Sack Griffin

[redVinme]

No one has had the dressing room since Bennett because they have hired bumbling idiots ever since. Why would you care or listen to someone who says just hit it up and kick bombs lol. I've had plenty of jobs with incompetent bosses. I'd still do my work and contribute to the business and my team but no extras or above and beyond at all. Give the players someone to respect and that can actually provide them the succinct and detailed feedback they need to improve and I'm sure we'd see a different mindset.

 

[Old Timer]

Holy shit.. I've seen you carrying the bag for Griffin in here for ages now, but this is a "jump the shark moment". You have lost your mind

I'm not carrying any bag for Hook.

I am merely pointing out the fact that to have lost the shed you have to have actually had the shed.

IMO not one of our coaches has ever had the shed since the moment Bennett left the place and even at the end of his tenure it would appear he was in the throws of losing the shed as the players rebelled at the fact we were losing him and our chances of winning the comp in 2011 sunk like a stone off the back of that.

From that moment until now much of the squad has been ill disciplined, of exceedingly poor quality, narcissistic in nature and totally f**king deaf to anything offered from any coach.

If it only takes 1 bad apple to ruin the barrel then we have had enough bad apples to ruin every single barrel we ever had.

IMO our players have been rebelling against the club and its way of doing things more than anything to do with our coaches despite the undoubted poor nature of them.

Our captains and senior playing group are supposed to be the conduit between coaches and the playing group and they too have proven ineffective against the players and just maybe the $$$ some are getting is part of the issue and maybe we might have a few too many players from the 1 stable which can also be a very destabilising issue.

 

[Dragon David]

Look, we all know that the club has problems on and off the field. No amount of conjecture or opinions of who or what is the cause will correct the situation until the board members can sift through all of the negatives and cleaning things up in a logical and sensible manner.

They need to focus on identifying all of problems many of which have been raised on this Forum and in nearly all of our threads that have common denominators.

It will be a big task, but it has to be done and now that the Club is looking at Andrew Lancaster being the chairperson for 3 years this could be the start of the organisation heading in the right direction - albeit still to take time to fix.

We don't have just one or two problems, we have tens and tens in my opinion to fix.

 

[JohnnoMcJohnno]

Look, we all know that the club has problems on and off the field. No amount of conjecture or opinions of who or what is the cause will correct the situation until the board members can sift through all of the negatives and cleaning things up in a logical and sensible manner.

They need to focus on identifying all of problems many of which have been raised on this Forum and in nearly all of our threads that have common denominators.

It will be a big task, but it has to be done and now that the Club is looking at Andrew Lancaster being the chairperson for 3 years this could be the start of the organisation heading in the right direction - albeit still to take time to fix.

We don't have just one or two problems, we have tens and tens in my opinion to fix.

Fine, but the problems we have won't be resolved by retaining the same people who have overseen the decline in operations over the years. For effective change to occur, surely it needs substantial changes at Board and management levels, not just a new Chairman. Andrew Lancaster may be the right man, but given he appears to have been the architect of that stupid survey, I am not convinced he has the club's best interests in mind.

 

[jodragon40]

Look, we all know that the club has problems on and off the field. No amount of conjecture or opinions of who or what is the cause will correct the situation until the board members can sift through all of the negatives and cleaning things up in a logical and sensible manner.

They need to focus on identifying all of problems many of which have been raised on this Forum and in nearly all of our threads that have common denominators.

It will be a big task, but it has to be done and now that the Club is looking at Andrew Lancaster being the chairperson for 3 years this could be the start of the organisation heading in the right direction - albeit still to take time to fix.

We don't have just one or two problems, we have tens and tens in my opinion to fix.

How is a bloke from a marketing background going to fix our club is my question. The Board is just as responsible for this mess than just the coach and players. Don't hold your breath for Lancaster to be waving any stick

 

[Dragon David]

Fine, but the problems we have won't be resolved by retaining the same people who have overseen the decline in operations over the years. For effective change to occur, surely it needs substantial changes at Board and management levels, not just a new Chairman. Andrew Lancaster may be the right man, but given he appears to have been the architect of that stupid survey, I am not convinced he has the club's best interests in mind.

How is a bloke from a marketing background going to fix our club is my question. The Board is just as responsible for this mess than just the coach and players. Don't hold your breath for Lancaster to be waving any stick

I agree with you both, but, there is just no way that these same people running the club will be disbanded all at once - they did have Craig Young step down and maybe in a year or so a couple more might do likewise, like Peter Doust who in my opinion should have stayed right out after WIN bought in. Hopefully one day not really too far away there will be a couple of younger people (male and female) come into the Board room to help this now rudderless club who have fresher and more up to date ideas who can have the club run successfully.

Lancaster is young and while his background is marketing, it doesn't mean that he doesn't have the ability to make the hard decisions where and when needed.

 

[Slippery Morris]

I think Mary had the team and the culture in better shape than Hook. Probably the best of the 3 dud coaches we have had since Bennett left. Mary got us playing decent footy and the Dragons roster was not as bad as it is now. Hook has made it worse. All these Hook excuses are crazy. Mary may have lost the shed in the last year or better still since the JDB case, but he did have some ok years before then. McInness and co loved Mary. Only Hunt likes Hook and nobody else it looks like. Hook has made it a hell of a lot worse than both Mary and Price.

If the board did not extend Hook last year and Saints were starting the season with a new head coach, they would 100% not be in the massive hole they are in. The board and especially Hook has failed the fans and the players as a new coach, and if it was the right one would have these boys primed and ready for 2023 instead they are as per 2021/22 and that is not giving a rats because of the poor standards set by the coach which is clear for all to see.

 

[Dragon David]

I think Mary had the team and the culture in better shape than Hook. Probably the best of the 3 dud coaches we have had since Bennett left. Mary got us playing decent footy and the Dragons roster was not as bad as it is now. Hook has made it worse. All these Hook excuses are crazy. Mary may have lost the shed in the last year or better still since the JDB case, but he did have some ok years before then. McInness and co loved Mary. Only Hunt likes Hook and nobody else it looks like. Hook has made it a hell of a lot worse than both Mary and Price.

If the board did not extend Hook last year and Saints were starting the season with a new head coach, they would 100% not be in the massive hole they are in. The board and especially Hook has failed the fans and the players as a new coach, and if it was the right one would have these boys primed and ready for 2023 instead they are as per 2021/22 and that is not giving a rats because of the poor standards set by the coach which is clear for all to see.

To me, Mary had the Dragons in him as he loved and I'd say still loves the brand and at a pinch would coach the team again. But that is water under the bridge stuff now and we need a guy like Todd Payten as the head coach but he has resigned with the Cowboys to the end of 2026 - don't know if that means that his support staff, Dean Young and Co., will also be there 'til end of 2026. The following is a statement from the Cowboys CEO -
“Todd’s leadership, calmness and ability to relate to his players are the attributes we were searching for in a long-term coach.

“His passion for our club and our region is undeniable and is one of the driving forces behind his popularity with our members and fans.”

So this is the type of coach that we should be looking for. The Cowboys have found theirs.

 

[Mojo]

Agree, but the point I'm making is, they had nothing to play for that season but Bellamy still had them pumping.

Just having a laugh.

 

[hewi]

The word culture is often overused in professional sport these days but fundamentally without it what you get is basket case clubs with a clear lack of DNA, respect and discipline.

On face value two St George Illawarra players having a wrestle at 6am in the morning in the NSW central west town of Mudgee after a night on the sauce rates about a one out of ten on the atrocity Richter scale.

It might not even be a one. But when you unpack the Dragons presentation night where only three players showed up, the BBQ-gate from a couple of years ago and the way the Red V played in the opening trial against South Sydney it becomes blatantly clear the depth of problems facing St George Illawarra.

At the strong NRL clubs - we’ll use the Sydney Roosters, Melbourne Storm and Cronulla as examples - players who make bad decisions off the field are called to account in front of the entire group.

They have to stand up in front of teammates and coaching staff, explain themselves and then answer any questions the rest of the club might have about what went on.

When the Dragons filed into a team meeting on Tuesday there was none of this.

Zane Musgrove and Mikaele Ravalawa stayed silent and it was left to coach Anthony Griffin to address the team about what happened in Mudgee.

The problem is St George Illawarra already had enough going on in terms of pressure on Griffin and where the club is headed leading into the new season.

This latest stuff up only adds further heat on a club already under the pump

Hoops: Roosters put Suaalii on notice over contract circus as key detail in get-out clause emerges

Hoops: Roosters put Suaalii on notice over contract circus as key detail in get-out clause emerges

www.foxsports.com.au

 

[Mojo]

How is a bloke from a marketing background going to fix our club is my question. The Board is just as responsible for this mess than just the coach and players. Don't hold your breath for Lancaster to be waving any stick

The Chair shouldn’t be making executive decisions anyway. The Chair guides the Board. The Board decides policy and strategy. The CEO informs the Board and implements Board decisions and directions. If the Chair gives executive directions direct to the CEO - that’s very destructive to good governance.

 

[Captain Apollo]

As an outsider looking in, until your club get's its board and front office staff into better shape I doubt much will improve on field for the Dragons. Your club has had some great administrators over its history (e.g. Frank Facer, John Fleming) but over say the last 10-12 years? A coach, no matter how good (or bad for that matter) can do much if the front office is in disarray, and the front office is because your board appear rudderless and are not setting a direction, and directing what kind of culture they want in the place.

 

[scruffy1]

FYI, Roosters NSWCUP had little trouble with StGeorge NSWCup a few weeks ago in the Gong 28-14 i think, 4 of the Roosters NSWCup squad played with Helensburgh in the Illawara Mojo Cup in 2022, all of them overlooked/never considered by StGeorge/Illawara in 2022/23 for their rep teams? Recruitment in your own backyard is non existent-just a thought for future improvement and respect for the Berg.

 

[The Villain]

As an outsider looking in, until your club get's its board and front office staff into better shape I doubt much will improve on field for the Dragons. Your club has had some great administrators over its history (e.g. Frank Facer, John Fleming) but over say the last 10-12 years? A coach, no matter how good (or bad for that matter) can do much if the front office is in disarray, and the front office is because your board appear rudderless and are not setting a direction, and directing what kind of culture they want in the place.

No shit sherlock.

Thanks for the input but we’ve all been saying this for about nine years now.

 

[hewi]

This is from the Australian and before I get chipped I can’t provide the link, sorry moderators. TROUBLE BREWING AS RED V DRAGGED THROUGH MUD


How low can the Dragons go? Surely not much further. St George Illawarra are a rabble. They have been awful on the field in the pre-season and woeful off it.
The club needs a reboot and this column isn’t sure it can happen with Anthony Griffin in charge. The players treated him and the club with no respect last weekend, dragging the mighty Red V through the mud.
It has become a recurring theme for the Dragons as they lurch from one PR disaster to the next. Dragons chair Andrew Lancaster addressed the club’s culture in a News Corp interview in the off-season, insisting the club had learned from recent issues.
The board may have, the players clearly haven’t. Their performance against South Sydney was an abomination. They were cut apart through the middle and sliced on the edges.
They looked like wooden spooners. They certainly acted like it when they headed back to the team hotel. While South Sydney jumped straight on a bus and returned to Sydney, the Dragons went out on the turps and embarrassed themselves.
It says a lot about the gulf in professionalism between the two bitter rivals. Rabbitohs players were fast asleep in their own beds while the Dragons were tearing up the town.
Ultimately, that falls back on the head coach, which explains why the blowtorch has been on Griffin this week.
The irony is that amid the talk over his future, numerous pundits have suggested that the Dragons need an experienced coach to take charge.
Wollongong, it goes, is no place for a rookie. Griffin came with a lengthy resume and it seemingly hasn’t helped.
If the Dragons do decide to go down the experienced path, two names stand out – premiership winners Shane Flanagan Michael Maguire and Des Hasler.
Flanagan, now assisting Anthony Seibold at Manly, knows the inner workings of the Dragons. He has been on their staff in various roles. At one point, as rumours circulated last year over Griffin’s future, it was suggested he would act as an interim until Dean Young was ready to take over.
Maguire, currently helping Ricky Stuart in Canberra, won’t put up with any nonsense. He would tighten up discipline and set the Dragons up until one of the younger coaches is ready.
As for Hasler, there were whispers out of Wollongong this week that his name was already being discussed, if not as the permanent coach than as a caretaker until the club becomes more stable and a younger coach can step into the breach.
Jason Ryles, Ben Hornby and Dean Young have all been mooted as potential successors to Griffin. Hasler has been out of work since his messy departure from Manly, where the club rejected his succession plan to go their own way.
Might be time to dust off that plan Des

 

[Dragonslayer]

No coach, present or future, will be a le to 'fix' us until certain players have been moved on.
I think this is at the 'core' of our plight right now.

 

[Dragon David]

This is from the Australian and before I get chipped I can’t provide the link, sorry moderators. TROUBLE BREWING AS RED V DRAGGED THROUGH MUD


How low can the Dragons go? Surely not much further. St George Illawarra are a rabble. They have been awful on the field in the pre-season and woeful off it.
The club needs a reboot and this column isn’t sure it can happen with Anthony Griffin in charge. The players treated him and the club with no respect last weekend, dragging the mighty Red V through the mud.
It has become a recurring theme for the Dragons as they lurch from one PR disaster to the next. Dragons chair Andrew Lancaster addressed the club’s culture in a News Corp interview in the off-season, insisting the club had learned from recent issues.
The board may have, the players clearly haven’t. Their performance against South Sydney was an abomination. They were cut apart through the middle and sliced on the edges.
They looked like wooden spooners. They certainly acted like it when they headed back to the team hotel. While South Sydney jumped straight on a bus and returned to Sydney, the Dragons went out on the turps and embarrassed themselves.
It says a lot about the gulf in professionalism between the two bitter rivals. Rabbitohs players were fast asleep in their own beds while the Dragons were tearing up the town.
Ultimately, that falls back on the head coach, which explains why the blowtorch has been on Griffin this week.
The irony is that amid the talk over his future, numerous pundits have suggested that the Dragons need an experienced coach to take charge.
Wollongong, it goes, is no place for a rookie. Griffin came with a lengthy resume and it seemingly hasn’t helped.
If the Dragons do decide to go down the experienced path, two names stand out – premiership winners Shane Flanagan Michael Maguire and Des Hasler.
Flanagan, now assisting Anthony Seibold at Manly, knows the inner workings of the Dragons. He has been on their staff in various roles. At one point, as rumours circulated last year over Griffin’s future, it was suggested he would act as an interim until Dean Young was ready to take over.
Maguire, currently helping Ricky Stuart in Canberra, won’t put up with any nonsense. He would tighten up discipline and set the Dragons up until one of the younger coaches is ready.
As for Hasler, there were whispers out of Wollongong this week that his name was already being discussed, if not as the permanent coach than as a caretaker until the club becomes more stable and a younger coach can step into the breach.
Jason Ryles, Ben Hornby and Dean Young have all been mooted as potential successors to Griffin. Hasler has been out of work since his messy departure from Manly, where the club rejected his succession plan to go their own way.
Might be time to dust off that plan Des

Well it certainly looks like the media people are putting their two bobs worth into the dramas we are having at the Dragons. The more of this will only help us sort our future out in my opinion.

 

[Dragon David]

No coach, present or future, will be a le to 'fix' us until certain players have been moved on.
I think this is at the 'core' of our plight right now.

Yes. Examples must be made of those players to enable the others see that the club will not tolerate off field dramas anymore. That means F Molo being booted (just as they did to Addin Fonua-Blake - https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/s...t/news-story/874ec8cb95d66a9c3abf2608b53a5891).

 

[jodragon40]

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/opinion/nrl-why-south-sydney-will-be-2023-premiers-who-will-replace-anthony-griffin-at-dragons/news-story/a5bc7f3c42e3f07afeb637e22807dbab

Hope link works. A very sad demise of our once proud traditional and feared club

 

[jodragon40]

This is from the Australian and before I get chipped I can’t provide the link, sorry moderators. TROUBLE BREWING AS RED V DRAGGED THROUGH MUD


How low can the Dragons go? Surely not much further. St George Illawarra are a rabble. They have been awful on the field in the pre-season and woeful off it.
The club needs a reboot and this column isn’t sure it can happen with Anthony Griffin in charge. The players treated him and the club with no respect last weekend, dragging the mighty Red V through the mud.
It has become a recurring theme for the Dragons as they lurch from one PR disaster to the next. Dragons chair Andrew Lancaster addressed the club’s culture in a News Corp interview in the off-season, insisting the club had learned from recent issues.
The board may have, the players clearly haven’t. Their performance against South Sydney was an abomination. They were cut apart through the middle and sliced on the edges.
They looked like wooden spooners. They certainly acted like it when they headed back to the team hotel. While South Sydney jumped straight on a bus and returned to Sydney, the Dragons went out on the turps and embarrassed themselves.
It says a lot about the gulf in professionalism between the two bitter rivals. Rabbitohs players were fast asleep in their own beds while the Dragons were tearing up the town.
Ultimately, that falls back on the head coach, which explains why the blowtorch has been on Griffin this week.
The irony is that amid the talk over his future, numerous pundits have suggested that the Dragons need an experienced coach to take charge.
Wollongong, it goes, is no place for a rookie. Griffin came with a lengthy resume and it seemingly hasn’t helped.
If the Dragons do decide to go down the experienced path, two names stand out – premiership winners Shane Flanagan Michael Maguire and Des Hasler.
Flanagan, now assisting Anthony Seibold at Manly, knows the inner workings of the Dragons. He has been on their staff in various roles. At one point, as rumours circulated last year over Griffin’s future, it was suggested he would act as an interim until Dean Young was ready to take over.
Maguire, currently helping Ricky Stuart in Canberra, won’t put up with any nonsense. He would tighten up discipline and set the Dragons up until one of the younger coaches is ready.
As for Hasler, there were whispers out of Wollongong this week that his name was already being discussed, if not as the permanent coach than as a caretaker until the club becomes more stable and a younger coach can step into the breach.
Jason Ryles, Ben Hornby and Dean Young have all been mooted as potential successors to Griffin. Hasler has been out of work since his messy departure from Manly, where the club rejected his succession plan to go their own way.
Might be time to dust off that plan Des

No semi finals football again this season under this coach and board. Nothing will change until someone sweeps the place clean starting from the boardroom