Round 4 vs Eels

[I'm Hornby]

Your posts are so inspiring and in no way negative so I'm sure you could fire up a squad of footy players each and every week and make them find the self belief to aim up. Reach for the stars and you'll land on the moon, mate.

The last couple of games have been disappointing for all of us to say the least, but so far we've played one team who won't make the 8 and have won. Our 3 losses have all come against sides who will play finals, so I would caution against writing our team off until we've played more bottom 8 sides.

People who were saying pre season that we'd be a top 4 side this year were kidding themselves and they're the same people who are constantly crying foul now.

If following this team is making you miserable then perhaps reconsider following them or watching this sport, at the end of the day it's your choice to support this team or not, nothing you say or do in or outside of this forum will change the fate of the St George Illawarra Dragons, so buckle up or move on, simple choice.

 

[thebigredv]

People who were saying pre season that we'd be a top 4 side this year were kidding themselves and they're the same people who are constantly crying foul now.

I'm struggling to work out why you are replying to yourself... I thought I'd ignore your first attempt of trolling but now I am keen to have you name one single poster who said we'd be top 4 and are now crying foul. Name some?

Quite to the contrary, I've noticed it's been rather quiet on the forum as people understandably lose interest, become overwhelmingly frustrated or give up with the team. Personally, I will keep commenting on the club that I support, as is the tradition on an internet footy forum.

As for our start to the year, losing to Penrith or Parra doesn't surprise me or anyone in the slightest. The Sharks flogging at our home game however, was not something we should cop laying down. It hurts admitting that they've seen that they were fringe finalists like us and did much better to acquire a coach and some handy players that could take them to finals. Funny how you can talk your way into thinking that's a positive.

 

[slippery5]

I said McCullogh will be this year's Norman, add MBye & Jetski WTF.
Hunt has to go to 9 so we can prepare for next year & the run home with Sullivan, Amone & Sloan in the spine, unless of course you wish you still had Norman & Dufty.
Over to you Mr Griffin
I'm starting to hear Guss's words about him when he sacked him..."He won't take them to a GF"

 

[Gareth67]

All in all it was a most disappointing display , I really don’t know if our boys can turn things around . Griffin has a mountain of work to do to stop this downhill spiral and he needs to do something about it very quickly .

The Dragons played well during the pre-season and promised so much , yet they have now fallen into a heap . The matches against Penrith and Cronulla they at least showed some glimpses of what they are capable of however today’s effort was dismal .

Lastly to top it all of we have Lawrie to appear before the judiciary for pity sake .

 

[Pro Dragons]

So disappointed with the effort today. When things go against them they drop off in their defence and the flood gates open. Whether it’s their fitness, poor defensive structures, will to win, disharmony in the dressing room or something journalist have not sniffed out yet they better fix it soon. If next week we go 1 in 5 it will be a long way back to the final 8.

 

[Kiwi Dragon supporter]

So disappointed with the effort today. When things go against them they drop off in their defence and the flood gates open. Whether it’s their fitness, poor defensive structures, will to win, disharmony in the dressing room or something journalist have not sniffed out yet they better fix it soon. If next week we go 1 in 5 it will be a long way back to the final 8.

Racehorses versus draught horses. Bird is not a 5/8th, it is a specialist position.

 

[TruSaint]

I'm struggling to work out why you are replying to yourself... I thought I'd ignore your first attempt of trolling but now I am keen to have you name one single poster who said we'd be top 4 and are now crying foul. Name some?

Quite to the contrary, I've noticed it's been rather quiet on the forum as people understandably lose interest, become overwhelmingly frustrated or give up with the team. Personally, I will keep commenting on the club that I support, as is the tradition on an internet footy forum.

As for our start to the year, losing to Penrith or Parra doesn't surprise me or anyone in the slightest. The Sharks flogging at our home game however, was not something we should cop laying down. It hurts admitting that they've seen that they were fringe finalists like us and did much better to acquire a coach and some handy players that could take them to finals. Funny how you can talk your way into thinking that's a positive.

Yep...

Imagine expecting good vibes on here when OUR team had nearly 50 put on them.

We have a right to be peeved. A decade of abject failure.

 

[Mojo]

Been following our mob for an eternity and tbh I just dont have the answers anymore....Ive never been one for laying the blame on individuals so wont start there but Im now convinced more than ever that Hunt needs to be moved to Hooker sooner rather than later......its pretty obvious that we are miles behind the top teams so we have nothing to lose but to treat this season as a building one.....secondly I would leave Sloan as Fullback as to the halve pairing i havnt the answer so will leave that to the experts (if we have any)....as for the forwards I think blokes like Su'A, Molo and Kerr would benefit from having Hunt in the dummy half role...it just aint working the way it is Im afraid...so pick and stick and lets see where it takes us

100% agree. Have supported Saints for 60 years. Never felt so sad about the club. Hunt to hooker and let the young guys play all year. Let players stick in their positions. I’m so tired of the endless shuffling of the team. We may as well accept that this is a club that has to really get serious about rebuilding. It‘s not in the Dragons DNA but we have to accept that we’re a bad, second rate footy side and the coaching needs a complete overhaul.

 

[dungay dragon]

Yep...

Imagine expecting good vibes on here when OUR team had nearly 50 put on them.

We have a right to be peeved. A decade of abject failure.

we;v been competitive in every game this year so far
But when things dont go our way , the surrender is embarrassing and swift
we dont appear to have a leader , who can get us through the tough stages of games
our boom juniors are a work in progress ...sure there is potential there but adjusting to the weekly high level grind of the nrl is proving difficult
for some
hunt was our best player last year but feel he may have to move to 9
a mac is too slow with his service and his best years are behind him
jack g is a handy forward at best but not nrl level
sullivan is the shining light but does appear injury prone which is a worry
matt f isnt ready and would give Reuben an opportunity
Thought Bird was ok at 6 and would leave him there
Mbye to me was a poor signing and nothing has changed
we do get recruits back in coming weeks from injury and suspension inc Fui , Sua , Moose etc
dont know whats happened to J hunt and M Molo who were prominent in trials and havent been seen since
Hook has to make changes before this season is a complete write off ,
making all players vy for first grade selection with no guarantees is the way tp go

 

[Lovemedragons]

Going by the press conference Hook is happy with Mbye so enjoy this shit show.

This Hook character keeps proving how he isn’t a coach’s bootlace, the unfathionable changes he made this week and now when it goes to shit he simply doubles down. Did the same with Norman, in the end he was picking him like he was only trying to give us the shits. Has he made a good selection call in his time with us? Has he made plenty of unsuccessful selection calls in his time with us? Phil Gould has many unlikeable characteristics but you can never question his football judgement and he made the big call and the Panthers never looked back.
Hunt has to be 9, stop protecting him ffs he is costing a motza and paying back in peanuts at 7. McCullough is way too slow.
The young guys need to be backed to the hilt and given better direction on game day. Mbye aint leading any team to the top 8.
The forwards play like 6 individuals, they are capable enough but poorly coached as shown on the field.
We are stuck with the coach apparently but if I were in charge he would be leaving this week, bugger the payout, cut your losses and put Flanagan in charge today.

 

[since77]

That moment when Mahoney came from a mile behind McCulloch to overrun him to the ball for that try just sums up everything for me at the moment. That was embarrassing and shameful. Other teams just run faster and harder than us. Our forwards amble along like the mix of old farts and mediocre second tier footballers they are.

 

[TruSaint]

we;v been competitive in every game this year so far
But when things dont go our way , the surrender is embarrassing and swift
we dont appear to have a leader , who can get us through the tough stages of games
our boom juniors are a work in progress ...sure there is potential there but adjusting to the weekly high level grind of the nrl is proving difficult
for some
hunt was our best player last year but feel he may have to move to 9
a mac is too slow with his service and his best years are behind him
jack g is a handy forward at best but not nrl level
sullivan is the shining light but does appear injury prone which is a worry
matt f isnt ready and would give Reuben an opportunity
Thought Bird was ok at 6 and would leave him there
Mbye to me was a poor signing and nothing has changed
we do get recruits back in coming weeks from injury and suspension inc Fui , Sua , Moose etc
dont know whats happened to J hunt and M Molo who were prominent in trials and havent been seen since
Hook has to make changes before this season is a complete write off ,
making all players vy for first grade selection with no guarantees is the way tp go

Not having a go at you Dungay, but being competitive in patches doesnt cut it.

The second half yesterday was nothing short of embarrassing.

Like everyone in here mate, I want to see a positive path forward. Just finding hard to at the minute.

 

[st.phil]

That moment when Mahoney came from a mile behind McCulloch to overrun him to the ball for that try just sums up everything for me at the moment. That was embarrassing and shameful. Other teams just run faster and harder than us. Our forwards amble along like the mix of old farts and mediocre second tier footballers they are.

yep - this encapsulates where we are at on every level

meanwhile wishart is getting his training wheels under bellamy and Robson kills it at NQD

 

[slippery5]

Racehorses versus draught horses. Bird is not a 5/8th, it is a specialist position.

Well did you see how slow McCullogh was, in trying to chase the kick when Mahony ran passed him, looked he was standing still.

 

[Dragon David]

Racehorses versus draught horses. Bird is not a 5/8th, it is a specialist position.

Sssshhh! Hook doesn't know that.

 

[Old Timer]

If the idea to rest the young players was to save them from copping a flogging then thank Christ we did that because having 50 put on them would have been really demoralising.

At least they won't carry any scars from last nights game and the older / more established players can carry on in their normal fashion as they are immune to it.

 

[Dragon David]

This Hook character keeps proving how he isn’t a coach’s bootlace, the unfathionable changes he made this week and now when it goes to shit he simply doubles down. Did the same with Norman, in the end he was picking him like he was only trying to give us the shits. Has he made a good selection call in his time with us? Has he made plenty of unsuccessful selection calls in his time with us? Phil Gould has many unlikeable characteristics but you can never question his football judgement and he made the big call and the Panthers never looked back.
Hunt has to be 9, stop protecting him ffs he is costing a motza and paying back in peanuts at 7. McCullough is way too slow.
The young guys need to be backed to the hilt and given better direction on game day. Mbye aint leading any team to the top 8.
The forwards play like 6 individuals, they are capable enough but poorly coached as shown on the field.
We are stuck with the coach apparently but if I were in charge he would be leaving this week, bugger the payout, cut your losses and put Flanagan in charge today.

I wish we could have Flanagan as our coach, likely though that he will end up at the Tigers as he would not want to wait for Hook's contract to finish at the end of 2023 and Madge could be a gonna well and truly before then. The Dragons don't like and will not pay out Hook's contract.

 

[Dragon David]

That moment when Mahoney came from a mile behind McCulloch to overrun him to the ball for that try just sums up everything for me at the moment. That was embarrassing and shameful. Other teams just run faster and harder than us. Our forwards amble along like the mix of old farts and mediocre second tier footballers they are.

Our forwards just play with tunnel vision. Not able to read plays in attack and defence and too slow to react and no anticipation. Hardly any second phase play and too much one out running. Hook needs to have them trained to play like the better teams - surely he watches videos of games and sees what the opposition are doing, surely. His way is not working.

 

[be55]

McCullough is way too slow.

He was too slow when we signed him...

When we did sign him the forum was flooded with praise and i posted at the time that i didn't think people really understood just what we were signing.

Signing a 31 year old, coming of a hamstring tear, who was universally recognised as one of the slowest hookers in the comp, to a three year deal, was absolutely bonkers. I remember people actually posting that McCullough was a "like for like" for McInnes. That really did give me a good laugh at the time and still does just typing it today.

The game has evolved. Your dummy half has to be quick, agile and creative. McCullough is none of those things. And it's questionable if he ever was that type of player.

This isn't a Hook bash up. I've endorsed many of his signings (Molo, Su'a, Suli and Bird) but McCullough was a massive miscalculation.

And the worst part is that he's on the books for next year as well.

Unbelievable...

 

[twinkletoes]

If the idea to rest the young players was to save them from copping a flogging then thank Christ we did that because having 50 put on them would have been really demoralising.

At least they won't carry any scars from last nights game and the older / more established players can carry on in their normal fashion as they are immune to it.

Sorry Old Timer.....but I watched the young kids have 44 put on them in reserve grade yesterday and they looked totally demoralised. In fact Sloane was so frustrated he got sent to the sin bin and he's not that sort of player. Looking at reserve grade yesterday the kids will learn nothing playing in that team..the team as a whole did not try and showed no respect for the jersey and I see that culture in the first grade side.