Round 1 Teamlist

[Minh]

It's not about winning or losing on the weekend...it's about building a TEAM. We cannot build a team around a 30 year old journeyman. If he has devised some sort of plan to win a few games at the start of the year and then draft in the future prospects, he is more delusional than I thought!

If he is only coaching to save himself, then he is in it for all the wrong reasons. He can get a pay check working at Coles. Coaching requires passion and a strength of conviction, not backwards thinking, and survival techniques.

Exactly!

 

[Godz Illa]

I was at the charity shield as dad is a huge souths fan but watching williams and widdop i felt widdop felt like he needed to do more himself and try and create off almost every ball but once witt came into the halves he (Widdop) was able to relax and you guys started to score some points. Witts kicking game is better than Williams'

lol
You don't think Widdop was relaxed because the intensity disappeared from the Souths defence when their lead hit 20+ and they took off most of their big names?
How did Widdop feel when the right edge of Williams Ah Mau and Farrell created the Dragons only try in the first half when the game was on? He seemed ok, because he also created a certain try for Morris in that half, only for Brett to spill it.

Nonsense

 

[Elias1983]

Well nightingale has come out in smh.com.au and said the reason for witts selection was to take pressure off widdop...

Going with experience as we have a young team etc....

The article also states williams poor showing in the CS was another reason hw was overlooked.

Sorry can't post the link at the moment. ..

 

[Mr Red]

Well nightingale has come out in smh.com.au and said the reason for witts selection was to take pressure off widdop...

Going with experience as we have a young team etc....

The article also states williams poor showing in the CS was another reason hw was overlooked.

Sorry can't post the link at the moment. ..

interesting comment...
because i thought the main driver behind widdop coming to the dragons was he wanted to step up, have more of a leadership role and step out of the shadow of the big three.. now after 1 match we are looking to take pressure off him?
i think its more the case that its about perception - Witt looked better in the charity shield - but playing against a less intense team at the time...
not really measuring "apples V apples"

 

[Godz Illa]

interesting comment...
because i thought the main driver behind widdop coming to the dragons was he wanted to step up, have more of a leadership role and step out of the shadow of the big three.. now after 1 match we are looking to take pressure off him?

Spot on Red. Widdop himself has said as much. If the coach thinks Widdop isn't up to being the dominant playmaker then why bother signing him. Great show of confidence from the nincompoop Price

 

[hazzbeen]

And there lies the problem of the past 2 and a bit years, lack of foresight and always playing veterans to protect his own job, therefore there is no growth from within. If he was winning and even killing it, I don't think people would mind. After two years of the same, picking favorites and playing it safe, it get's very tedious.

Could not have said it any better.He plays it safe and it shows they have done nothing for two years......

 

[blacksafake]

interesting comment...
because i thought the main driver behind widdop coming to the dragons was he wanted to step up, have more of a leadership role and step out of the shadow of the big three.. now after 1 match we are looking to take pressure off him?
i think its more the case that its about perception - Witt looked better in the charity shield - but playing against a less intense team at the time...
not really measuring "apples V apples"

Spot on Mr Red.
All off season all we have heard is Widdops main reason for signing was to put himself under more pressure to lead a team around & having Williams' running game to help achieve this.So what has changed in one trial?.If Widdop is not capable of doing this(of which i think he is)why then is he being paid the top $$$ ffs.Anyway our Dope of a coach is too conservative with selections as has been shown in the past.If we had the young tigers 1/2 Brooks you could be assured he wouldn't be anywhere near 1st grade under his coaching, that would take balls and the Dope is devoid of these.

 

[jenninga]

Don't have an issue with that, everyone is entitled to have a view.
What I have an issue with is people inferring Price should disregard trying to pick a side to win, now, and instead pick a side to build for the future.
Who's future?
Unless he gets wins, he himself has no future.

Roosters ,a perfect example.Bought players to win a comp,not build for the future.There is no future as good young players working there way to origin etc will command more $$ hence the salary cap will come into play.
Can build a core group yes which we had when Bennett started and he added some hard nuts to win us a comp.

 

[Dezziedc]

Nightingale Comments On Witt Selection

Taking the organising pressure off Gareth Widdop is behind the surprise selection of Michael Witt at halfback for St George Illawarra, says Kiwis international Jason Nightingale.
Witt edged out fellow new recruit Sam Williams for the halfback position for St George Illawarra's round-one match against the Wests Tigers on Sunday. A poor performance in the Charity Shield cost Williams the No.7 jersey.
The match will mark Witt's first appearance in the NRL since 2008 after joining the club late in the off-season.
Winger Nightingale said Witt was a calming influence on the Dragons' young roster.
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''Our squad has been lacking in experience which is great in a lot of things but he has been around for a while now,'' Nightingale said. ''He brings a smart head on his shoulders and has had a lot of success in the NRL before. It's something we need in terms of direction to complement Gareth.''
While Witt's job is to help remove some pressure off Widdop, Nightingale said the team knew a poor start to the season would quickly have the critics circling.
''The pressure never stops,'' Nightingale said. ''You'd need to walk around with a blindfold to realise it's not there.''

 

[jenninga]

I'm not necessarily with Price on Witt vs Williams, but to see people still bagging him for selecting Ah Mau is staggering. Clearly they either didn't watch the CS, or watched with anti Leeson blinkers on. He was just about the player of the game, let alone our best.

As for Price not building for the future, well I thought it would be clear to all that unless he wins some games early he doesn't have one. A coach's first priority is to win, now. The rest builds on that. Bennett is a prime example of this.

He is hardly going to be altruistic about it all and think to himself "Bugger it, I'll just blood a few younguns and put some future structures in place so that the bloke who comes in after we experience some losses has it set up for him"". He's fighting for his livelihood. Of course he wants wins. Rightly or wrongly, this is how he thinks he's going to do it. Ffs, be sensible people.

Agree,AhMau has been going ok but if he is our best performing forward we are in deep trouble.

 

[bottle]

It's not about winning or losing on the weekend...it's about building a TEAM. We cannot build a team around a 30 year old journeyman. If he has devised some sort of plan to win a few games at the start of the year and then draft in the future prospects, he is more delusional than I thought!

If he is only coaching to save himself, then he is in it for all the wrong reasons. He can get a pay check working at Coles. Coaching requires passion and a strength of conviction, not backwards thinking, and survival techniques.

Lol. Yes it is, for Price.
Again no wins = no future for him.
What is it about that that you don't get?
I'm not saying that this is an optimal outcome for the team or the club, I'm not supporting the decision per se. Do you get that part at least?
What I'm saying is that this is the position he finds himself in. It's a poor outcome, but it's the reality of the situation.
Yes a coach should build for the future, blah, blah. But they don't all do that.
BENNETT DIDN"T!
Under pressure and at the risk of losing their job, which Price is, he will look to survival first, tenure second, development third. It's part of the human condition.

 

[Slippery Morris]

If Williams was selected for Round 1 after the performances he has put in the trials then I would think it makes things worse. Williams can't just expect to be picked at 7 because they brought him over from Canberra.

This will make Williams lift his game and warrant selection so I think it is a good thing.
Good to have players jostling for positions.

Joel Thompson to the bench is more a concern. WTF happened there? His form wasn't bad in the trials. Inconsistent selection process.

 

[Godz Illa]

If Williams was selected for Round 1 after the performances he has put in the trials then I would think it makes things worse. Williams can't just expect to be picked at 7 because they brought him over from Canberra.

He was pretty much our best player in the Mudgee trial. Against Souths he helped create our only legit try. The entire squad was poor in the Nines. I simply don't get how he has fallen so far out of favour.
Price had him as the starting halfback in all of those, and with good reason - he is the best halfback in the club. The coach has simply panicked. Great sign.

 

[hazzbeen]

I think Nightys loosing it also.....Its the mentality of the whole club they need to look outside the square the game has changed since the Bennett days you need to be able to score points...take risks let a try in but be able to score 3 when needed.That is something that will not happen when playing it safe with veteran number 7......

 

[Cagey Mac]

What it comes down to is a complete lack of faith in Steve Price's ability to do the obvious from 95% of Dragons supporters
Bennett had a knack of pulling a rabbit out of his hat but Price's hat seems to be full of..............

 

[watatank]

Roosters ,a perfect example.Bought players to win a comp,not build for the future.There is no future as good young players working there way to origin etc will command more $$ hence the salary cap will come into play.
Can build a core group yes which we had when Bennett started and he added some hard nuts to win us a comp.

Not true, they were building up to this. They took a chance on elite young players, spending big before they became rep players. While everyone will look to SBW, Jennings and Maloney it was just as much about players like Friend, Pearce, Waerea-Hargreaves, Tuivasa-Sheck, Cordner, Nuuasala and others who were there for longer, all lead by Minichiello. Then when it comes to contract time the player will either stay due to loyalty or leave for another paycheck, in which case the Roosters will promote another junior they spent big on.

 

[Minh]

The Roosters have a very powerful cheque book.:sarcasm:

 

[twinkletoes]

What I can't understand is how we have selected the same starting pack that was regularly steamrolled with paper thin defence last season and expect them suddenly with the same coach in charge to turn in to mongrel forwards this season....

 

[Godz Illa]

At the moment we're more like the Roosters of 2007. During their Chris Anderson one-marker phase.

 

[Spartan - Dragon]

Not happy with Witt starting at all, rest of the team looks good tho...

Price is so afraid of letting younger players have a go!

he is trying to take a page out of Bennett's book with using older players...