Coach
Messages
14,883
Someone put up a Dragons record last week or the week before and when we beat Parramatta wasn't it only the 3rd time we have won a Round 1 fixture since 1999?

Matt Cooper you are on the money, since when is winning boring. It is up for opposition teams to overcome our defence and if you can't score you can't win. What do the Terrorgraph expect the Dragons to stand there and give the opposition a free run to the line?

F****g idiots
 

big pat

Coach
Messages
10,452
i suppose when your home, watching ch 9, listening to boring as bat sh*t commentators, like gould and voss, it would be boring, and you sometimes keep looking at the clock on the screen, but when your at the game, everything is different, when the army is in full cry, singing,chanting,clapping,waving your sticks around, believe me it does go faster, ps, what about f**kfields sharkies last season, boring as hell and losers to boot.
 

dragonfire

Bench
Messages
3,075
its funny but only 5 teams have scored more points than us through two rounds. i think in general it comes back to the fact that people are either dragons fans or generally hate us. the reason the tigers are always in 'exciting' football matches is because they let in more points than they score so it is always a fairly high scoring affair. I will take the Dragons-Storm 80 minutes of complete intensity over the Rooster-Tigers game of points for enjoyment
 

Slippery Morris

First Grade
Messages
7,395
The first 15 mins Dragons score 3 tries agains the DOgs. How is that boring? Then they defend and when it got abit closer they scored again. They can call it boring but to me it's pretty efficient. That is they only play "EXCITING" footy when needed.

Parra, Cowboys and Tigers were exciting but being down by 20 or so you need to be to catch up and I am sure the Dragons will be exciting as well if in that position, but they haven't been their yet.

I am not sure which game thye are watching but hasn't Melbourne been more boring to watch than the Saints. Difference is when the Storm do it is classified as class when Saints do it it's boring.

As for kicking the ball dead, Hayne scored a magic try against the Saints in teh Semi from 20 meters out so he doesn't need that much room to dazzle. Kicking it dead benefits both teams as the opposition also gets a breather as well.

Only criticism I have of the Saints is this kick for goal business on every penalty even when they are heaps in front. That came back to bite them last season against Parra.
 

Willow

Assistant Moderator
Messages
108,127
One of the best games I've ever seen was the Saints v Parra game at Kogarah when it was bucketing down with rain, cold as a fridge, and 0-all at half time. It was hard going out in the middle and took me back to the mud piles in pre-drainage unlimited tackle days... except there is less mud nowadays. It was one for the puritans.

Sometimes people don't understand the battle concept of rugby league. Hard and honest defence, and making the hard yards by rucking it out - the intense human gladiatorial factor. All some folks want to see are tries and cricket scorelines. It looks good on TV I suppose.
 

thommo4pm

Coach
Messages
14,697
Where did parra's attacking flair come from????

They scored 12 points in Round 1, and then 24 (4 try's) last week, 2 of them very very suspect to say the least.

We scored 18 against parra and then 26 last week (5try's)...if Sowie had his kicking boots on we'd have got 34 points last week.

As Coops puts it, I couldn't be happier with the defensive column, we have conceeded 18 points this year....I'll take that every day of the week.
I love watching a good defensive team shut down their opponents.
 

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