St George Illawarra players have become fit, defensively strong and patient under coach Paul McGregor. (AAP)
Thirdly, this team looks as though this team has not only found the strengths of its game, but they are prepared to be patient and persevere in playing to these strengths as the foundation of their strategy each weekend. The Dragons play a power game, built around an impressive forward pack who work together as a unit. Their aim at the start of each match is to dominate the advantage line in the middle parts of the field. Their recent record of four wins in five matches is testimony to the work ethic of their big men and the physical dominance they have been able to generate.
Number four; the attacking game plan against the West Tigers yesterday was brilliant. It showed they had a plan, and they executed it perfectly. It shows that McGregor knows his football and can sell a plan to his team.
Finally, Paul McGregor is starting to look and sound like an NRL coach. In the early part of his tenure as the head man at the Dragons he wasn’t all that convincing when speaking publicly about his team. In recent times, though, I have been extremely impressed with the way he has presented himself and articulated the team's intentions during his media interviews. There is an air of self-belief about this coach which is obviously spilling over into the on-field performance of his players. He has become less concerned with the trivial, less apologetic for the poor, less affected by the bad bounce or poor decision, and he exudes a confidence in his players. You get the feeling he turns up to the game each weekend expecting to win.
Now, all factors were in evidence yesterday in the Dragon’s very professional 28-6 victory over the West Tigers.
The Dragons were able to execute a perfect game plan spearheaded by captain Gareth Widdop against Wests Tigers. (AAP)
They were physically fitter and stronger than their opponents. They proudly defended their line for long periods of time refusing to yield. The only try they conceded was from a grubber kick that could not be cleaned up in their own in goal area. Despite the mountain of possession West Tigers had at their opponent's end of the field, they could not crack the defiant defensive wall of the Dragons. The Dragons' forward pack again dominated their opposite numbers, taking command of the physical battles.
The attacking game plan of the Dragons was near-perfect. McGregor had obviously identified that the West Tigers right-hand side defence likes to rush up very quickly to put pressure on opposition playmakers. The Dragons were purposeful in working into a good position to execute their plan. They would set up a play-the-ball just to the right-hand side of the posts, before swinging the ball quickly to the left with deep, long passes, inviting the West Tigers right-hand side defenders to come and get them.
Once they got the reaction they were looking for, St George Illawarra captain and 5/8 Gareth Widdop had the repertoire of plays to hurt them on the scoreboard.
He set up four tries. Two of them with perfectly placed kicks, in behind the Tigers' defensive line. The other two tries came courtesy of brilliant long spiral passes from Widdop to his outside men, well beyond the reaches of the West Tigers defenders. These plays were obviously planned and clinically executed.
It's great when a plan comes together. The smiles on the faces of the Dragon’s players told the story. They had trained hard, prepared well, and taken the West Tigers down exactly the way they planned. This not only builds confidence within the team, but confidence from the players in their coach.
The Dragons and their coach are in a good head space right now and will be very hard to beat every time they play.
Read more at
http://wwos.nine.com.au/2017/04/03/...r-deserves-a-new-contract#DKt8hbhQGgrdCzWm.99
