Round 9 vs Sea Eagles

[Dragon David]

I think he’s a great candidate for the back row.

A bit more bulk to go with his speed & post contact metres and he’d be a great attacking 2nd rower

Yes I agree. His ability to push hard against the opposition with ball in hand makes me think that he can easily tough it out in the back row and even make several breaks. If he can learn to offload/pass the ball when he does make a break will help us score more tries down his side.

He would be an ideal bench player - coming in as either a back up centre or second rower. His one on one defence is quite good. If he can bulk up a bit more he could be our Trevor Gillmeister going forward.

 

[muzby]

If he can bulk up a bit more he could be our Trevor Gillmeister going forward.

Euan “Axe” Aitken..

I like it..

But not as much as I’d like Paul “Axed” McGregor..

 

[giboz71]

As usual McGregor is late to the party.

Do you think he watched some games on the weekend and realised you need a creative and attacking hooker to go anywhere? He’s seen the influence of Hodgson, Smith, Korisau, Grant, Mahoney et al and figures we need to do the same.

Hence the Hunt switch to 9. Not sure if this is the right move or not, but will be interesting to see now that Hunt is starting.

 

[hazzbeen]

I think he’s a great candidate for the back row.

A bit more bulk to go with his speed & post contact metres and he’d be a great attacking 2nd rower

Right on mate said this , 2 years ago ...

 

[redVinme]

I know a lot of us have been critical of Euan Aitken being in our team over the years. His lack of ball distribution in attack and many misreads in defence has caused us a lot of angst and anger. He and Lafai have always been the two that we would always say to get rid of out of firsts and put into reggies until their contracts are up.

It would appear to me that Lafai will be the first out of the two to be punted, however, I have a strong feeling that Aitken's contract will be renewed. He seems to be playing with a lot more energy and confidence and enthusiasm, particularly in the last 2-3 weeks and I think that it has got to do with Adam Clune being in the team and needless to say the influence of Mary's assistants. Mary by himself would have Aitken playing with the same attitude and style as has been the case in the previous 6 or so years.

I think Aitken will score a double against the Sea Eagles this weekend.

Orrrrr. He's in a contract year and that's why he putting in.
Any improvement aside he is not a premiership calibre anything.

 

[redVinme]

Yes I agree. His ability to push hard against the opposition with ball in hand makes me think that he can easily tough it out in the back row and even make several breaks. If he can learn to offload/pass the ball when he does make a break will help us score more tries down his side.

He would be an ideal bench player - coming in as either a back up centre or second rower. His one on one defence is quite good. If he can bulk up a bit more he could be our Trevor Gillmeister going forward.

I agree on a lot of the points made. I don't agree that he should be moved to accommodate his short comings at the expense of minutes to Ford, host or Fui.

 

[denis preston]

Good to see Saab not picked. Trying to threaten the dragons by saying he’d leave if he didn’t play first grade. Eat humble pie young man. You simply don’t cut it in first grade.

Yes, some Sydney club will pick him up for next to nothing and get a very determined winger with a chip on his shoulder with a point to prove. The fact he is only a kid and still has 2 to 3 years to develop his mind & body could be one of those "one that got away " moments. Perhaps the club is trying to prevent this ( or am i giving them too much credit ? )

 

[Slippery Morris]

The draw has given Mary every opportunity and he has failed hugely. Loses to Dogs and Warriors (If not Saints would be top 8). Then plays chooks at the best time when they are all busted and now Manly with 2 key outs and will probably lose that game as well. If Saints had a decent coach they should easily be on 10-12 points which puts then in top 6, but because of the dud they are on 4 points. How sad is that.

Manly have been unlucky in their losses to good sides. I can't see Saints given them any trouble even though they are under strength. This will surely put another nail in the coffin if they are not already there. Manly have had 2 bad calls against them in the losses which the refs admitted they were wrong. I have a feeling they will balance the ledger for them this week so no matter who they play, Manly will get the rub of the green for sure.

 

[Dragon David]

I agree on a lot of the points made. I don't agree that he should be moved to accommodate his short comings at the expense of minutes to Ford, host or Fui.

As a centre/second rower goes, Ford, Fui and Aitken can fight it out for one spot on the bench. For the time being though, the coaches will keep Aitken in the left centre position with Pereira outside him and T Simms and Clune inside. The left side will be good. The right side not too bad with Norman, Fui/Ford, Lomax and Rava.

The forwards need to put in and do quite a bit of off loading.

A win to the Dragons on Sunday at Kogarah is all I am waiting for.

 

[slippery5]

Saab’s lack of development is disappointing but hardly surprising. He’s following the same path as most of our young kids. Dufty and Lomax looked like world beaters the first few games then they get McGregored.

Spend too much time with our coach and you lose all required skill and confidence.

Dufty and Lomax are just starting to turn it around, mainly relying on their own skills and talent. So maybe Saab will too if he hangs around long enough and works out his coach can’t actually help him.

Maybe they're relying on the assistant coaches that have helped them....

 

[Dragon David]

The draw has given Mary every opportunity and he has failed hugely. Loses to Dogs and Warriors (If not Saints would be top 8). Then plays chooks at the best time when they are all busted and now Manly with 2 key outs and will probably lose that game as well. If Saints had a decent coach they should easily be on 10-12 points which puts then in top 6, but because of the dud they are on 4 points. How sad is that.

Manly have been unlucky in their losses to good sides. I can't see Saints given them any trouble even though they are under strength. This will surely put another nail in the coffin if they are not already there. Manly have had 2 bad calls against them in the losses which the refs admitted they were wrong. I have a feeling they will balance the ledger for them this week so no matter who they play, Manly will get the rub of the green for sure.

Unfortunately, two wrongs don't make a right. Yes Manly were dudded but in the end the ifs and buts are all part of the luck or bad luck during a game of footie. The ref giving the Sea Eagles the rub of the green because they were hard done by in their previous 2 games should not be part of the ref's mindset and he would be creating more wrongs. All the ref needs to do is referee the game 100% right.

 

[_Johnsy]

I don't get the wrapps on Lawrie, surely we can see if someone else, ie Blacker, has something else to offer. It's not as though it's going to ruin our chances of top 8. The guy wouldn't even make the Bulldogs squad.

I agree, seems to be a fair bit of plod. Rarely bends the line or pulls of a decent hit. Just doesn’t appear to have any impact.

 

[Como Connection]

I agree, seems to be a fair bit of plod. Rarely bends the line or pulls of a decent hit. Just doesn’t appear to have any impact.

Must be a good bloke.
CC

 

[hazzbeen]

Must be a good bloke.
CC

And a good painter .....

 

[Dragon Revival]

Hopefully the inclusion of Pereira and Sims will improve the defence this week. Dragons are experts at bombing tries, paperthin defence and dropping balls. A team can not afford to let 4-6 tries in each week and then bomb 50% of their try scoring opportunities. Heads must roll for each loss.

 

[getsmarty]

GAME DAY


Game day guide: Round 9 v Sea Eagles
Author
Dragons.com.au dragons.com.au
Timestamp
Wed 8 Jul 2020, 03:37 PM

The St George Illawarra Dragons will face the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium on Sunday, July 12 (6:30pm). This is your Round 9 game guide.

On the 84th day…
It feels like 10 years have passed since St George Illawarra last played out of Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, such have the past 84 days dragged on.

The big difference maker this time around? You! There will be crowds allowed back – although restricted to eligible Red V members and corporates – into watch the Red V go around on Sunday, a whole three months since they were banished for the health and safety of wider society.

Our long-awaited return to Kogarah will be subject to government health regulations, where crowd size remains restricted, to currently, up to 25 per cent of stadium capacity.

Member entrance will be subject to a ballot to be drawn at random – those who entered the ballot should receive news of their attendance on Thursday, July 9.

Fans in attendance are encouraged to plan to arrive early as parking in the area will be in high demand and traffic may be heavier than usual. Those travelling by public transport are reminded that services continue to operate at a reduced capacity to maintain physical distancing across the network.

Desperation stakes
If finals football is in the Dragons' future in 2020 then it's becoming increasingly important to pull it together after two close losses to last year's grand finalists (Sydney Roosters and Canberra Raiders).

The inclusion of Tariq Sims and Jordan Pereira will go a long way in righting the wrongs of the past fortnight for the Dragons.

Ben Hunt has been named to start at hooker for only the seventh time in his NRL career, and for the first time since the 2017 preliminary finals, although he has played there for the Dragons over the past month from the interchange. Cameron McInnes will formally line up in the No. 13 jumper for the first time in his career as a result.

The Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles have too lost their past two matches, and to go along with Tom Trbojevic (hamstring) and Dylan Walker (ankle), have now lost Addin Fonua-Blake (suspension).

History has favoured the Dragons over the previous five seasons, them having won five of their past seven meetings with the Sea Eagles – although the Red V's last meeting with Manly (Round 14, 2019) ended in a 20-point loss.

Dragons juniors custodian collide
St George Illawarra fullback Matt Dufty debuted in 2017 against the Sea Eagles. This weekend he will play opposite former teammate and fellow local Dragons junior Reuben Garrick.

The Gerringong junior Garrick – who joined Manly last year – has faced a baptism of fire in his NRL introduction to fullback and has quite the challenge on hand with the in-form Dufty.

Despite the Dragons two recent losses, Dufty has scored and set up two tries apiece and averaged 161 metres. Garrick isn't too far off the pace considering his 156.5 metres averaged per game in Rounds 7 and 8 – a match-up to look forward to if ever there was one.

Farewell to Thommo
Joel Thompson played 85 games for the Dragons between 2014 and 2017, and on Sunday will likely play his final game at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium.

A fan-favourite during his time in the Red V, Thompson will depart the NRL at season's end for the English Super League.


https://www.dragons.com.au/news/2020/07/08/game-day-guide-round-9-v-sea-eagles/

 

[getsmarty]

D-Day for Paul McGregor comes this Sunday



Andrew
Roar Rookie
18 hours ago


D-Day is fast approaching for coach Paul McGregor – it’s this Sunday night, at Netstrada Jubilee Stadium, when his Dragons take on the depleted Manly Sea Eagles.

For the Dragons, coming off two consecutive losses, surely a third loss would not only end any hope of finals footy but also turn the screws even tighter on McGregor.

Manly are without their best player, Tom Trbojevic, and a host of other regular first-graders including the suspended Addin Fonua-Blake. The Sea Eagles will also be desperate, coming off two consecutive losses themselves, seeing them drop out of the eight.


Assuming St George Illawarra turn up to play, it should be a cracker. The Red V have a good record against Manly, with 19 wins from 29 matches, and returning home to Kogarah is a huge advantage.

McGregor has further tinkered with his side, naming Ben Hunt to start at hooker and Cameron McInnes at lock. This now dispenses any auspices about the club’s opinion of Hunt.

Hunt’s acquisition is a failure and he is now seen exclusively as a dummy half. With a further three years to run on his mega-deal, the long-term impact of this remains unknown. It seems unlikely that the Dragons will stick with $1.2 million a season player at hooker for the next 3.5 seasons? But, for the time being, these concerns have been pushed aside.

(Matt King/Getty Images)

Should the Dragons go down in a match when so many factors are in their favour, it must surely call an end to the McGregor coaching era. Even if ‘Mary’ sees out the 2020 season, it’ll be this game that proves to be the turning point, when everything was on the line and he came up short.

On the other hand, should St George Illawarra win – and with winnable matches against Canterbury and Cronulla to follow – McGregor’s stock might just go up.

Absolutely everything is on the line!

McGregor’s D-Day isn’t the 6th of June in France. It’s the 12th of July at Kogarah.

https://www.theroar.com.au/2020/07/08/d-day-for-paul-mcgregor-comes-this-sunday/

 

[R&WTILLIDIE]

You can tell can you after 5 games in 1st grade in a losing side going backwards, down on confidence and making minimal metres from their pack.
Boy...some of these so called judges are quick to call on someones career
You need to look at Daniel Tupou's highlights in his 1st and 2nd season at the Chooks
Goes OK now but in fact his hands let him down the other night too

relax champ.

the kid was jumping up and down threatening to move on because he wasn’t playing first grade. He had his chance, he wasn’t good enough...yet.

he is young, and with the right mentoring he’ll get there. But at this stage, he should stop all the sulking and threats and concentrate and getting better

 

[thebigredv]

Pereira, Rava or Saab hmmmmm???

In reality none of these are among the best of wingers we've seen at the club in the last decade. Under McGregor and Millward we've just gotten use to mediocrity, arguing over which is the worst of a bad bunch.

If this is what we got, I'd be picking Pereira on his workmanship-like approach and reliability to some extent. I'd then bring Ramsey in now on the other side.

 

[BLM01]

D-Day for Paul McGregor comes this Sunday



Andrew
Roar Rookie
18 hours ago


D-Day is fast approaching for coach Paul McGregor – it’s this Sunday night, at Netstrada Jubilee Stadium, when his Dragons take on the depleted Manly Sea Eagles.

For the Dragons, coming off two consecutive losses, surely a third loss would not only end any hope of finals footy but also turn the screws even tighter on McGregor.

Manly are without their best player, Tom Trbojevic, and a host of other regular first-graders including the suspended Addin Fonua-Blake. The Sea Eagles will also be desperate, coming off two consecutive losses themselves, seeing them drop out of the eight.


Assuming St George Illawarra turn up to play, it should be a cracker. The Red V have a good record against Manly, with 19 wins from 29 matches, and returning home to Kogarah is a huge advantage.

McGregor has further tinkered with his side, naming Ben Hunt to start at hooker and Cameron McInnes at lock. This now dispenses any auspices about the club’s opinion of Hunt.

Hunt’s acquisition is a failure and he is now seen exclusively as a dummy half. With a further three years to run on his mega-deal, the long-term impact of this remains unknown. It seems unlikely that the Dragons will stick with $1.2 million a season player at hooker for the next 3.5 seasons? But, for the time being, these concerns have been pushed aside.

(Matt King/Getty Images)

Should the Dragons go down in a match when so many factors are in their favour, it must surely call an end to the McGregor coaching era. Even if ‘Mary’ sees out the 2020 season, it’ll be this game that proves to be the turning point, when everything was on the line and he came up short.

On the other hand, should St George Illawarra win – and with winnable matches against Canterbury and Cronulla to follow – McGregor’s stock might just go up.

Absolutely everything is on the line!

McGregor’s D-Day isn’t the 6th of June in France. It’s the 12th of July at Kogarah.

https://www.theroar.com.au/2020/07/08/d-day-for-paul-mcgregor-comes-this-sunday/

D-Day...you got to laugh although it is minor journalism "The Roar"..but they write some good articles.
D-day for McWinlittle was what feels like an age ago.