Round 14 v Chi wow waaz

[denis preston]

Let me get this right, are you saying Langlands signing was a f..up?.
One of the best fullbacks in the history of the Dragons

No, Getting Langland's in 1964 was a great signing but missing out on Fulton was a f---up. Surely the same scouts that put him on to langlands would have told Frank about Fulton even though he would have been 4 years younger you would think he was tearing up the local comp.

 

[mxlegend99]

Hook struggles to get the best out of x factor players. Has no idea how to work with them. Dufty was never going to last under him. Norman seems like the exact type of player he likes so it's a genuine shock to me that he is gone.

Was always a risk telling players mid-season to look elsewhere. You hope it lights a fire under them to try earning a new contract (like Dufty last week). But sometimes it has the opposite effect (like Dufty this week)

Dragons still have 1 more win than bottom 8 sides and a better for and against then any team they're fighting with. The competition is pretty shit this year so i can see you guys scraping into the 8 in 7th or 8th. But it likely means playing Roosters, Sea Eagles or Eels which would not work out well for you. Still. Youd rather lose a finals match than not be in one at all

 

[Old Timer]

Hook struggles to get the best out of x factor players. Has no idea how to work with them. Dufty was never going to last under him. Norman seems like the exact type of player he likes so it's a genuine shock to me that he is gone.

Was always a risk telling players mid-season to look elsewhere. You hope it lights a fire under them to try earning a new contract (like Dufty last week). But sometimes it has the opposite effect (like Dufty this week)

Dragons still have 1 more win than bottom 8 sides and a better for and against then any team they're fighting with. The competition is pretty shit this year so i can see you guys scraping into the 8 in 7th or 8th. But it likely means playing Roosters, Sea Eagles or Eels which would not work out well for you. Still. Youd rather lose a finals match than not be in one at all

Your point re telling Dufty affecting him being a risk is quite incorrect.

Dufty has always been rocks or diamonds and the number of posts on that very subject is testimony to the fact he has always been inconsistent and polarising.

He would be exactly the same player if he hadn't been told and that is the very reason why he has been told early which then allows him some time and space to prepare for his future elsewhere.

Imagine the uproar if it was left to mad Monday to tell him the pro Dufty fan base would have had a ball saying how heartless and unprofessional the club had been to a local junior.

These things are always best left to those that have expertise in the field and Hook has plenty of that as shown by the fact that many fans were getting up in arms professing that Hook was 100% going to keep Norman well now we know that notion was just that a notion.

With the way this club had been run and the slack attitude it created I think it is a very good thing that now everyone knows exactly where they stand and there are no exceptions.

 

[Old Timer]

My take aways from yesterdays game.
1. The alternate jumper hopefully was left in the dressing shed never to be worn again.
2. JDB is a long way from being back in the game and him being 2.5 years out is very obvious.
3. TS is also rocks and diamonds and playing SOO with good players is where he shines best.
4. Now for my favourite takeaway: With the Dogs winning the Broncos are now on the verge of going back to back wooden spoons and then their beloved Kevvie will be hung out to dry whilst Alfie still gets to run around with his water bottles.
5. Special mention to the little Bulldogs kid (probably 7 or 8) who was a few seats behind me who yelled out "Hey Dufty ,I hope you don't come to the Dogs"

 

[Illusion]

My take aways from yesterdays game.
1. The alternate jumper hopefully was left in the dressing shed never to be worn again.
2. JDB is a long way from being back in the game and him being 2.5 years out is very obvious.
3. TS is also rocks and diamonds and playing SOO with good players is where he shines best.
4. Now for my favourite takeaway: With the Dogs winning the Broncos are now on the verge of going back to back wooden spoons and then their beloved Kevvie will be hung out to dry whilst Alfie still gets to run around with his water bottles.
5. Special mention to the little Bulldogs kid (probably 7 or 8) who was a few seats behind me who yelled out "Hey Dufty ,I hope you don't come to the Dogs"

Love point 5 ..... would love to have their 7 and 9 both looked good and Bazza can start to build a good team around them .....

 

[getsmarty]

Young is running the show, having already (thankfully) overruled Hook on Norman

Imagine Bennett copping that?

Nah Hook is stopgap & interim & not calling the shots.

The players see this & he has lost the Shed IMO - especially after his lame duck pressers re Duff

Duff’s performance yesterday was a dispirited upyours belonging to the realm of psychological dissociation after being mercilessly dissected & crucified.

Stick the kid at 5/8 this week (where he should’ve been from Rd1) & extend him 12 months to rescue team morale for this year

I was quite ashamed to see the doubling down on Duff - given his obvious treatment & circumstances.

Weaker individuals would’ve been tipped over the edge by now

Had to laugh when others were trying to emulate Duff’s cutouts to the wingers

The true Cleanout will begin with Young’s removal

O.K I'll bite...and you know this how ???

 

[Illusion]

O.K I'll bite...and you know this how ???

Nobody really knows anything we all just assume ...... We all babble on because we all get frustrated with the crap that has been dished out over the last 3 to 4 years .... If and if young is still around the coaching ranks then yes I agree he should have no say ..... Again this is just my opinion and don't know either way ......

 

[Dragonslayer]

After reviewing the stats for this game its obvious their plan was to run our forwards around getting us to make tackles (yes 6 agains didnt help either). Looking at our tackle counts:

Starting pack:
Macca 61 tackles @ 98% (70 mins)
Vaughan 44 tackles @ 96% (27 mins/27mins)
Bird 40 tackles @ 91% (80mins)
Lawrie 48 tackles @ 89% (24mins/32mins)
Ford 39 tackles @ 93% (24mins/19mins)
Sims 34 tackles @ 85% (67 mins)

Bench:
Alvaro 33 tackles @ 94% (29mins)
JDB 36 tackles @ 97% (37mins)
Kerr 25 tackles @ 89% (20mins/13mins)

There was zero linespeed and we committed too many players in tackles. Fatigue was evident once they spread the ball. All in all though the forward defended pretty well, high tackle counts with high efficiency, however, once put into attack mode we were fatigued, and with fatigue comes zero impact. Not helped by the 16 errors by our backs. Bird needs to fix this side of his game also with 4 errors himself.

In contrast the most tackles by a Dogs player was 39 by Josh Jackson.

 

[blacksafake]

My take aways from yesterdays game.
1. The alternate jumper hopefully was left in the dressing shed never to be worn again.
2. JDB is a long way from being back in the game and him being 2.5 years out is very obvious.
3. TS is also rocks and diamonds and playing SOO with good players is where he shines best.
4. Now for my favourite takeaway: With the Dogs winning the Broncos are now on the verge of going back to back wooden spoons and then their beloved Kevvie will be hung out to dry whilst Alfie still gets to run around with his water bottles.
5. Special mention to the little Bulldogs kid (probably 7 or 8) who was a few seats behind me who yelled out "Hey Dufty ,I hope you don't come to the Dogs"

Got a good chuckle out of 5.
Very clever from a young kid.

 

[Nicholas Kosic]

Bennett has no team next year, if we could get him back to the Dragons he would attract some quality players to the club. At the moment under Hook we will have to pay well overs to get any game breakers here.

I think Bennett's going back to Brisvagas

 

[BLM01]

Such is the state of the squad at the moment it could take five years to build up a side capable of winning a premiership. There is just not enough quality in the squad at present to rise to that level and there is no remedy available at present.

I believe it’s on NRL problem across the board except for a couple of teams

 

[BLM01]

No, Getting Langland's in 1964 was a great signing but missing out on Fulton was a f---up. Surely the same scouts that put him on to langlands would have told Frank about Fulton even though he would have been 4 years younger you would think he was tearing up the local

Bit before my time what was happening in 64
Only born that year

 

[getsmarty]

Nobody really knows anything we all just assume ...... We all babble on because we all get frustrated with the crap that has been dished out over the last 3 to 4 years .... If and if young is still around the coaching ranks then yes I agree he should have no say ..... Again this is just my opinion and don't know either way ......

...there are good posters in here who pass on good info and as you correctly stated the other 99% is speculation.
a lot of comments lately which are emotive eg the dufty petition...etc...prove this .At the end of the day, we are in a re-build...The frustration is totally understandable and as you again correctly stated,
"Just opinions ".

 

[Inisai Toga]

Bit before my time what was happening in 64
Only born that year

actually 1963 when Chang joined Saints!

 

[LINESPEED]

Hook struggles to get the best out of x factor players. Has no idea how to work with them. Dufty was never going to last under him. Norman seems like the exact type of player he likes so it's a genuine shock to me that he is gone.

Was always a risk telling players mid-season to look elsewhere. You hope it lights a fire under them to try earning a new contract (like Dufty last week). But sometimes it has the opposite effect (like Dufty this week)

Dragons still have 1 more win than bottom 8 sides and a better for and against then any team they're fighting with. The competition is pretty shit this year so i can see you guys scraping into the 8 in 7th or 8th. But it likely means playing Roosters, Sea Eagles or Eels which would not work out well for you. Still. Youd rather lose a finals match than not be in one at all

O.K I'll bite...and you know this how ???

No bait intended there at all getsmarty.
I really admire your work, and you are a mainstay of the Forum

I read the tealeaves, join the dots & have an ear to the ground let’s say.

And I would say that we can’t win another Premiership with the current owners & Administration IMO

 

[thebigredv]

That Adam Elliot tries has got to be the softest, of the weak, of the very most insipid tries I have ever seen scored against the Dragons.

Hunt, Kerr and Beale absolutely gutless attempts. Expecting someone else to actually do the work. Ramsey and Dufty on Averillo in his second try wasn't too much better.

Our coach Griffin has to do something about that. We are expecting him to develop our juniors into stars when he can't even get his old hands tackling a player 5 metres out of the line. Elliot didn't even need to try.

Drop players and make a statement. "That's not good enough".

 

[getsmarty]

No bait intended there at all getsmarty.
I really admire your work, and you are a mainstay of the Forum

I read the tealeaves, join the dots & have an ear to the ground let’s say.

And I would say that we can’t win another Premiership with the current owners & Administration IMO

Agree...but baby steps ..Webb is a good appointment....and a step in the right direction....same can be said about the appointment of Griffin and his assistants....

We have all been calling for "Outside appointments " for years and an end to the " Jobs for the Boys " appointments.....Just imagine if they appointed Dean Young instead of Griffin.... another untried coach....

Frustrations are running high @ the moment...totally understandable.... But the alternatives could have been much worse....

Griffin has a big job on his hands....He will not change things overnight, but I would rather someone with his experience ( along with Gentle and Elliott ) than the previous 2 coaches who were here for far too long and created a lot of the mess that the current team have inherited...

Anyway. onward and upward....There will be pain along the way, but I am looking forward to seeing some of the best crop of juniors we have had in a long time start to make their way into the top grade over the coming years.

 

[Saints Forever]

Bit before my time what was happening in 64
Only born that year

I think he came in 63

 

[Blood Shot Eyes]

My take aways from yesterdays game.
1. The alternate jumper hopefully was left in the dressing shed never to be worn again.
2. JDB is a long way from being back in the game and him being 2.5 years out is very obvious.
3. TS is also rocks and diamonds and playing SOO with good players is where he shines best.
4. Now for my favourite takeaway: With the Dogs winning the Broncos are now on the verge of going back to back wooden spoons and then their beloved Kevvie will be hung out to dry whilst Alfie still gets to run around with his water bottles.
5. Special mention to the little Bulldogs kid (probably 7 or 8) who was a few seats behind me who yelled out "Hey Dufty ,I hope you don't come to the Dogs"

Some valid points OT.....especially point 1.....tbh I hate the alternate strip....does nothing for me...I also have a soft spot for point no 4...would be such a pity if The Donkeys were to go back to back wooden spooners

 

[Old Timer]

I think he came in 63

Yep came to Saints in 63 after representing Country & NSW whilst playing in Wollongong.
Then 1st played for Australia in 63.