Part 1
NRL 2022 Coaching clipboard sessions: Anthony Griffin on St George Illawarra’s tough questions
Dragons coach Anthony Griffin responds to criticism of his roster rebuild and the recruitment of a stack of ageing stars.
Anthony Griffin has opened up in a revealing one-on-one interview with Paul Crawley where no subject was off limits.
The no-nonsense St George Illawarra coach tackled every question thrown at him, from parting shots fired from Matt Dufty (who accused Griffin of not allowing him to play the attacking football he is capable of), to
criticism of his Dad’s Army-style Dragons rebuild.
Griffin talked openly about what convinced him to sign ageing stars Aaron Woods, George Burgess and Moses Mbye, and why their arrival will ultimately benefit the development of club’s special group of homegrown young guns.
Griffin also revealed why lessons learned from Paul Vaughan’s Covid-busting barbecue last year will make the club stronger in 2022, and why the captaincy has made Ben Hunt a better footballer.
Anthony Griffin opens up ahead of the 2022 season.
Paul Crawley: You’ve had a full season at the club now to have a look around and see what you think needs to change. So how do you see the future going forward from here?
Anthony Griffin: It is really positive. Now, after one season, we have got a good mixture of experience and we have recruited well. But, also, the vital part is being able to produce our own players and that is starting to evolve as well. So as far as building a list and a team that we can start to sustain some success with I think things are looking good.
PC: Some people have been critical of your recruitment in that you have gone and signed a lot of older players, some who may be considered over the hill. But you seem to have gone about it with a specific purpose of getting value for money?
AG: Well, that is the case with someone like Aaron Woods. But, I mean, he is only 30, and he adds great depth. But guys like Jaydn Su’a, who is 24, and Frank Molo, I think is 26 turning 27, and current Origin players, I don’t know if they are over the hill.
PC: Talk about Woodsy, because I know he impressed you when you had your initial chat before he signed. What did he say to convince you he’d be good for the club?
AG: I was just impressed with what he wanted to do. He was still very motivated. He felt he probably hadn’t played his best football over the last few years. He got caught up, obviously, in the Tigers/Bulldogs/Cronulla move, and he is desperate to play well. I think if you have a look at his history he has played 18-odd Test matches, and the same amount of Origins, and like I said, he is only 30 years old.
He didn’t strike me as a guy who had lost his enthusiasm for the game. In fact, he was more convincing the other way. I think he has still has got a lot more to offer and I know he thinks he has got a lot more to offer. Obviously he brings a lot of experience and depth to our forward pack.
PC: What about a guy like Moses Mbye? He went to the Tigers and got paid a big money because he was considered a player with great hope. But he has always been shifted around without never really getting the chance to find a permanent position. How do you want to play him?
AG: Well, that was the attraction with him. Again, Moses is only 27. He has been around for a long time. I think he was playing halfback for the Bulldogs when he was only 18 or 19. But he has played in grand finals, he has played Origin. And he was really brutally honest about his own performances at the Wests Tigers, which you have got to admire.
When I spoke to him, again, he was really driven and he wants to unlock another level of performance out of himself. And the thing I liked the most was that he was really selfless in how he sees that happening. He wasn’t after a guarantee about a position. In fact, he probably sees himself more as that person who can fill a number of roles. And that’s the attraction with him, that he can play nine, seven, six or one, and he has played centre at State of Origin level. And the main thing is we don’t or won’t bring anyone to the club that is not motivated, or doesn’t have a burning desire to win, and that is what I found in him as well.
PC: George Burgess is another one who has done everything in the game but now we find out he has also suffered in silence for years with agonising pain from his hip injury. What have you seen so far and do you think he can get back to his best?
AG: I think so, now after working with him for a couple of months. He is training really well. Obviously it was major surgery, so the performance staff have been really cautious with him. But I think the way he is going at the moment he is a really good chance of playing in the trials, which is his focus. And again, he hasn’t turned 30 yet, and the last five or six years he has sort of played in pain obviously, which no one really realised the extent of it. I can only comment on the last few months since I have known him and he is similar to the previous two guys I spoke about, he is desperate to play at the highest level again, and he wants to prove himself because he feels like he hasn’t been at his best for three or four years. He has been fantastic for our younger players. He has really embraced the club and on and off the field he is looking really good.
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