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Round 1 2022.

Dragon David

First Grade
Messages
9,314
Obviously the Nrl didnt have anyone to push a button for the draw to come out today.
Maybe they have pressed the button several times already and each time they have us playing the "weaker" teams twice which they don't want. They want us to be playing the "better" teams twice at the end of the year so we bomb out again!
 

jeffdragon

Bench
Messages
3,921
P
Maybe they have pressed the button several times already and each time they have us playing the "weaker" teams twice which they don't want. They want us to be playing the "better" teams twice at the end of the year so we bomb out again!

I think that every year as.
The higher you finish the previous year the harder the draw should be .
They say they don't know how teams are going to go year by year.
That's bull , we already know Penrith,Souths,Roosters, Storm
,Eels and Manly will be up their again
 

Draginzaaar

Bench
Messages
3,643


BIRD’S RADLEY ROLE

St George Illawarra coach Anthony Griffin is ready to give Jack Bird the chance to emulate the success of Victor Radley and Cameron Murray by starting him at lock when the season begins.

Bird’s recent career has been beset with injuries but he has enjoyed his first off-season in a long time and his reward will be the chance to find a permanent home in the back row.

Bird would seem an ideal fit for the lock position, which has seemingly become even more valuable under the changes to the rules in recent seasons.

Radley and Murray are the archetypal players in the 13 jersey and Bird offers a similar skill set that could allow him to flourish in the role.

He would also benefit from finding a permanent home, having spent much of his career moving between centre, five-eighth and the back row.

“With Jack, I have had a couple of good chats with him over the offseason,” Griffin said.

“I would say (he will play) somewhere around the ball, in the back row. Last year he was just doing rehab on his knee and he didn’t do much.

“This year will be his first real offseason for four or five years.”

Pressed on whether he could see Bird playing lock, Griffin said: “Probably around there — bit like a Radley, Murray type of player.

Jack Bird is likely to play lock next season. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

Jack Bird is likely to play lock next season. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images
“He can play six as well, which with our young halves there might be a point in the season where we need to throw him in there for a couple of weeks or so.

“Mainly we will be looking at him in that lock area.”

Bird entered the final year of his deal on November 1 and is free to begin talks with rival clubs about the 2023 season. However, it is understood the Dragons have indicated they are keen to keep him and talks have begun between the club and Bird’s camp.

The former NSW player is coming off a solid return to the Dragons, having finally put his injury woes behind him. His talent is without question. His achilles heel has been injury in recent seasons but there is genuine hope at the Dragons that he has put that in the past.

He will be a key figure this season, albeit in a side that has significantly strengthened over the off-season with the likes of George Burgess, Aaron Woods, Francis Molo and Jaydn Su’A.

“We didn’t have any (middle forwards) last year,” Griffin said in relation to the signing of Burgess, Woods and Molo.

“We had Vaughany (Paul Vaughan) and then he left. Jack was underdone. Blake Lawrie is a good tough kid but we just didn’t have anything around him to help him.

“We stocked up well there and did it well with the cap.”
 

thebigredv

First Grade
Messages
5,407

I had to read this twice and still don't see the point of it. Very random.


UFC: Alex Volkanovski’s shock plan for St George Illawarra and Max Holloway

UFC champ Alex Volkanovski has unveiled his fight predictions for 2022, along with a surprise for Dragons NRL players.

Nick Walshaw

Alexander Volkanovski wants a blockbuster UFC trilogy against Max Holloway in March next year – and will have some of St George Illawarra’s biggest names forming part of his preparation.

Speaking with News Corp this week, UFC featherweight champ Volkanovski not only unveiled his fight predictions for 2022, but also plans for transforming the Dragons into a finals force.

The 33-year-old and head coach Joe Lopez have both been added to the Dragons coaching staff for next season, with the pair keen to upset bookmakers who have labelled the Red V $51 premiership hopes — the competition’s rank outsider.


The champ is also tipping Holloway to beat Yair Rodriguez in their Las Vegas title eliminator this Sunday, which expects will then make for their trilogy fight in March.

As revealed in this week’s Fight Club column, Volkanovski says Holloway should be “begging” him for a third bout early next year, adding: “Nothing is bigger than that shiny gold belt I know he wants”.

It has now been two years since the Wollongong product stripped ‘Blessed’ of his UFC crown, which he then defended again last year in a contentious split decision win between the two.

While Holloway has hinted at having “bigger options” next year – including a fight with Irish megastar Conor McGregor – Volkanovski insists a third fight will be made between the two rivals in the first third of the year.

Asked about his plans for the Dragons, where he and Lopez have been employed by head coach Anthony Griffin to work on the side’s defence, the fighter said: “I can’t give too much away, but it’s happening.

Alexander Volkanovski wants another fight with Max Holloway. Picture: Richard Dobson
Alexander Volkanovski wants another fight with Max Holloway. Picture: Richard Dobson
“We want to give our insights, some little tricks that we believe can help.

“And I believe with their (the coaching staff’s) knowledge and them explaining things to us while we then give our knowledge, I think we can definitely make something that is very useful.

“It’s still early days … but we will be picking each other’s brains.

“There will be a lot of things we see that will definitely help them. We’re even looking at bringing the players down to some of our sessions – for conditioning, motivation stuff like that.”

Lopez agreed, with one of Australia’s most esteemed MMA coaches adding: “We’ve already had a session with the players and there was something in particular I picked up straight away.

“Rather than simply showing the players stuff and then letting them get stuck in – where things get lost in translation, or due to ego — we want to break everything right down, teach them how to do everything slow and right.

Alex Volkanovski punches Brian Ortega during his most recent UFC title defence. Picture: Getty Images
Alex Volkanovski punches Brian Ortega during his most recent UFC title defence. Picture: Getty Images
“Develop good habits.

“Obviously these guys know footy 100 times better than I ever will. But when it comes to all those little things required to put a man on the ground, where to put your hands, your feet … we want to drill that over and over and over so the right way becomes all they know.”

Asked about Holloway this week, Volkanovski said: “You hear Max trying to act like ‘we’ll see what happens’.

“Well, hey, you’re zero and two against me.

“You should be begging.

“You think you’ve got bigger things? Think you can insult me?

“Fine.

“But nothing is bigger than the shiny gold belt that I know he really wants. That I took off him and he can’t get.

“So he’s going to act like he has bigger plans.

“But the UFC don’t have bigger plans.

“The UFC want the winner of (Sunday’s) fight fighting me.”
 
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Draginzaaar

Bench
Messages
3,643
Maybe they have pressed the button several times already and each time they have us playing the "weaker" teams twice which they don't want. They want us to be playing the "better" teams twice at the end of the year so we bomb out again!
Oh Yeah, because we are such a scary team.
 

Draginzaaar

Bench
Messages
3,643
That's generally because the team has been going shit.
The more successful the team is on the field then aligns with better game scheduling, more free to air TV opportunities which leads to greater Sponsorship power. Unless you are a die-hard fan that attends each game crowd numbers can then be dependent on the team.winning.
Winning however starts in the front office and Boardroom. Our last 10 years of structure, vision, planning and decision making has poor hence why we haven't been successful.
I think we are now on a path to getting this improved so hoping for greater infield success this coming season. That will.get the crowds back.
That excuse doesn't wash with me. The Knights draw crowds over 15,000 regularly and mostly near 20,000. It doesn't matter where they are on the table. 3 wooden spoons in a row and constantly better crowds than us. Our fans are very fickle. They have to be at the top of the table to draw a crowd. Remember our semi V Manly at Kogarah in 2010? The crowd was about 15,000. That is rubbish.
 
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