KICKOFF: Off-field dramas a different kettle of fish for NRL players and coaches
Dragons Den
STORMY WEATHER: Dealing with matters like the ongoing Jack de Belin saga takes a different toll on players and coaches like Paul McGregor, than the other hurdles NRL seasons typically toss up. Picture: Adam McLean
LAST week Dragons coach Paul McGregor said his squad and his club were looking for some "closure" on the Jack de Belin saga.
He wasn't the only one. We in the media had asked about the issue more than we ever wanted to.
The Dragons have backed de Belin to the hilt but, like the rest of us, had no idea which way the federal court verdict would fall on Friday.
When it did, fairly emphatically in the NRL's favour, it wasn't the outcome the Dragons were looking for. Looking at their performance against Newcastle on Sunday, it didn't bring a whole lot of closure.
People took a very literal view of McGregor's post-match comments that his side had "expected" de Belin to play against the Knights. In reality it was more a hope then an expectation.
There certainly wasn't a game plan based around his return. McGregor and his staff have spent a lot more time this season making plans around not having de Belin then having him.
The players have all spun the "no excuses" line. They have to, but James Graham did admit that the verdict
"probably did knock the wind out of a couple of people's sails."
It was all too apparent that it did. The desired outcome would have been a morale boost. It stands to reason the opposite put a dent in it. It also illustrates the different challenge such matters pose for coaches and players compared to injuries all clubs deal with each each season.
The Dragons have dealt with their fair share. Gareth Widdop has been out since round three and won't be back until the finals - if they get there.
They've also been without Tyson Frizell, Korbin Sims and now Corey Norman, at different stages. It's creeping up on half the club's cap.
Still, Manly have been without Daly Cherry-Evans and Tom Trbojevic for a large chunk of the year and are still 6-4 and running fifth.
Sure, they had to deal with Dylan Walker's stand-down. Walker's "I'm back baby" carry-on in front of watching media at training last week suggests he still doesn't realise the gravity of the situation he found himself in, but he was never facing the sort of long-term uncertainty de Belin and the Dragons are dealing with.
Cronulla have been without a host of stars and have still pulled off some big against-the-odds victories. None have seemingly derailed their season to extent the de Belin drama has the Dragons.
A look to the past shows players accept injuries are part and parcel of their profession. However, when players perceive injustice - rightly or wrongly - it's a much different battle.
It's one the Roosters and coach Trent Robinson learned back in 2016, a year that began without their skipper and No. 7 Mitchell Pearce after his infamous drunken Australia-Day shenanigans.
Todd Greenberg admitted last weekend that the NRL "overcooked" it's sanctions of an eight-week suspension and $120,000 fine.
You can bet Robinson and Pearce's teammates felt the same. With James Maloney the obvious exception, their roster that season was very similar to the one that took the Roosters the three previous minor premierships.
They started the season not just missing their halfback, but with the whole saga, and everything it brought, hanging over them. They ended up up in a 1-7 hole and couldn't climb back out.
2016 now seems an aberration in an otherwise five-year period of excellence. It just shows the toll such matters take. The added scrutiny, the questions his teammates faced week after week about something they had no say in or certainty about.
It wasn't just de Belin's on-field return his teammates were hoping for, it was an end to all that. They'll be hoping the questions Graham fielded on Tuesday prove their last lap around that course.
Korbin Sims returns this weekend, while the eventual return of Norman and hopefully Widdop are other morale-boosters the club has in the holster.
They just need to stay in finals battle long enough to make sure they're not bullets ultimately fired from a popgun.
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