The Mole , OMG does he hate dragons?

[Mojo]

I just hope that wherever we finish people don't start defending their position by saying "well its actually ok afterall we were predicted to get the spoon".

If you put a $1 on everything that the media predict you would lose a fortune as not much of what they predict ever eventuates.

The consensus in this place is we improved on the ladder last year, we have rid ourselves of the anchors, we have purchased some quality the only thing we didn't get was a prop and that may yet still happen.

So if supporters of the club & S F are fair dinkum then surely we must improve on last year so what is the pass mark?

Top 8 and anything else is a bonus?

If people aren't willing to go there then wtf has all the backslapping hooting and hollering been about?

Time to shit in the pot or get off.

I agree. I’ve tipped us for the Top 8, and … as a long shot punt …. also Top 4!!!!

 

[Old Timer]

You just went on about people not using the media's expectation of us as a guide to whether this year is successful or not but then did the exact same thing....

In my post I said I hope that people (those who are die hard S F acolytes) who have belief he is the one to coach us long term don’t use the media prediction of spoon favourites as an out clause if we finish well down the bottom of the ladder.

They should either be all in or not.

Either S F has it or he doesn’t it’s that simple.

If you have followed things in the various threads you will see there are those that want to tell you how great S F is and how much he improved us but when we fell flat on our arse with 6 weeks to go they started shuffling their feet and looking for the inevitable excuse namely where the press said we would finish before a ball was kicked, yet they changed horses and talked us up including picking us to knock over the Chooks on Anzac Day only for them to go cold on us late in the season.

As Tammy Wynette once famously said
“Stand By Your Man”

Now in relation to my prediction it is based on the positivity of the media re our signings for this next season, offloading our two subversive rep players and the fact that all will be tickety boo minus Hunt & Lomax, of course there are those that say our big 4 are all positive gains and will strengthen us and last but not least S F is in his 2nd year at the helm.

So if all that is correct then why not expect to improve and from the high water mark people see from last year surely a couple of spots not too hard after all some other sides have gone backwards by the look of them compared to us.

Now I believe with what we have 8th is where we could finish barring injuries etc and if we don’t I say it is a fail and the coach should be answerable not saved by some ridiculous low ball media estimate.

 

[Hound of Dracula]

KPI's, Top 4, Top 8......blah blah blah.
The future could be anything in the NRL

I just want the season to start and barrack for a bloody competitive team.

BRING IT ON, DRAGONS!

 

[Old Timer]

Disregarding the Media opinions I’m amazed you thought we underachieved by missing the 8.
Particularly with a coach you thought shouldn’t have been signed, a 6 & 1 you don’t rate, slow wingers, a pack with the exception of Liddle & Su’a who couldn’t hold their own & poor captain/leader with average kicking game who likes to be involved in every play.
I can understand you saying making the 8 this season but not last.

Even S F saw it as a missed opportunity.

I actually don’t like the style that S F had us playing last year and IMO coaching let us down in some important aspects but we got close and then tanked badly and ultimately underachieved.

I believe our squad if coached correctly will make the 8 barring injuries but unless the game plan and defence change dramatically we will battle to get 12th so it goes back to how we are coached and ultimately play.

People will think I’m setting a high bar for him to fail while they set a low bar for him to succeed.

People have got what they want no Hunt no Lomax and many if same people are raving about our big 4 some even applauding the K F early extension so woe betide them if they start whinging about the squad being weak and saying the old chestnut “but we were picked for the spoon”.

If S F gets us to the 8 and beyond I’ll more than happily put my hand up and say I got it totally wrong but are the acolytes willing to do the same if we don’t or do u have to listen to more excuses.

 

[Old Timer]

KPI's, Top 4, Top 8......blah blah blah.
The future could be anything in the NRL

I just want the season to start and barrack for a bloody competitive team.

BRING IT ON, DRAGONS!

And what will you say if we aren’t?

If that isn’t a possibility in your world then you actually have KPI’s but just aren’t willing to put you nuts on the line.

 

[Hound of Dracula]

And what will you say if we aren’t?

If that isn’t a possibility in your world then you actually have KPI’s but just aren’t willing to put you nuts on the line.

You are obviously referring to the coach.

I have full confidence in Shane Flanagan but I don't see the point in focussing on a future result, that hasn't happened.

Shane Flanagan will be judged by his results regardless if my nuts be on the line.

I'm just looking forward to kick off

 

[Crush]

You are obviously referring to the coach.

I have full confidence in Shane Flanagan but I don't see the point in focussing on a future result, that hasn't happened.

Shane Flanagan will be judged by his results regardless if my nuts be on the line.

I'm just looking forward to kick off

It’s exhausting in here sometimes isn’t it.
FFS, can’t we just be optimistic and support the team before a ball has been kicked?
But noooo, in here you need to be accountable for your comments to other randoms who you’ll never meet.
Put your nuts on the line, etc etc.
Eye Roll.

 

[BLM01]

Even S F saw it as a missed opportunity.

I actually don’t like the style that S F had us playing last year and IMO coaching let us down in some important aspects but we got close and then tanked badly and ultimately underachieved.

I believe our squad if coached correctly will make the 8 barring injuries but unless the game plan and defence change dramatically we will battle to get 12th so it goes back to how we are coached and ultimately play.

People will think I’m setting a high bar for him to fail while they set a low bar for him to succeed.

People have got what they want no Hunt no Lomax and many if same people are raving about our big 4 some even applauding the K F early extension so woe betide them if they start whinging about the squad being weak and saying the old chestnut “but we were picked for the spoon”.

If S F gets us to the 8 and beyond I’ll more than happily put my hand up and say I got it totally wrong but are the acolytes willing to do the same if we don’t or do u have to listen to more excuses.

Who applauded the KF extension.???
But you are right Flannos coaching let us down last year and will this year. pffttt...Nothing else to blame it seems.
Get rid of him and bring in Ryles as he was obviously the better option in your eyes

 

[maestro1]

Even S F saw it as a missed opportunity.

I actually don’t like the style that S F had us playing last year and IMO coaching let us down in some important aspects but we got close and then tanked badly and ultimately underachieved.

I believe our squad if coached correctly will make the 8 barring injuries but unless the game plan and defence change dramatically we will battle to get 12th so it goes back to how we are coached and ultimately play.

People will think I’m setting a high bar for him to fail while they set a low bar for him to succeed.

People have got what they want no Hunt no Lomax and many if same people are raving about our big 4 some even applauding the K F early extension so woe betide them if they start whinging about the squad being weak and saying the old chestnut “but we were picked for the spoon”.

If S F gets us to the 8 and beyond I’ll more than happily put my hand up and say I got it totally wrong but are the acolytes willing to do the same if we don’t or do u have to listen to more excuses.

Our style will change a lot in 2025. It was very Hunt centric in 2024. That won't be the case in 2025.

 

[Saints supporter]

In my post I said I hope that people (those who are die hard S F acolytes) who have belief he is the one to coach us long term don’t use the media prediction of spoon favourites as an out clause if we finish well down the bottom of the ladder.

They should either be all in or not.

Either S F has it or he doesn’t it’s that simple.

If you have followed things in the various threads you will see there are those that want to tell you how great S F is and how much he improved us but when we fell flat on our arse with 6 weeks to go they started shuffling their feet and looking for the inevitable excuse namely where the press said we would finish before a ball was kicked, yet they changed horses and talked us up including picking us to knock over the Chooks on Anzac Day only for them to go cold on us late in the season.

As Tammy Wynette once famously said
“Stand By Your Man”

Now in relation to my prediction it is based on the positivity of the media re our signings for this next season, offloading our two subversive rep players and the fact that all will be tickety boo minus Hunt & Lomax, of course there are those that say our big 4 are all positive gains and will strengthen us and last but not least S F is in his 2nd year at the helm.

So if all that is correct then why not expect to improve and from the high water mark people see from last year surely a couple of spots not too hard after all some other sides have gone backwards by the look of them compared to us.

Now I believe with what we have 8th is where we could finish barring injuries etc and if we don’t I say it is a fail and the coach should be answerable not saved by some ridiculous low ball media estimate.

Ah, the Old Whiner.....came back from the dead himself..... he's now hovering over Shane Flanagan like the grim reaper....lol

 

[Dragonslayer]

Back on topic:

Intriguing that we were spoon favourites last year with Hunt, and now we're spoon favourites without him

 

[56to66]

‘Underestimates our style’: Flanno hits back at Dragons’ critics with bold claim after star omissions

‘Underestimates our style’: Flanno hits back at Dragons’ critics with bold claim after star omissions

www.foxsports.com.au

It's quite bizarre how Bunt was just a good overpaid halfback at St George, now at the Donkeys, he's a superstar again, gotta love those moron's.

 

[Old Timer]

Ah, the Old Whiner.....came back from the dead himself..... he's now hovering over Shane Flanagan like the grim reaper....lol

Stupid post by you.

Putting a point of view contrary to others is hardly whining.

You think he can coach at elite level but obviously don’t want a bar of espousing what is an acceptable outcome.

I think he can coach but yet to be convinced of how elite he is (and don’t give me the he won a GF line as that was a different era and the game is vastly different now) and last year did nothing to allay my concerns so I have put a few KPI’s in.

Obviously you think he can’t achieve that level or if you do think he can you’re not willing to commit so in the end your the one whining over some fairly rudimentary KPI’s by which I judge a coach.

 

[Old Timer]

Who applauded the KF extension.???
But you are right Flannos coaching let us down last year and will this year. pffttt...Nothing else to blame it seems.
Get rid of him and bring in Ryles as he was obviously the better option in your eyes

I’m stuck in a Hotel room in Albury with my 4th bout of Covid and to top it off a bad sciatic nerve issue so don’t have the inclination to look through all the threads but I am correct in that statement as those that questioned it were met by a swarm of Flanno knows what he’s doing and we need good depth 3 years out type posts.

It’s not restricted to one thread it meanders in and out of a few.

 

[Slippery Morris]

Some may not feel right about the Kyle Flannagan re-signing because of the father/son relationship but the coach did sign a decent half in Elias and I feel a great 5/8 in Atkinson for 2026 so Kyle does not seem to be a lock in the halves for the future. If Kyle is not shaping up, I cannot see S F risking his NRL career and keeping him on the field taking up such a crucial position in the team.

 

[Old Timer]

Some may not feel right about the Kyle Flannagan re-signing because of the father/son relationship but the coach did sign a decent half in Elias and I feel a great 5/8 in Atkinson for 2026 so Kyle does not seem to be a lock in the halves for the future. If Kyle is not shaping up, I cannot see S F risking his NRL career and keeping him on the field taking up such a crucial position in the team.

Some don’t like it simply because they see him as a journeyman and an average style of player and nothing to do with the coach albeit know that is the only way it could have happened.

 

[BLM01]

Stupid post by you.

Putting a point of view contrary to others is hardly whining.

You think he can coach at elite level but obviously don’t want a bar of espousing what is an acceptable outcome.

I think he can coach but yet to be convinced of how elite he is (and don’t give me the he won a GF line as that was a different era and the game is vastly different now) and last year did nothing to allay my concerns so I have put a few KPI’s in.

Obviously you think he can’t achieve that level or if you do think he can you’re not willing to commit so in the end your the one whining over some fairly rudimentary KPI’s by which I judge a coach.

Based on your analogy if 2016 GF was a vastly different era and you are not convinced then
1.Bennett can’t coach as last win was 2010
2. Robbo 2018 not much difference
3. How come Ryles would have been a better option?
I suppose it leaves Bellamy and Cleary who convinced you
Tough school OT
we all can’t have those 2 coaches nor did Flanno have in 2024 anywhere near the elite squads of those 2 over the past 8 years

 

[Jubilee]

I’m stuck in a Hotel room in Albury with my 4th bout of Covid and to top it off a bad sciatic nerve issue so don’t have the inclination to look through all the threads but I am correct in that statement as those that questioned it were met by a swarm of Flanno knows what he’s doing and we need good depth 3 years out type posts.

It’s not restricted to one thread it meanders in and out of a few.

Sciatic problems are a real curse. They are usually the result of a stretched ligament in the sacral joint, often caused by a fall. Once people have this problem, they start to favor it, which worsens it bcs the injury thrives on unilateral movement patterns and poor muscle tone. Or, worst of all, people try to stretch it out. But the loose joint is the problem.

Personally, I avoid too much sitting, take a daily walk, and - the best answer - do bilateral exercises (no single leg raises!) to strengthen core muscles.

One of the simplest and best exercises for us older guys is to lay on your back, draw up your knees, and then put a strong resistance band around your thighs/knees. Keeping youŕ feet on the floor, pull your knees apart just a few inches. You will feel this in your glute medius and hips. Squeeze your sacrum and stomach muscles too. Get them functioning all together again. It feels good. Do this daily to rebuild stability in the joint.

 

[Old Timer]

Based on your analogy if 2016 GF was a vastly different era and you are not convinced then
1.Bennett can’t coach as last win was 2010
2. Robbo 2018 not much difference
3. How come Ryles would have been a better option?
I suppose it leaves Bellamy and Cleary who convinced you
Tough school OT
we all can’t have those 2 coaches nor did Flanno have in 2024 anywhere near the elite squads of those 2 over the past 8 years

The game has changed significantly as has player body shapes, training methodology etc.
1. Bennett has a legacy and an aura and his best coaching days are now well and truly behind him. Should have gone back to back 2010/11. Should have retired after Souths the 1st time.
2. Robbie is always there about with riches galore to choose from. If the roster is on the weak side so are his results. This year will be fascinating to watch re the Chooks.
3. I believe Ryles whave brought a different style of footy to the predictable shit we have trotted out for far too long. Modern era coach, fresh ideas and of course seen the Melbourne Blue Prints 1st hand. Many didn’t like Ryles as a player but that doesn’t mean he is a dumb dumb or that he can’t coach.

S F to me is an old style coach that can garner support from his playing group but that can only get you so far just like Sticky at the Raiders.

Ryles, Fitzgerald are the future of coaching and will gradually take over the mantle if best coaches.

 

[Old Timer]

Sciatic problems are a real curse. They are usually the result of a stretched ligament in the sacral joint, often caused by a fall. Once people have this problem, they start to favor it, which worsens it bcs the injury thrives on unilateral movement patterns and poor muscle tone. Or, worst of all, people try to stretch it out. But the loose joint is the problem.

Personally, I avoid too much sitting, take a daily walk, and - the best answer - do bilateral exercises (no single leg raises!) to strengthen core muscles.

One of the simplest and best exercises for us older guys is to lay on your back, draw up your knees, and then put a strong resistance band around your thighs/knees. Keeping youŕ feet on the floor, pull your knees apart just a few inches. You will feel this in your glute medius and hips. Squeeze your sacrum and stomach muscles too. Get them functioning all together again. It feels good. Do this daily to rebuild stability in the joint.

Thanks Junilee I greatly appreciate your input and words of advice.

Alas I have an autoimmune issue Necrotising Polymyositis which has affected the nerve endings on the proximal muscles and rendered the core very weak in the process.

Once the bum is below the knees I’m effectively a turtle on his back and if I am on the floor can no longer get back up.

Anyway I’ll try to do what I can from your advice.

Again thanks for the concern.