Mate my hairline is heading toward his but that’s about where the similarities end.
As for no NRL players through him... yes agree from juniors through to senior level there’s not many/if any who stayed the distance and established themselves. However some who’ve been brought to the club have done it in spades. 6 players have made it to origin level from the Dragons during McGregors time coaching them.
Vaughan, Sims, De Belin, Hunt, Norman, Frizell.
And Cameron McInnes would be there too if not for Damien Cooks selection (rightly too IMO).
Anyway enough of debating..
I hear you, and a lot of other fans of the club. Whether we disagree on a few things, some “whys” etc... it’s all opinions on a club we care so much about. I think what we all agree on is that where this club is at right now is about as further from acceptable as it gets.
Had a spiel in reply to someone before. Basically I believe every single person in that club needs to be accountable for their own actions - look at their own standards and honestly answer to themselves what they need to do personally to be the best they can be, and what they can do to lift the standard of the team as a whole.
The coach is a big part of that. But to me it’s not just him, it’s every single person in that club. Players, support staff, management, the board.
I hate where we are. Like others I can have theories why etc. But in the end unless everyone in that club is honest with themselves, stops looking at the next bloke to blame or to save them, they’ll sadly be doomed to the same results.
Why would anyone in that club take an honest look at themselves and take accountability? That’s not our way.
That starts at the top - the Board of Directors is accountable to no one. I’m not sure how the WIN side work, but the St George side is self-appointed from the Leagues Club Board, and in order for any new board members to be elected it has to be done through a fully-paid 5 year membership and only then can be voted after 3 years of membership. And the Reason that this system is in place is because last time there was a surge to try and vote leagues club board members out, a ‘balloting Mishap’ meant that a whole lot of votes were mysteriously lost and the result was the current coward members remaining in place.
They are untouchable, unaccountable and answer to no one.
Goes a step further to the old CEOs - Peter Doust was the longest running CEO in the NRL and despite a small window of success between 2009-2011, he was not held to account for his failings in any way by anyone because HE WAS ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS!
Brian Johnstone also had a quick reign, during which time he re-signed a coach with a single finals win and average ladder position of 10th on a $600-800k deal with no KPI or performance clauses AND oversaw the lowest ladder finish in JV history, but he was allowed to quietly step aside at his leisure. Not held to account because he elected himself as CEO from the BOD, where he was Chairman! And his time as Chairman saw us sell half the club to the family of another board member for less money than was being offered by a professional sports administration company.
But like his predecessor, BJ was untouchable, unaccountable and answered to no one.
We then look across the football staff, notably Ian Millward who has assembled a roster filled with underperforming, overpaid former rep players and reserve grade throw offs from other clubs. Put into this position with low experience and poor past results because his father was on the board of directors. Untouchable, unaccountable.
Then the coach, who has achieved the lofty heights of an averages 10th place finish, such grand records as worst attacking start to a season, biggest loss at Kogarah, lowest finish in JV history, and longest losing streak in JV history, not to mentioned filtering through no less than 15 different support staff throughout his horrific tenure, yet through all that is given the undying and everlasting support of his mates on the board of directors. Untouchable, unaccountable.
Seems the only people being held to account are the likes of Dufty, Saab, Sailor, Lomax, Host, Ford - the young players that the coach is meant to be developing into first graders, yet get dropped at the first sign of trouble.
So why would/should anyone make themselves accountable when the culture of the club is to protect yourself first, throw anyone and everyone else under the bus and deflect blame wherever possible? Why should the players ‘take a long, hard look at themselves’ when every level above them has no intention of doing the same?
I would love for the board to be wiped and replaced, but that wont happen. I’d love for the newly appointed CEO to be given enough control to show we he can do with the place such that he lives (and dies) by his own decisions and not the nepotism at board level, but it wont happen. Realistically, the best the fans can actually hope for is that much of the football staff is replaced by some competent operators and the TEAM (not the club) can rebuild some identity and winning culture so the fans can enjoy some success. And while there are many steps that would need to follow, those changes start with replacement of McGregor and Millward.
