Round 9 vs Dogs

[TruSaint]

I felt like I would've failed an HAI after watching that game...

HIA

 

[Dragsters]

HIA

Lol...

 

[Crush]

Off topic, but how in Gods name did we lose to the Tigers.
Gold Coast are tearing them a new one.

We dropped the ball about 10 times, missed 44 tackles, had no possession and generally just sucked ass....
I’m still filthy about it.
Losing to dogs tomorrow is going to hurt even more.

 

[TruSaint]

Lol...

Sorry mate, just having some fun.

 

[TruSaint]

We dropped the ball about 10 times, missed 44 tackles, had no possession and generally just sucked ass....
I’m still filthy about it.
Losing to dogs tomorrow is going to hurt even more.

Mate I was more confident against them than I am now against the Dogs.
I hope I'm wrong.

 

[Dragsters]

Sorry mate, just having some fun.

I'm still suffering post game side-effects, clearly...

 

[Crush]

Mate I was more confident against them than I am now against the Dogs.
I hope I'm wrong.

You’re not. Dogs are specials.

 

[Dragonslayer]

Napa is out for the Dogs

 

[Crush]

Napa is out for the Dogs

Warriors, Roosters, Tigers all had multiple players out. Didn’t help. In fact, I think it makes it harder for us to win. Same with home ground advantage, we don’t play well at home.

 

[Old Timer]

OT, I remember you arguing back in 2018 I think it was that because Dragons had a red hot start and were May premiers, anything less than a top 4 finish was a failure. Yet now you are saying calm down, don’t put unrealistic expectations on the team.
I can clearly remember saying the same thing to you back in 2018.
Funny, the story is different now that you have a coach that you respect.
Observation.
And I understand that Hook is in his first year.

Yes indeed that was my opinion (I'm also not sure which season exactly) anyway that level of expectation was based on

1. All the bullshit the coach kept saying re "now had the team that he wanted".
2. The constant rhetoric and absolute smugness of "career coach" and the obscene dick licking and constant talking him up by the media.
3. The fact that the coach had been extended without actually doing anything.
4. The recruitment was talked up and the journeymen we signed were supposed to be crucial to our success as we were expected to go deep into September..

So in light of what the club, the coach, the media and some people in this place was saying IMO I was perfectly entitled to hold them to their version / interpretation of the how the season should end up and set them a task bar.

With all the bullshit and hype that was flying around do you think they should have been let off?

Now this season is different in that there was no hype from the media, the club or the coach and in fact it was more doom and gloom from outsiders and whilst I don't agree with all that doom and gloom again IMO I am right to issue a kindly reminder about unwarranted expectations based on talking things up far too quickly by many of our fans.

So in the end I always knew Mc Fookknuckle was a fraud and that he and the team couldn't sustain anything for the time required to be a threat and therefore I was never going to let him or those "instant believers" get away with his claims by not quantifying it with results.

 

[Crush]

Based on our fast start to the season and the way we played, coupled with the terrible performances against Warriors and Tigers, anything less than a top 8 finish is unacceptable.
We have just thrown away 4 points in last few weeks and should be top 4.
Beating the dogs is absolutely crucial and they should play the game like it’s a semi final.

 

[Gareth67]

Come on Josh , give those bullydogs their comeuppance tomorrow for all their previous transgressions in seasons past . Lead our pack forward - with controlled aggression and put the Big Red V on the road to victory !

While your at it , see if you can light a fire under Mr. Simms to get him back to his ferocious best and then the rest of the boys will follow you both .

Dragons by 8

 

[Dragonslayer]

Warriors, Roosters, Tigers all had multiple players out. Didn’t help. In fact, I think it makes it harder for us to win. Same with home ground advantage, we don’t play well at home.

As I've said before, Kogarah is no longer our 'home', we don't train there and only play half our games there, and of course now we 'share' it with the Sharks. Spiritualy yes, but have homeground advantage, mmm nah.

 

[Gareth67]

Do we have a goal kicker ?
Asking for a friend.

With respect TruSaint - but forget about your friend , geeze mate , go climb the highest bluudy hill you can find and shout out - “ CAN ANYBODY OUT THERE KICK GOALS ? THE DRAGONS NEED YOU DESPERATELY ! ! ! “

 

[Dragonsteve2]

Funny how early on the expectations were spoon or at best bottom 4.

String a few wins together and oops all of a sudden people talking about top 8, top 6 even top 4 FFS.

So now if we don't achieve that all of a sudden it's doom and gloom but at the start of the season if someone had said we could win 4 in a row including a comprehensive win over a contender for the premiership people would have declared it insanity.

FFS people need to stop putting unrealistic expectations on the team & coach who has a pretty pedestrian roster and just let the coaching staff do their job and get us out of the quagmire we have been in for so long.

It isn't going to happen in a sudden burst of some realisation that it was all Mc Fookknuckle's fault as a coach which is only part of it as the clusterf**k of a roster which Hook has to deal with has been in the making for a very long period of time.

The notion that Bellamy, Robinson or Bennett could get our existing lot to top 4 or top 6 for that matter within this 1st season is just farcical because the roster simply is not good enough or skilful enough and fixing that is what will take time.

Re the game against the Dogs our key players BH, CN, PV, AM, TS, MD all need to play out of their skins and everyone else needs to aim up and play as mistake free as possible.

If we do that we will win and win well but if they don't we will compete with the Dogs for the entire game but at at their low level of competency and then the result could go either way

Really well argued, OT!
Realistically we all invest too much emotion in our footy team but some of the things I have read on here indicate that some posters have got nothing much else in their lives to distract them from a Dragons' loss. I have been especially concerned to read negative comments about our "young guns" when effectively the only two who have been regularly available for NRL selection have been Cody and Max F both have whom seemed to be going fairly well.

Griffin and the players are having to make up for 10 years of poor coaching and mismanagement. But despite the successive losses I think there has been progress. Last week was certainly disappointing but hopefully the coach has implemented strategies to rectify the problems he identified. Bennett has often said a coach learns more from a loss than a win. But under Mary we would have just been prepared for more of the same, the same players with the same strategy and the same shortcomings. Given the Bulldogs' record against us I will be turning up at Jubilee not blindly expecting a victory but very confident of an improved performance. Plus a rare chance to see the NSW Cup team in action at the same venue with a young gun or two running around.

 

[possm]

OT, I remember you arguing back in 2018 I think it was that because Dragons had a red hot start and were May premiers, anything less than a top 4 finish was a failure. Yet now you are saying calm down, don’t put unrealistic expectations on the team.
I can clearly remember saying the same thing to you back in 2018.
Funny, the story is different now that you have a coach that you respect.
Observation.
I understand that Hook is in his first year but I feel anything less than top 8 given our start is a failure.

In my opinion, if De Belin is cleared we still are a top 4 chance. But Ramsey to fullback must happen to make this so.
1. Ramsey
2. Matt Feagai
3. Max Feagai
4. Lomax
5. Ravalawa
6. Sullivan
7. Hunt
8. Lawrie
9. McCullough
10. Vaughan
11. Sims
12. Bird
13. De Belin
14. Dufty
15. McGuire
16. Kerr
17. Faamausili

If Griffin can get them playing to their best ability for a long stint, the above 17 can be top 4.

 

[Crush]

In my opinion, if De Belin is cleared we still are a top 4 chance. But Ramsey to fullback must happen to make this so.
1. Ramsey
2. Matt Feagai
3. Max Feagai
4. Lomax
5. Ravalawa
6. Sullivan
7. Hunt
8. Lawrie
9. McCullough
10. Vaughan
11. Sims
12. Bird
13. De Belin
14. Dufty
15. McGuire
16. Kerr
17. Faamausili

If Griffin can get them playing to their best ability for a long stint, the above 17 can be top 4.

Mate, you finally get to see both your Fegai boys take the field this weekend! I hope they are up for it!
Dufty playing out of his skin and to his full potential is the only way we even get near the top 4. Forget about Ramsey at fullback for this year.

 

[Old Timer]

In my opinion, if De Belin is cleared we still are a top 4 chance. But Ramsey to fullback must happen to make this so.
1. Ramsey
2. Matt Feagai
3. Max Feagai
4. Lomax
5. Ravalawa
6. Sullivan
7. Hunt
8. Lawrie
9. McCullough
10. Vaughan
11. Sims
12. Bird
13. De Belin
14. Dufty
15. McGuire
16. Kerr
17. Faamausili

If Griffin can get them playing to their best ability for a long stint, the above 17 can be top 4.

possm
Surely your post should have been in pink text?

That side has no underlying foundations to even suggest it would win enough games to avoid bottom 4 let alone make top 4.

What are the key points and supporting information that make you believe that your side is capable of finishing top 4?

De Bein has not played for 2.5 years and would not be physically ready for full time footy for many weeks.

One Feagai is about to debut and the other has a few games with no real impact thus far (to be expected so not having a go at him)

Sullivan yet to play a handful of games let alone against high quality opposition.

Ramsey as a full time 1st grade FB is purely hypothetical and again he has a handful of games on the wing and has made plenty of mistakes (again to be expected so not having a go at him either)

Ben Hunt yet to show he can string a couple of high quality games together let alone half a seasons or mores worth.

Love your passion but have to say IMO you are dreaming.

 

[Crush]

OK, game day.
Happy Mother’s Day to the mums on the forum.
Hopefully the boys can put in 100% today and tackle themselves to victory.
I’m not feeling confident but that’s probably a good thing.
Cmon dragons, don’t disappoint the fans, play hard like you mean it.

 

[TruSaint]

OK, game day.
Happy Mother’s Day to the mums on the forum.
Hopefully the boys can put in 100% today and tackle themselves to victory.
I’m not feeling confident but that’s probably a good thing.
Cmon dragons, don’t disappoint the fans, play hard like you mean it.

Yep, happy mums day to all.

Bit like @Crush , more hopeful than confident.

Go Saints ! ............... please