Should have his coaching offer of application rescinded tonight after that shambolic presser let alone his earlier performance with the clipboard.
Same shit, different day, eh?
This was the same shit:
- Benching some forwards for too long while others were visibly tiring and required benching
- Failing to use the full playing roster (what is the theory behind this impossibly stupid idea anyway?!)
- Failing to recognise players who weren’t having a dig (Dufty a culprit tonight) and reacting with appropriate changes. He could/should have been dragged and Norman could have gone to fullback with Hunt re-injected earlier. Failure to make changes like this inside a game that’s in the balance is akin to accepting sub-par efforts and the inevitable results. It’s not holding yourself or players accountable.
For all the pre-match hyperbole of ‘expecting a big game from Dufty’, when presented with his most insipid display of the season, on the back of a poor outing last week, the coach accepted it.
On the strength of his last two games Dufty should be dropped for Sailor next round. It’s all well and good to harp on about ‘same shit’. Do something about it and set some minimum standards, like, if you don’t have a go, don’t expect to stay in first grade.
There were nil to moderate changes after last week’s shameful capitulation to the Titans. Fans cannot say there’s little to play for. Win these last two games, which should have happened, and we are two points off 8th spot and four on the bounce.
In three weeks, it’s become abundantly clear that a Young will accept players knowing what he’s all about and failing to heed his message. He’ll pick them again, expecting a different outcome. How dumb has this club become?
‘I value players who compete, players who are disciplined and players who are consistent’.
Pretty simple. Only in the past three weeks we’ve seen an ill-disciplined, inconsistent rabble fail to take two easy wins, due in no small part to some players not have a go or dropping off at crucial stages.
The cherry on top was in his definition of the loss. Dropped balls, fundamental errors. The old chestnuts.
it begs the question: How can you find the answers when you can’t, or won’t diagnose the problems.
We did enough to win three games of football tonight. By my count, six line breaks was double our average and the most since the Manly win.
At least three tries were mercilessly crucified through poor composure. Why is it we are seemingly the only side in the comp to routinely butcher two-on-one, draw the fullback and pass scenarios? Why do our players consistently panic after making breaks when in free space.
Yes, the wingers both killed simple tries with bad handing. Norman could have composed himself and realised he should have gone for the line rather than pass.
But wtf did Aitken not attempt to catch a pass, albeit very dusty but also highly catchable with the line open just metres ahead?
A better question to ask is why is Aitken still in first grade, Deano? He played a pretty decent game tonight again, coming on top of the first solid spell of form he’s put up in three years, presumably all for the benefit of his new contract and Nathan Brown.
But why is he still there? Couldn’t we be giving Dragons players a crack, preferably those who’ve previously demonstrated the skill level required to cut it in the NRL in the backs long term?
I know questioning the skill level of the team you are picking and coaching is tantamount to an admission of culpability but c’mon dude ... If Young is half the straight shooter some have pegged him as then I’d like to see him stop talking outright shit and fess up.
We bombed three guilt-edged opportunities to score easy tries through repeat offenders with bad hands and rudimentary skill levels.
In spite of the many many good things certain players contribute, some of them are repeatedly picked in positions despite struggling to fulfill the all-round requirements of their roles.
Wingers need to catch bombs you see, as do fullbacks. Centres need to read numbers in defence, not bolt in for fresh air and catch the 50/50 passes when easy tries are on offer.
Maybe in his last few weeks at the helm, Young can do fans a solid by not worrying so much about ‘dropping off the inside shoulder’ and concentrate on teaching basics like drawing the man, then passing to unmarked support players whilst running.
Maybe spend some time catching bombs or even attempting to catch them would be a good starting point.
Perhaps throw in a session or two on attempting to make effective tackles on players running up the sideline with nowhere to go.
Earmark a bit of time conditioning players to expect attackers to dive low for the line from Dummy half or from close range. Maybe try to convince them it’s easier to stop forwards lunging for tries with someone wrapping up high and another around the legs.
Save a bit of time for yourself Dean to learn about the size of a football team and how by spreading the workload across the bench this might assist a few forwards feeling a bit fresher in the 79th minute when you are trying to slog the ball off your try line to win a game.
Better still, turn them into focus points. Maybe just three each week, we don’t want their brains to burst with meticulously crafted coaching methods.
Nah, stuff it, just pick them all again in the same positions next week. They’ll eventually get the job done.
