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PAUL MCGREGOR SAYS JACK DE BELIN SAGA COST HIM DRAGONS JOB

R&WTILLIDIE

First Grade
Messages
5,158
Sorry...too funny not to share.


https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/s...b/news-story/a9b7823a62e06f6ccb19e3dfd851d41b

PAUL MCGREGOR SAYS JACK DE BELIN SAGA COST HIM DRAGONS JOB
As Jack de Belin prepares to reignite his NRL career, former Dragons coach Paul McGregor hopes the two-and-a-half year trial doesn’t end his.
Paul Crawley
May 27, 2021 - 6:14PM
News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom
Jack de Belin return rubber stamped by NRL
NRL: With all charges now dropped, Jack de Belin's road back to the NRL is relatively clear.
It cost him his job, but Paul McGregor hopes it doesn’t cost him his career.
And in the wake of Jack de Belin getting the green light to make his rugby league return as soon as this weekend, his former St George Illawarra coach has spoken passionately about his own burning desire to get back into NRL coaching.
McGregor also opened up about the human cost the club’s decision to stand by the star forward during his two-and-a-half year trial took on everyone at the Dragons, and how it ultimately broke the team’s spirit which culminated in his sacking last August.
“I read somewhere a distracted team will never reach its potential and we were distracted the whole time,” McGregor conceded.
“There is no doubt about that.
“Jack is the type of person that lights up a room. He is the energy.
“It is not an excuse but it is the truth.
“Could we have handled it a bit better? Possibly.
“But it was sort of a test before the lesson — because no one has had this happen to them before (the NRL’s no fault stand down policy).”
And that is why McGregor is calling on the NRL to make a change to the policy going forward.
“My honest opinion, and I am pretty strong about it, is that if they want a stand down policy, and they make the decision to do that, they should then pay for that player and let the club spend their cap,” McGregor said.
“You can’t make decisions for clubs and penalise them for decisions they don’t make, and that is what has happened in this case.
“It was something that had never happened before yet they made a rule and the club paid the price.”
And McGregor had no regrets for backing de Belin.
“I don’t regret it. Purely because these guys are humans, they are not robots. And there is a care of duty and wellbeing,” McGregor said.
“You have to remember, Jack was playing in my reserve grade team back in 2012. So I have known that kid since he left school and have been his coach since he was in reserve grade.
“I am not saying I wouldn’t do it for anyone else, but I felt the right thing was to give him his time to have a chance to defend himself. Everyone has a right to a presumption of innocence.”
McGregor, who is coaching the NSW under 19s this year, said he was sitting in his bank manager’s office on Thursday when his son Kade called to tell him about the breaking news: “He said, ‘have you heard?’ And I said, ‘what?’
“And he told me … I sort of just went quiet. He knew what impact that had on us.
“I guess I just thought … I don’t know the word I am looking for, but it I just felt a sense of that feeling where you know you have done the right thing.
“And if you think about it, back in 2018, if the club, I, the board, just pushed Jack aside and basically sacked him, well, what would that look like when he went to court?
“A business decision, or perceived guilt?
“Either way it would not have read well.
“And we thought it was going to be a six or three month process and it is going into its third year now. I am just … it is like I am walking up and down on the same spot at the moment.”
He said he had sent de Belin a text message but was yet to hear back.
Asked if he believed it had cost him his coaching career, he added: “Well, hopefully not my career but it cost me my job.
“But I want to coach again.
“You have to remember this team that we had got beaten in the second week of the semis by a field goal in 2018 and we had four guys unavailable.
“And we never put the same team on the park after that. And we led the comp for 16 weeks that year and Jack was coming off his best year ever.
“Again, you have to move on, but don’t tell me it doesn’t affect a team playing to its potential.”
But he maintains “no way in the world” has he lost his passion for coaching.
“It was just a part of life that was a lesson,” he said.
“I have nothing bad to say about anyone because it doesn’t get you anywhere.
“All it does is make you sour.
“Things happen for a reason.”
 

Dragon David

First Grade
Messages
7,378
I understand McGregor's sentiments. If this occurrence did not happen, 2019 would have been such a different and successful year for us in my opinion. The players felt the loss, we certainly did and so did Mary.

In some ways the incident hopefully has taught many people a lot of things.

The fact that Mary wasn't happy with the stand down policy where we had to continue payment of De Belin's salary out of our cap when the NRL should have done this because they set the policy and it wasn't the Dragons fault, was and remains a very sticky point.

In the case of Mary losing his job as coach of the Dragons, it wasn't De Belin causing this, it was McGregors poor coaching skills I'm afraid.
 

BLM01

First Grade
Messages
8,938
L
Sorry...too funny not to share.


https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/s...b/news-story/a9b7823a62e06f6ccb19e3dfd851d41b

PAUL MCGREGOR SAYS JACK DE BELIN SAGA COST HIM DRAGONS JOB
As Jack de Belin prepares to reignite his NRL career, former Dragons coach Paul McGregor hopes the two-and-a-half year trial doesn’t end his.
Paul Crawley
May 27, 2021 - 6:14PM
News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom
Jack de Belin return rubber stamped by NRL
NRL: With all charges now dropped, Jack de Belin's road back to the NRL is relatively clear.
It cost him his job, but Paul McGregor hopes it doesn’t cost him his career.
And in the wake of Jack de Belin getting the green light to make his rugby league return as soon as this weekend, his former St George Illawarra coach has spoken passionately about his own burning desire to get back into NRL coaching.
McGregor also opened up about the human cost the club’s decision to stand by the star forward during his two-and-a-half year trial took on everyone at the Dragons, and how it ultimately broke the team’s spirit which culminated in his sacking last August.
“I read somewhere a distracted team will never reach its potential and we were distracted the whole time,” McGregor conceded.
“There is no doubt about that.
“Jack is the type of person that lights up a room. He is the energy.
“It is not an excuse but it is the truth.
“Could we have handled it a bit better? Possibly.
“But it was sort of a test before the lesson — because no one has had this happen to them before (the NRL’s no fault stand down policy).”
And that is why McGregor is calling on the NRL to make a change to the policy going forward.
“My honest opinion, and I am pretty strong about it, is that if they want a stand down policy, and they make the decision to do that, they should then pay for that player and let the club spend their cap,” McGregor said.
“You can’t make decisions for clubs and penalise them for decisions they don’t make, and that is what has happened in this case.
“It was something that had never happened before yet they made a rule and the club paid the price.”
And McGregor had no regrets for backing de Belin.
“I don’t regret it. Purely because these guys are humans, they are not robots. And there is a care of duty and wellbeing,” McGregor said.
“You have to remember, Jack was playing in my reserve grade team back in 2012. So I have known that kid since he left school and have been his coach since he was in reserve grade.
“I am not saying I wouldn’t do it for anyone else, but I felt the right thing was to give him his time to have a chance to defend himself. Everyone has a right to a presumption of innocence.”
McGregor, who is coaching the NSW under 19s this year, said he was sitting in his bank manager’s office on Thursday when his son Kade called to tell him about the breaking news: “He said, ‘have you heard?’ And I said, ‘what?’
“And he told me … I sort of just went quiet. He knew what impact that had on us.
“I guess I just thought … I don’t know the word I am looking for, but it I just felt a sense of that feeling where you know you have done the right thing.
“And if you think about it, back in 2018, if the club, I, the board, just pushed Jack aside and basically sacked him, well, what would that look like when he went to court?
“A business decision, or perceived guilt?
“Either way it would not have read well.
“And we thought it was going to be a six or three month process and it is going into its third year now. I am just … it is like I am walking up and down on the same spot at the moment.”
He said he had sent de Belin a text message but was yet to hear back.
Asked if he believed it had cost him his coaching career, he added: “Well, hopefully not my career but it cost me my job.
“But I want to coach again.
“You have to remember this team that we had got beaten in the second week of the semis by a field goal in 2018 and we had four guys unavailable.
“And we never put the same team on the park after that. And we led the comp for 16 weeks that year and Jack was coming off his best year ever.
“Again, you have to move on, but don’t tell me it doesn’t affect a team playing to its potential.”
But he maintains “no way in the world” has he lost his passion for coaching.
“It was just a part of life that was a lesson,” he said.
“I have nothing bad to say about anyone because it doesn’t get you anywhere.
“All it does is make you sour.
“Things happen for a reason.”
LOL
Still going down kicking snd screaming and referring back to 2018
JDB did not cost you your job
lack of thinking outside the square and foresight cost you your job
And then there was the lack of ability to coach snd innovate game plans
Do we need to go on :thinking:
Crawley - McGregor no surprise there
 
Last edited:

hewi

Bench
Messages
3,740
The man is a narcissist, everything is some one else’s fault. In 7 years he never did one thing wrong? F##k off you peanut, what you put us fans thru was deplorable, the careers you wrecked, the players who have made it elsewhere are all testament to what a total fraud you were. Did I mention the JetSki or DUI coming to training. FFS
 

Rob Dragon 1

Juniors
Messages
172
Seriously. Seriously. I have followed the Dragons since 1971, and Paul McGregor is the single most destructive and delusional individual we (as fans) have had the displeasure of having thrust upon us. All of us who have worked in organisations and have had to put up with individuals who are totally without experience or skill in a senior position; but have "wormed" their way into a position AND then spend their entire time "managing up the ladder". McGregor's biggest fan base were a number of the directors (notably Gordon) and a few journalists who should have known better. Whilst McGregor cultivated these relationships (and also washed and polished Phil Gould's car most weekends) various captains (Widdop and Frizzle) bolted from the joint. The McGregor stench will take more then a few years to leave the joint. But you know what we (the fans) can do? Never, ever mention his name again. Silence. Nothing. Disdain. Contempt. Let's take a collective solemn vowel to never, ever mention his name again! And then hope like hell Dean Young never gets near the reigns in the future!!!!
 

blacksafake

First Grade
Messages
8,988
Seriously. Seriously. I have followed the Dragons since 1971, and Paul McGregor is the single most destructive and delusional individual we (as fans) have had the displeasure of having thrust upon us. All of us who have worked in organisations and have had to put up with individuals who are totally without experience or skill in a senior position; but have "wormed" their way into a position AND then spend their entire time "managing up the ladder". McGregor's biggest fan base were a number of the directors (notably Gordon) and a few journalists who should have known better. Whilst McGregor cultivated these relationships (and also washed and polished Phil Gould's car most weekends) various captains (Widdop and Frizzle) bolted from the joint. The McGregor stench will take more then a few years to leave the joint. But you know what we (the fans) can do? Never, ever mention his name again. Silence. Nothing. Disdain. Contempt. Let's take a collective solemn vowel to never, ever mention his name again! And then hope like hell Dean Young never gets near the reigns in the future!!!!
Well said. I haven’t mentioned his name since he was shown the door & won’t be in future.
 

watatank

Coach
Messages
13,973
It's actually pathetic how McGregor is trying to take credit for de Belin and how he knew him since he left school based on being reserve grade coach in 2012...

jack left school but was 21, already made his FG debut a year before when McGregor was on Bennett imposed exile and ended up playing 19 games in first grade that year

Yeah McGregor coached the guy for a long time but he can say that without all the other rubbish
 
Last edited:

getsmarty

Immortal
Messages
33,485
It's actually pathetic how McGregor is trying to take credit for de Belin and how he knew him since he left school based on being reserve grade coach in 2012...

jack left school but was 21, already made his FG debut a year before when McGregor was on Bennett imposed exile and ended up playing 19 games in first grade that year

Yeah McGregor coached the guy for a long time but he can say that without all the other rubbish

Come on watatank....the next headline will be DeBelin cost Mary a premiership....LOL
 
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