Round 6 vs Warriors

[muzby]

Post post

 

[Gareth67]

The game WAS indeed a missed opportunity , as were the reward of competition points , however whichever way we look at it the Dragons simply were not the same team as the previous few weeks .

It’s back to the drawing board for the players now , they need to learn to keep their heads under pressure and keep their mistake rate down to the minimum , to truly have a chance of success on a weekly basis .

 

[denis preston]

Interesting for me is that there are quite a few players now on over 700k and some don't warrant that, but for me RTS does . How many times does he touch the ball !! . Today showed that Dufty's new contract should be nowhere near that as he still has that error or two in him. He may ultimately be offered a 2 year contract so we can wait until his eventual successor takes over.

 

[Mickthedragon]

I hope Hook gets into Norman and stops this short kick out rubbish from our try line...hes unsuccessfully tried this a few times of.late........granted it came off once and I knew then he would try it again and was pissed off when he did......it completely set The Warriors up into the attacking zone and consequently they scored at a vital time of the game

Exactly right, there is no chance in hell a decent half from another team does that considering the circumstances.
Warriors were always going to be dangerous at that time with a full set on our line and the game in the balance.
Reynolds, for eg, would boot the hell out of that footy and make them earn that next set from at least the 40.
Norman has zero game management skills. He's just a bighead.

 

[kit66]

Who’s to say Ramsey wouldn’t get similar results in NSW cup? NRL is a big step up in class.

Maybe he could, maybe that's where he should be but shouldn't the question be could Feagai or Periera step up to firsts and we already know the answer, yes they can and Periera we know generally makes great metres and lots of tackle breaks. Cody has 1 try in 6 games and 2 line breaks but I haven't seen him come in and create any opportunities or trouble the defence much.

I just watched the highlights reel, we was robbed ! Bird's try was fine and even the Dufty grounding was enough to deny the Turner try. I call bs.

 

[kit66]

Interesting for me is that there are quite a few players now on over 700k and some don't warrant that, but for me RTS does . How many times does he touch the ball !! . Today showed that Dufty's new contract should be nowhere near that as he still has that error or two in him. He may ultimately be offered a 2 year contract so we can wait until his eventual successor takes over.

The problem is that Dufty also provides most of our tries and line breaks. His errors kill me but we either need to find a first rate replacement or decide if it's worth persisting with him - in which case we have to make a decent offer. And please don't tell me Ramsey is the answer at fullback.

 

[Dragon David]

Maybe he could, maybe that's where he should be but shouldn't the question be could Feagai or Periera step up to firsts and we already know the answer, yes they can and Periera we know generally makes great metres and lots of tackle breaks. Cody has 1 try in 6 games and 2 line breaks but I haven't seen him come in and create any opportunities or trouble the defence much.

I just watched the highlights reel, we was robbed ! Bird's try was fine and even the Dufty grounding was enough to deny the Turner try. I call bs.

Bird's no try, Dufty not given benefit of the doubt for grounding the ball, Rava not catching the short kick off or the ball not going into touch by him instead giving them advantage and score when Bird rushed in to tackle RTS. These are some of the things that went against us today and during the season, all teams will go through the ifs and buts, especially in tight games.

 

[Dragonslayer]

My take on today:

I said before It was always going to be a danger game:

Yes, we looked flat and didn't have the same energy as previous weeks, although in patches we looked pretty good.

We missed Lawrie and Merrin is just about done.

Our left defense was badly exposed today by Nicorima and RTS. For all the aggression Bird gives to our team he does do an Aitken too often.

They bombed short as well, making Duf and Cody have to attack the ball, great tactic.

Maguire had a good first game.

I think we are starting to telegraph the inside ball to Dufty too much now.

I thought our kicking game was ordinary specially close to the line.

It was 3 tries apiece and I somewhat agree with what Hook said in the presser that we gifted them 2.

Interesting will be who makes way for Blocka next week, you'd have to assume Williame.

I don't know if Hunt will be ready either.

 

[BIG RIG]

I’m not worried about today’s loss

The Dragons were in the same position in the game against the Warriors last yr

Warriors played impeccable completing 99% and we loose 18-0

This yr same scenario but we have a competitive game

IMO a loss is what we need to keep us focused

on to the rorters

 

[Dragsters]

Interesting for me is that there are quite a few players now on over 700k and some don't warrant that, but for me RTS does . How many times does he touch the ball !! . Today showed that Dufty's new contract should be nowhere near that as he still has that error or two in him. He may ultimately be offered a 2 year contract so we can wait until his eventual successor takes over.

Well, I sure hope Dufty's eventual successor has a cracking passing game and blistering speed as those are 2 of the most vital ingredients in the recipe of our success so far this season.

I think we need to persist with him...

 

[True_Believer]

A game we could have easily won but lost however lots of positives can be taken from the fact we didn't capitulate or throw in the towel.

This was the key for me today. Given our poor handling and mistakes, to come out at the end only 6 down from a team that played a perfect game tells me there's more positives in our performance today than negatives.

 

[getsmarty]

Dragons press conference

https://www.foxsports.com.au/video/league/nrl/press-conferences/dragons-press-conference!800372

 

[getsmarty]

DRAGONS


'Beat ourselves': Griffin hooks into Dragons over cheap tries
Author
Troy Whittaker NRL.com Reporter
Timestamp
Sun 18 Apr 2021, 07:45 PM
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Dragons coach Anthony Griffin felt his team beat themselves by conceding "cheap points" in Sunday's 20-14 loss to the Warriors at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium.

Shooting for five straight wins for the first time since the start of 2018, St George Illawarra found themselves trailing 12-4 only 15 minutes into the match after Matt Dufty failed to clean up a kick in the in-goal area.

Paul Turner scored from that error minutes after Tohu Harris barged through Adam Clune for the visitors' opening points.

"We've been doing it most of the season. We offer them up 12 points and today it came back to bite us," Griffin said.

"Even though we've been winning the last few weeks, we've come up with some cheap points for the opposition.

"We came up against a really good, committed side. You've got to give a lot of credit to the Warriors.

"We never threw in the towel and we clawed our way back ... There were a lot of good things we did but the opposition were very good. We gave them points they didn't earn - it came back to bite us."

The Dragons led 14-12 with 20 minutes to play after Dufty scored from an Adam Clune grubber but had their "worst period with the ball", according to Griffin, as they made a few costly mistakes.

Execution perfection from Dufty and Clune


Roger Tuivasa-Sheck then beat two defenders to seal the match for the Warriors, who completed 40 of 40 sets, per NRL.com Stats.

Having finished last round in fourth place after beating the Eels, St George Illawarra have slipped to sixth ahead of next Sunday's Anzac Day clash with the Sydney Roosters.

While the Dragons weren't as dominant in defence at Kogarah as they'd been in previous games, Griffin doesn't think a bash-'em-up style of play has taken a toll on his troops.

"We weren't there today [physically] which we'll have to have a look at. They're a big side, the Warriors, they're very underrated as a team in my opinion," he said.

"To our credit, we scrambled and defended really well for long periods … We didn't get any help from the opposition at all."

Josh McGuire made an impressive debut in the Red V off the interchange Red after arriving from the Cowboys on Tuesday.

"He carried the ball strong, he worked really hard defensively. I think he ended up playing 55 minutes straight," Griffin said of the 31-year-old middle forward.

St George Illawarra captain Ben Hunt could return from a fractured fibula against the Roosters, though Griffin wasn't confident, while five-eighth Corey Norman will be assessed after hurting his shoulder.


https://www.nrl.com/news/2021/04/18/beat-ourselves-griffin-hooks-into-dragons-over-cheap-tries/

 

[Maddragon99]

This was the key for me today. Given our poor handling and mistakes, to come out at the end only 6 down from a team that played a perfect game tells me there's more positives in our performance today than negatives.

3 tries each so to some it’s a moral victory but ultimately it’s an L in the loss column. Need to wins these games at home & bank the points.

Dufty doing himself more harm than good after today Hook won’t be extending him any time soon.

Surely the Williame experiment is now a proven fail, the position needs needs to be game breaker not a useless dud like Willame

Moving forward if Dufty can’t fix up his overall game he’d be a perfect 17 jersey.

 

[Blood Shot Eyes]

Said before the game we just cant keep giving the opposition these 6 agains....its killing us physically ...the alarming thing is we did it against Newcastle, Parramatta and now The Warriors.....we were gassed out there today...and as Hook said its come back to bite us

 

[Maddragon99]

Said before the game we just cant keep giving the opposition these 6 agains....its killing us physically ...the alarming thing is we did it against Newcastle, Parramatta and now The Warriors.....we were gassed out there today...and as Hook said its come back to bite us

I thought Moose was good today, given he only had very limited training with the team he’ll obviously only get better.

I can imagine like Hook, Dufty is really doing my head in. Great highlight reel but far too many errors for a first grade fullback. He’s just too unreliable at the back, if he doesn’t turn his game around very soon I think Hook will give up on him. He’s been very clear on what he wants to see from him.

 

[possm]

We needed to start with Vaughan and McGuire, Merin is just about past it and should be in reserve grade. So, if Fui is to be our lock, then Lawrie, Alvaro and Faamausili should be the props on the bench.

Norman showed us why he should not be extended and Clune was heavily targeted; it was a pity that we did not have our edge forwards working over the Warriors halves.

Today there was no indication that Dufty has improved his 'off the ball' game. He is the same Dufty with a flashy attacking game but poor defence and poor positional play. He still seems to want to avoid any body impact. I doubt very much if he will gain a contract extension.

If Hunt returns for the ANZAC Day game, I'd have Bird and Hunt as our halves and Max Feagai as our left centre. Norman should be dropped to reserve grade. His kicking game was poor and his fetish for short drop outs certainly did not help. Both Norman and Clune failed to feed their outside backs properly all game.

I don't understand why we were kicking the ball straight down the throat of RTS all day, we should have been sending the high ball over towards Ravalaw's wing where both Lamax and Ravalawa could contest and put pressure on the Warriors. Instead, a free running RTS chewed up plenty of metres all game.

So no more Mr. nice guy, we need to put our strongest combination out there on the field and I'm afraid that would exclude Merin, Norman and Clune. I'd also say that Kerr is most probably one more poor game away from returning to the prop rotation, especially if De Belin returns to the team.

 

[Maddragon99]

We needed to start with Vaughan and McGuire, Merin is just about past it and should be in reserve grade. So, if Fui is to be our lock, then Lawrie, Alvaro and Faamausili should be the props on the bench.

Norman showed us why he should not be extended and Clune was heavily targeted; it was a pity that we did not have our edge forwards working over the Warriors halves.

Today there was no indication that Dufty has improved his 'off the ball' game. He is the same Dufty with a flashy attacking game but poor defence and poor positional play. He still seems to want to avoid any body impact. I doubt very much if he will gain a contract extension.

If Hunt returns for the ANZAC Day game, I'd have Bird and Hunt as our halves and Max Feagai as our left centre. Norman should be dropped to reserve grade. His kicking game was poor and his fetish for short drop outs certainly did not help. Both Norman and Clune failed to feed their outside backs properly all game.

I don't understand why we were kicking the ball straight down the throat of RTS all day, we should have been sending the high ball over towards Ravalaw's wing where both Lamax and Ravalawa could contest and put pressure on the Warriors. Instead, a free running RTS chewed up plenty of metres all game.

So no more Mr. nice guy, we need to put our strongest combination out there on the field and I'm afraid that would exclude Merin, Norman and Clune. I'd also say that Kerr is most probably one more poor game away from returning to the prop rotation, especially if De Belin returns to the team.

Norman was never going to get an extension that was just gossip. He’s just not good enough.

After today unless he significantly lifts his game I don’t think Dufty will get extended other than as a bench utility.

Too many errors from Kerr, perhaps time to let Burns have a crack.

Surely now Williame gets dropped forever he’s rubbish.

Clune is our backup halfback he’s doing his best. Can’t blame him.

Moose played well I was happy with his first up effort.

Brought everyone back down to earth, but no judiciary chargers or injuries so let’s all move on.

 

[redv13]

Norman was never going to get an extension that was just gossip. He’s just not good enough.

After today unless he significantly lifts his game I don’t think Dufty will get extended other than as a bench utility.

Too many errors from Kerr, perhaps time to let Burns have a crack.

Surely now Williame gets dropped forever he’s rubbish.

Clune is our backup halfback he’s doing his best. Can’t blame him.

Moose played well I was happy with his first up effort.

Brought everyone back down to earth, but no judiciary chargers or injuries so let’s all move on.

Mate we lost by 6. Take a chill pill. 4-2 after 6 rounds, going very well

 

[This Year?]

Errors and not enough shape in the middle didn't help. We looked a little heavy legged as well.
If someone told me we be 4-2 after 6 rounds before the season started I would have laughed in their face. Sometimes the other side is just better than you on the day. The Warriors were awesome today and we couldn't match them. We had a few dragons footy moments but it wasn't like a collapse.
We'll bounce back