Round 17 vs Cowboys

[Blood Shot Eyes]

Cmon fellas we got rid of McGregor....do we really expect to make changes to the team as well....you cant have 3 Christmasess in the one year..its not in our DNA

 

[Mjab]

If only it were as simple as the coach making a few team changes. The coach must also come up with a team plan, work out the cowboys strengths and weaknesses, and figure out strategies to nullify the first and exploit the second. He has to work on any of the weaknesses in our team and figure out a way to motivate them.

I'd rather see an improvement in motivation and evidence of strategy than some team changes that probably won't make a difference anyway.

Come on no one at the Dragons have done those things for years since Bennett
Sadly more Dragons footy or worse this week I suspect

 

[Mjab]

Can we bring back Luke and fit him in in case our No 3 hooker gets a HIA again

 

[Mjab]

At least I only have to finish 1 more month Kayo subscription and my season is over and save $25 a month

 

[Maddragon99]

No enforcement amongst the forwards , yea Friz , McInnes play hard but no Mungrel dog .....

Billy Brittian gets a second chance of 15mins of fame.

Dean young has lost me with this selection. A $1.1M player should be quiet capable of playing 80 mins.

sorry Deano but you’ve lost me with that selection

 

[Inisai Toga]

I feel Brittain’s selection has more to do with next year rather than this week.

 

[denis preston]

If only it were as simple as the coach making a few team changes. The coach must also come up with a team plan, work out the cowboys strengths and weaknesses, and figure out strategies to nullify the first and exploit the second. He has to work on any of the weaknesses in our team and figure out a way to motivate them.

I'd rather see an improvement in motivation and evidence of strategy than some team changes that probably won't make a difference anyway.

Whats more important : Winning a couple of more games to come 12-14th or look to the future and give our young guys a taste of what it is like to play NRL and take it away to their off season preparation ? Plus the coaches will have an idea on what these guys need to work on as well. Sorry no brainer for me.
Again selfish agendas ruining any progress the club can make.

 

[Dorothy the Winowhore]

Hasler has named talented rookie 5/8 Josh Schuster among his reserves this weekend. Not played any CC games this year. Very interested to see if he gets a run now Manly out of finals contention.

And we still playing Norman.

 

[Inisai Toga]

Hasler has named talented rookie 5/8 Josh Schuster among his reserves this weekend. Not played any CC games this year. Very interested to see if he gets a run now Manly out of finals contention.

And we still playing Norman.

Through injury though Dorothy; hardly think Des is the great promotor and experimenter. Ask Canterbury!

 

[Walpole]

The latest team list is disappointing but not unexpected. For mine, four games would be a nice run to see if Sailor has anything to offer at 5/8 or how Blacker goes off the bench.

But I guess Deano thinks this is the team to take him all the way to no.9 and a six year contract.

 

[Inisai Toga]

The latest team list is disappointing but not unexpected. For mine, four games would be a nice run to see if Sailor has anything to offer at 5/8 or how Blacker goes off the bench.

But I guess Deano thinks this is the team to take him all the way to no.9 and a six year contract.

Fair call Walpole, like to see that too, but mainly because I never see them play in reserve grade (see current thread) etc, and no ones playing CC anyway.

But let’s say as some of the forum members recent posts in questioning these players ability at this level (particularly in defence) are right, then isn't Young’s judgement sound? He’s closer than us to assess this surely?

 

[Walpole]

Fair call Walpole, like to see that too, but mainly because I never see them play in reserve grade (see current thread) etc, and no ones playing CC anyway.

But let’s say as some of the forum members recent posts questioning these players ability at this level, particularly in defence are right, then isn't Young judgement sound. He’s closer than us to assess this surely?

Agreed, I haven't seen much of them either, but Sailor has had a taste of NRL and Blacker has played CC and been part of the squad of 21 for a while now. I think their situation is a little different to the Feagai's for instance, who haven't really played above U20s at all.

The thing that worries me is that if Dean Young is still trying to win games with the same tired old selections then he's still in the running for the top job, which is not what we need. I think it would be a lot better for the club if he knew this coaching stint was only for 6 games and his goal was to establish some new combinations or provide greater opportunities for some of the fringe players.

I mean, we just got beaten by the Gold Coast, our top 8 chances are gone and he's picked the same team, bar Fui in for Merrin.

 

[Inisai Toga]

Agreed, I haven't seen much of them either, but Sailor has had a taste of NRL and Blacker has played CC and been part of the squad of 21 for a while now. I think their situation is a little different to the Feagai's for instance, who haven't really played above U20s at all.

The thing that worries me is that if Dean Young is still trying to win games with the same tired old selections then he's still in the running for the top job, which is not what we need. I think it would be a lot better for the club if he knew this coaching stint was only for 6 games and his goal was to establish some new combinations or provide greater opportunities for some of the fringe players.

I mean, we just got beaten by the Gold Coast, our top 8 chances are gone and he's picked the same team, bar Fui in for Merrin.

Fair call; I’d like to see that as well; unless of course Young knows Sailors going then his omission makes sense.

I’m bewildered by the the Aitken selection though. Can’t see any mileage for or us or him.

Despite comments to the contrary, I’m ok with the Brittain selection as I thought he possessed a strong passing game earlier in the year and interested to see what he offers at this level. His selection may be connected with the “Hunt to Brisbane” story and McInnes’s future position within the team.

Nice to see Kerr starting this week; different mind set starting and hope he gets some good game time.

 

[possm]

Cmon fellas we got rid of McGregor....do we really expect to make changes to the team as well....you cant have 3 Christmasess in the one year..its not in our DNA

If a proper review was conducted we would have gotten rid of Mary, Young and Millward. If that happened we would see major positive change within the football department of our club.

 

[Blood Shot Eyes]

If a proper review was conducted we would have gotten rid of Mary, Young and Millward. If that happened we would see major positive change within the football department of our club.

Would have should have could have

 

[True_Believer]

If only it were as simple as the coach making a few team changes. The coach must also come up with a team plan, work out the cowboys strengths and weaknesses, and figure out strategies to nullify the first and exploit the second. He has to work on any of the weaknesses in our team and figure out a way to motivate them.

I'd rather see an improvement in motivation and evidence of strategy than some team changes that probably won't make a difference anyway.

You're a brave man!!!

 

[True_Believer]

Agreed, I haven't seen much of them either, but Sailor has had a taste of NRL and Blacker has played CC and been part of the squad of 21 for a while now. I think their situation is a little different to the Feagai's for instance, who haven't really played above U20s at all.

The thing that worries me is that if Dean Young is still trying to win games with the same tired old selections then he's still in the running for the top job, which is not what we need. I think it would be a lot better for the club if he knew this coaching stint was only for 6 games and his goal was to establish some new combinations or provide greater opportunities for some of the fringe players.

I mean, we just got beaten by the Gold Coast, our top 8 chances are gone and he's picked the same team, bar Fui in for Merrin.

A couple of points to consider:

• George Dragon, who seems to be close to the team and has been consistently on the money, has indicated that Blacker isn't ready - we don't really have any other bench forwards available
• Although the focus was to make the finals, I don't think Dean is 'just' trying to win games at this point. Based on his comments to-date, I think he's trying to rebuild the culture and attitude in the team. There's an obvious issue there and unless you wrestle that, nothing else will matter
• What I've said previously is, testing players at this stage only benefits the fans - especially given our coaching situation. If Dean doesn't get the job next season, there's no reason to believe the new coach with agree with any decisions Dean makes and will judge the players based on his own assessment
• As OT has pointed out, trialling players after this week, excluding Sailor, will potentially damage their confidence - playing them against top teams who are in form is a risk - especially those who have played very little or no CC.
• I really think that if Williame was fit, we would not have seen as much of Aitken as we have. I think he would already have been replaced.

I've already said I don't think Dean should get the appointment. But I think I do understand why he is doing what he's doing.

 

[getsmarty]

GAME DAY


Game day guide: Round 17 v Cowboys
Author
Dragons.com.au dragons.com.au
Timestamp
Wed 2 Sep 2020, 02:10 PM

The St George Illawarra Dragons will face the North Queensland Cowboys at Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville on Sunday, September 6 (6:30pm). This is your Round 17 game day guide.

Milestone men provide Red V motivation
A finals berth has proved a bridge too far for the Dragons in 2020 following their last start loss to the Gold Coast Titans.

Yet with a month to play and an impression to make on whoever is to become the permanent first grade coach, there is still plenty there for the Dragons to play for.

Motivation may also be sought in celebrating the milestones that Ben Hunt and Jacob Host will rack up against the Cowboys.

Ben Hunt will celebrate his 250th NRL game (63 for Dragons, 187 for Brisbane Broncos) in his native Queensland.

Local Renown United junior Jacob Host – in a great show of perseverance given it’s the 23-year-old's fifth season – will run out for the Red V for the 50th time.


Cowboys out to prevent unwanted record
Already missing Jason Taumalolo (calf) and former Dragon Reece Robson (hamstring), the Cowboys copped another couple of body blows following their loss to the Sharks over the weekend.

Skipper Michael Morgan (calf) and Coen Hess (suspension) will also be absentees against the Dragons as they look to avoid losing 10 consecutive games for just the third time in their 25-year history.

Jake Clifford, Esan Marsters and Gavin Cooper have all been named as a result despite their respective long stints out of the Cowboys' 17.

Valentine Holmes and Scott Drinkwater shift to fullback and five-eighth respectively in Morgan's absence with Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow also returning on the wing.

Stadium debut for Dragons
Queensland Bank Country Stadium is the new shining light of NRL stadia following its debut at the beginning of the year.

Although it has been anything but for their main occupier in the Cowboys.

Eight appearances at the brand spanking new stadium has only produced two wins thus far for North Queensland; a good sign for the Dragons who will make their debut at the ground in what will also be their first Townsville appearance since Round 1, 2019.

Sad news for Dragons fans of Queensland's north
Red V members are advised that sadly there will be no tickets available for purchase for this weekend's game against the Cowboys. Entry to this game is limited to Cowboys full season members only, to comply with Queensland's current Covid-19 restrictions.


https://www.dragons.com.au/news/2020/09/02/game-day-guide-round-17-v-cowboys/

 

[getsmarty]

Coach's preview: Round 17 v Cowboys
Dragons interim head coach Dean Young talks to the media ahead of our Round 17 trip up to North Queensland to play the Cowboys.

https://www.dragons.com.au/news/2020/09/05/coachs-preview-round-17-v-cowboys/

 

[getsmarty]

Young's simple ask as Dragons job beckons

• 
  
  St Geroge Illawarra interim Dean Young has made his case to take the job on a fulltime basis.
  Dean Young has made his case for the full-time job at St George-Illawarra and can only hope his position as interim coach will help his cause in the final weeks of the NRL season.
  
  Young, Anthony Griffin and David Furner were interviewed by the Dragons on Thursday ahead of Sunday's trip to North Queensland to face the Cowboys.
  
  Gold Coast's comeback win against Young's side last weekend all but ruled out a finals charge for the Dragons with four rounds to play.
  
  After his interview on Thursday, Young can only assume his performance over the next month will become part of his resume.
  
  "The process was very professional for the club; I put my best foot forward on Thursday night, gave it my best shot so we'll wait and see what happens," he said on Saturday.
  
  "I've just taken on board what the CEO has told me, he's kept me up to date and asked me to present so I did that and I'll leave it up to them now.
  
  "It's a question for the board whether the next four weeks and the results have an impact on the decision."
  
  The Dragons beat Parramatta in Paul McGregor's last game in charge, Young going 1-1 in games against Brisbane and Gold Coast since.
  
  All three have been tight affairs and that's all he asks of his side in the run home.
  
  "I think I've made it pretty clear in the two weeks I've been interim coach that I look for people who compete, who are consistent and disciplined and that won't change if I get the opportunity moving forward.
  
  "We've started the process and the last three weeks have been pretty similar, where we've been in the fight the last two minutes ... and we can't say we did that earlier in the season.
  
  "We want to be there fighting at the death and the challenge is doing it again."
  
  The Cowboys, themselves under an interim coach in Josh Hannay, have lost nine straight.
  
  Jake Clifford is back in place of halfback Michael Morgan (calf), who is out with a calf injury while Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow is back from a hamstring strain on the wing.
  
  Forward Tyrell Fuimaono returns from suspension in place of Trent Merrin (hamstring) on the bench as Ben Hunt plays his 250th NRL appearance.
  
  STATS THAT MATTER
  
  * St George Illawarra is missing the fewest tackles in the NRL (21.4 per game), while North Queensland is busting the third fewest tackles (20 per game).
  
  * The Cowboys' three wins this season is currently their second worst in club history, only better than their two wins in 1995.
  
  * The Dragons' past seven matches have been decided by eight points or less.
  
  Australian Associated Press
  
  https://www.theleader.com.au/story/6911546/youngs-simple-ask-as-dragons-job-beckons/?cs=13068