Round 21 v Raiders

[BBTB]

It's obvious to all of us from the comments on the forum that our playing squad is poor quality from the basic mistakes made week after week. Don't know what happens and what is said behind closed doors at training but I am sure Hook also knows it. He has to say something at the press conferences. Although he would be telling the truth, he can't come out and say what basically every person on the forum is saying.

Apart from Rava, I am yet to see one of our backs bend the line when they run or show speed to get outside their man. While I agree it is hard to shine in a weak team, I don't get the enthusiasm about our juniors. Sloan has been OK but the rest to me seem average so far. From the more optimistic supporters all I hear is give them game time, give them another offseason to put on more size, etc. When I see other teams juniors make debut they are ready to play first grade.

Yes, most of our kids seem, undernourished.

 

[Coffs dragon]

Our season was long gone and really without Ben Hunt this year, we would be in Bulldogs territory.
We are still an error ridden team of plodders that can only seem to play for 40 minutes.
The clean out can’t come quick enough and a total reset of the spine…..minus Norman for starters!

 

[Kiwi Dragon supporter]

Our season was long gone and really without Ben Hunt this year, we would be in Bulldogs territory.
We are still an error ridden team of plodders that can only seem to play for 40 minutes.
The clean out can’t come quick enough and a total reset of the spine…..minus Norman for starters!

Coffs dragon nails it, Dragons are now a symbol of mediocrity or worse. Sure its been a season of injuries, suspensions and disruption. That aside Griffin has had no more success than his predecessor. The decision to play Bird at fullback was nonsensical. Fullback is a specialist position and Bird was not up to it. Had Dufty played despite him not being part of the future, there may have been a win.

 

[JohnnoMcJohnno]

Coffs dragon nails it, Dragons are now a symbol of mediocrity or worse. Sure its been a season of injuries, suspensions and disruption. That aside Griffin has had no more success than his predecessor. The decision to play Bird at fullback was nonsensical. Fullback is a specialist position and Bird was not up to it. Had Dufty played despite him not being part of the future, there may have been a win.

Yep. Quite a few of Hook's decisions seem Mary-esque. What I don't get is the refusal to play Dufty, who at least offers something that the rest of the side don't have ie the ability to score a length of the field try. And yet he is quite happy to keep playing Corey Norman who won't be with us next year, and offers very little.

 

[SIR LANCELOT]

Chin up lads.It is plain to see our team is not up to the standard of the top 10 sides.Hook has next year to improve it.If not by this time next year he should be given the flick together with more of the deadwood.This club needs to get its act together quickly.

 

[jeffdragon]

Among many issues the fact saints should in many games in the first half be in front by more .
We made breaks by Rava and lomax and amounted to nothing.
Then going for penalty goal,thus easing the pressure.
Taking these chances would make it easier for us during the game.
Not chasing as we usually are.

 

[Ghostrider22]

Chin up lads.It is plain to see our team is not up to the standard of the top 10 sides.Hook has next year to improve it.If not by this time next year he should be given the flick together with more of the deadwood.This club needs to get its act together quickly.

I agree with you and what everyone has commented, there is a but, i don’t believe the signings so far will lift the team out of the shit they are in.
I have stated before throw the kitchen sink at Cheeze, that’s the starting point. From there build a team with Cheeze and Ben. Problem is it won’t happen. They the Board, listen hear the silence, they don’t won’t Winners.
We have 2 front rowers and a 2nd rower and maybe a playmaker all cheap buys. I will be happy to cop shit, I can’t see anything changing next year.
One more piece to our puzzle where is the speed coming from, what I see there is none, zero.

 

[JohnnoMcJohnno]

Chin up lads.It is plain to see our team is not up to the standard of the top 10 sides.Hook has next year to improve it.If not by this time next year he should be given the flick together with more of the deadwood.This club needs to get its act together quickly.

Thanks, but my chin is still pointing resolutely to the ground. So far Hook's improvements have consisted of hiring a bunch of old Bronco's that no-one else wanted and refusing to play our only player with genuine speed. I hope there's more going on than what I'm seeing.

 

[mickeylane]

For a team to be successful it has to build a culture and then even mediocre players prosper within the culture...see what these clubs did w bog average players like Hutchison at the Roosters(Dragons reject), Storm (Jennings, Reimis Smith), Manly (Saab, Garrick), Souths (Host) I can go on...the culture starts at the back office and then the coaching staff sets the standards that the team must be held accountable to...Bellamy has given every coach and team the blueprint to follow yet for only a handful of clubs it's being copied... Hook has one flaw and that's his stubbornness....now I'm not certain where this stubbornness is exposed (team selections, type of players he likes, tactics...) but it's starting to seep out of the cracks.

Until a culture is manifested again irrespective of who we recruit this club will never be successful...I think the solution is to start setting some internal player standards that are abided by - they are listed and every player, when inducted to the club, understands them - apparently every new player that joins the Storm has to work a full-time job for 2 weeks before joining the team at training to appreciate what hard work is and understand the privilege of playing 1st-grade football vs a regular job. Then they are told of what is expected of them on the field and their role and if they look after their job on the field they will be able to trust their teammates on the field to do the same...it's all workmen like.

We lack this discipline and it shows - the last time we had standards it was 2009-11 and it showed.....

Board over to you.....

 

[thebigredv]

For a team to be successful it has to build a culture and then even mediocre players prosper within the culture...see what these clubs did w bog average players like Hutchison at the Roosters(Dragons reject), Storm (Jennings, Reimis Smith), Manly (Saab, Garrick), Souths (Host) I can go on...the culture starts at the back office and then the coaching staff sets the standards that the team must be held accountable to...Bellamy has given every coach and team the blueprint to follow yet for only a handful of clubs it's being copied... Hook has one flaw and that's his stubbornness....now I'm not certain where this stubbornness is exposed (team selections, type of players he likes, tactics...) but it's starting to seep out of the cracks.

Until a culture is manifested again irrespective of who we recruit this club will never be successful...I think the solution is to start setting some internal player standards that are abided by - they are listed and every player, when inducted to the club, understands them - apparently every new player that joins the Storm has to work a full-time job for 2 weeks before joining the team at training to appreciate what hard work is and understand the privilege of playing 1st-grade football vs a regular job. Then they are told of what is expected of them on the field and their role and if they look after their job on the field they will be able to trust their teammates on the field to do the same...it's all workmen like.

We lack this discipline and it shows - the last time we had standards it was 2009-11 and it showed.....

Board over to you.....

Our guys celebrate a scrappy one point win with an illegal party and go onto lose the next four without even a whimper. All smiles after the game I noticed too.

That's our culture right there.

Well said Mickey. I have watched you go from a positive, sometimes over zealous poster who looks on the bright side to a realist. There's not much we can hang our hat on anymore or get excited about. I'd say Sloan or Sullivan but the coach doesn't want to play them in the perfect occasion against a team also on tilt...

 

[Draginzaaar]

Yep. Without injuries it's between Melb and Panthers, with Manly being a small chance. The other teams have no shot.

Gotta say the football has been hard to watch this year, I'm at the point where I barely watch more than 2 games a week.

Souths are going ok. Penrith will crash. Roosters will beat them tonight. No Cleary, no win.

 

[Draginzaaar]

Yes, most of our kids seem, undernourished.

Look at Charlie Stains, he's a stick but a good winger.

 

[BBTB]

Look at Charlie Stains, he's a stick but a good winger.

Don't they feed their kids,down there in the illawara.

 

[mickeylane]

Our guys celebrate a scrappy one point win with an illegal party and go onto lose the next four without even a whimper. All smiles after the game I noticed too.

That's our culture right there.

Well said Mickey. I have watched you go from a positive, sometimes over zealous poster who looks on the bright side to a realist. There's not much we can hang our hat on anymore or get excited about. I'd say Sloan or Sullivan but the coach doesn't want to play them in the perfect occasion against a team also on tilt...

Problem is Brandon Smith wouldn’t make much of a difference atm ..we need a total overhaul in drilling our players what the Dragons intent is as a competitive team and what our culture has to be so there is a minimum expectation of any players standards being performance or behaviour. If our club was deadset serious the 12 players at the BBQ would have been sacked - right then and there you set the standards and start the culture ……….

 

[baggygreen man]

Congrats on your 200th Tariq. Pity there was no cigar. This club will continue to go backwards as long as the coach does not have faith and back our youth. Nothing kills confidence more that playing one game and dropped for next.

 

[Dragon David]

I 100% agree. Griffin, Elliott & Gentle have failed. Our tactics are terrible but it’s all the fundamental errors we continue to make that’s got me terrified. Where does the improvement come from if we can’t hold the ball?

I keep on stating the obvious on a lot of the threads and I'd like to say it again, the holding of the ball and limiting mistakes is a must to maintain pressure. Applying constant pressure on the opposition in both attack and defence is the key and the only way to do this is being able to sustain possession for longer periods and stamina to hold out the opposition.

Having a game breaker or two would help us immensely. If we had one or two who could do this for us on a regular basis they could get us home in more matches than what we have been able to do. Players like Cody Walker, Tommy T, Jahrome Hughes, Jarome Luai and the like are doing this for their respective clubs and you don't necessarily need to have the best coach when you have these type of players as they lead by example. You could see how the Sea Eagles performed in their last match when Tommy left the field. They hardly made any impression in attack against the Sharks when he was rested.

Corey Norman was the guy we were hoping would do this for us, but was never to be and our really attacking player in Dufty showed a lot in attack but we know has deficiencies.

I don't think that next year we will have anyone who would consistently be a game breaker and Moses Mbye definitely wouldn't provide this. Of the juniors coming through, there are no real standouts. So Hook needs to aim to get someone with the ability to open up and set scoring opportunities for us.

 

[Trifili13]

Based on Molo, SuA and GB coming next year, and JDB having another offseason under his belt, I think that compensates for the loss of Vaughan. Here's a thought, if Storm have reportedly offered the Cheese $600k per season, offer him Vaughan's reported $800k. If he comes fantastic, if he doesn't even based on such a big difference in pay then no one decent is coming and we might as well pack it in and just watch replays of the 2010 season instead of putting ourselves through pain each year watching this rabble.

 

[dungay dragon]

Problem is Brandon Smith wouldn’t make much of a difference atm ..we need a total overhaul in drilling our players what the Dragons intent is as a competitive team and what our culture has to be so there is a minimum expectation of any players standards being performance or behaviour. If our club was deadset serious the 12 players at the BBQ would have been sacked - right then and there you set the standards and start the culture ……….

Congrats on your 200th Tariq. Pity there was no cigar. This club will continue to go backwards as long as the coach does not have faith and back our youth. Nothing kills confidence more that playing one game and dropped for next.

Just one silly question....
Why wasnt Rava used as a battering ram at the Raiders line during the first 20 mins of the 2nd half , when our clueless halves kept running sideways and making little impact ..??
i'll see myself out ......

 

[Dragon David]

For a team to be successful it has to build a culture and then even mediocre players prosper within the culture...see what these clubs did w bog average players like Hutchison at the Roosters(Dragons reject), Storm (Jennings, Reimis Smith), Manly (Saab, Garrick), Souths (Host) I can go on...the culture starts at the back office and then the coaching staff sets the standards that the team must be held accountable to...Bellamy has given every coach and team the blueprint to follow yet for only a handful of clubs it's being copied... Hook has one flaw and that's his stubbornness....now I'm not certain where this stubbornness is exposed (team selections, type of players he likes, tactics...) but it's starting to seep out of the cracks.

Until a culture is manifested again irrespective of who we recruit this club will never be successful...I think the solution is to start setting some internal player standards that are abided by - they are listed and every player, when inducted to the club, understands them - apparently every new player that joins the Storm has to work a full-time job for 2 weeks before joining the team at training to appreciate what hard work is and understand the privilege of playing 1st-grade football vs a regular job. Then they are told of what is expected of them on the field and their role and if they look after their job on the field they will be able to trust their teammates on the field to do the same...it's all workmen like.

We lack this discipline and it shows - the last time we had standards it was 2009-11 and it showed.....

Board over to you.....

Yes, well said Mickey. Spot on with what we should be doing. If the Storm can create this manifesto to uplift the culture and maintain it with all the players they have recruited, you have unison which is unfailing and rewarding. Our CEO needs to have someone do an in depth study on improving and sustaining high level culture for the future of the Dragons.

 

[matPORTS]

For a team to be successful it has to build a culture and then even mediocre players prosper within the culture...see what these clubs did w bog average players like Hutchison at the Roosters(Dragons reject), Storm (Jennings, Reimis Smith), Manly (Saab, Garrick), Souths (Host) I can go on...the culture starts at the back office and then the coaching staff sets the standards that the team must be held accountable to...Bellamy has given every coach and team the blueprint to follow yet for only a handful of clubs it's being copied... Hook has one flaw and that's his stubbornness....now I'm not certain where this stubbornness is exposed (team selections, type of players he likes, tactics...) but it's starting to seep out of the cracks.

Until a culture is manifested again irrespective of who we recruit this club will never be successful...I think the solution is to start setting some internal player standards that are abided by - they are listed and every player, when inducted to the club, understands them - apparently every new player that joins the Storm has to work a full-time job for 2 weeks before joining the team at training to appreciate what hard work is and understand the privilege of playing 1st-grade football vs a regular job. Then they are told of what is expected of them on the field and their role and if they look after their job on the field they will be able to trust their teammates on the field to do the same...it's all workmen like.

We lack this discipline and it shows - the last time we had standards it was 2009-11 and it showed.....

Board over to you.....

No need to say anymore !

Spot on, and an accurate reflection towards last nights game and our overall season.