From finals hopefuls to 14th: How the Dragons’ grand plan for glory was left in tatters
DRAGONS
- July 20, 2019 1:43pm
- by GEORGE CLARKE
- Source: FOX SPORTS
James Graham raised his arms in bemusementSource: AAP
James Graham’s body language said it all.
Arms raised in bemusement, face crinkled in shock and disbelief. The Dragons were mauled by the Panthers on Friday.
Now, a team that started 2019 as genuine contenders, their season looks all but over.
With just 14 points to their name, Paul McGregor’s side can still make the finals, a matter he was quick to make clear in the aftermath of the defeat to the Panthers.
“Mathematically we can, yeah, and I still believe that we can,” McGregor said after his team had gone in at the break in contention, only to flounder at the mercy of Penrith. They had closed the gap at halftime when Josh Kerr went over, before the Panthers put them to the sword.
“But again, like I said last week, there’s a long way to go.
“It’s down to now winning every game or winning six of our next seven.
“We’re making it hard for ourselves, especially with performances in the second half like that.
“I can’t explain it right now because it shouldn’t happen.”
Dragons press conference
The reality is that they won’t win those games. After their second-half surrender against Ivan Cleary’s resurgent team, the Dragons would need to win close to all their remaining games just to meet the usual 28-point cut-off.
It’s not just McGregor who struggles to offer an explanation as to why the Dragons are in their current predicament. Nobody can.
A glance at the Dragons roster suggests they should be nowhere near the wooden spoon, but they are just as close to finishing last as they are to the top eight.
Ben Hunt, Corey Norman, Paul Vaughan and Tyson Frizell all played in Origin this year. Tariq Sims did too, while James Graham, Korbin Sims and Gareth Widdop are all established internationals.
Panthers dismantle Dragons
Admittedly, Widdop has been missing for most of the season with injury before heading home, while another representative star in Jack de Belin has been sidelined for off-field issues. Injuries affect every team, but McGregor didn’t help himself with his tweaks to the spine in the early part of the season.
But still, the Dragons roster is strong and they should have won more than just two games — against the lowly Bulldogs and fellow underachievers the Cowboys — since the narrow Round 6 victory over Manly.
It’s why it made the decision to drop Hunt — a key man with the panache and flair to unlock any defence — for the must-win game with Penrith was all the more baffling.
The Queensland hooker was targeted by the Raiders as he backed up from Origin last week, missing three key tackles.
Perhaps he was little tired, but with the season on the line Hunt would likely spend finals week resting on a beach, with cocktail in hand. That’s when he could get his rest. McGregor instead opted to give him the week off for the most crucial match-up of the season.
How does Ben Hunt feel?
“How does Ben Hunt feel sitting on the sideline watching that?” Greg Alexander told Fox League.
“If you are the number one man at a club and the coach says, ‘I’m going to rest you’ well you say, ‘you’re kidding I’m not resting’.”
As the poor results have increased, so too have the rumblings.
Frizell had to address speculation he wanted to move on to the Roosters.
We were told during the broadcast that Frizell would respond to those rumours — what was essentially messageboard and Facebook group gossip that had not been reported on by a legitimate publication — in an attempt to quash them. When was the last time you remember a player doing that?
McGregor responds to fans
There has been talk on the grapevine in England, too, that Widdop could ask for an early release with Warrington — his destination for 2020 — keen to strengthen ahead of their finals push.
While McGregor’s own future is not without scrutiny. He was awarded a new contract through to 2021 in
April which will see him become the club’s longest-serving coach.
If he can stop this slump, that is. At the start of this season he called the Red V’s current cohort as “the best squad I have coached”.
They may be the best side McGregor has worked with, but as it stands, they’re 14th on the ladder and with that, their season looks dead and buried.
https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nr...s/news-story/fe1b72470d91fd2477c48cb953d2767e