The Rumours Thread

[denis preston]

Our young lad was a die hard Dragons fan and cried in 2018 when they lost that final. This year says he doesnt care now and has dropped out of playing NRL to play soccer

Does he still want to see games - nope

Does he ask for merchandise that is nrl related - nope wants soccer stuff

Condolences Gardenia. , it’s hard when one of your kids goes off the rails

 

[kit66]

This will be the reason I have to finally give the game up. It’s not a level playing field but a game of how good are your financiers. I doubt Souths and Roosters fans see it this way but we’ve been frozen out well and truly. Sour grapes? Yep but that doesn’t discount that it’s wrong. Will have to eventually pay overs for people or continue to run out with a team full of Paul Turners.

I don't want to sound like a Conspiracy Theorist but.......
Do any of you have any insight into the relationship between Win Corporation and the Murdoch Media empire ?
I know they have an uneasy business relationship and share content (?) but Win would have to be one of Murdoch's biggest domestic competitors in television and radio and Murdoch would not be doing anything to help out that competitor. Theoretically they could in fact use their market power and influence to stifle any expansion or overt success. Two things that stem from that idea are 1) the fact that Win have a 25% stake in the Dragons (correct me if that has changed or I'm completely mistaken) and 2) Murdoch's Fox exert a lot of influence over the NRL and their associates - e.g. other media groups, Clubs (they hold the purse strings of some), player manages (would be easy to "influence") etc. Basically what I'm saying, a very successful and powerful Dragons team/club would be a boon for Win in subscriptions, viewing audiences, advertising etc and Murdoch has the power to influence that should they wish to.
Not saying this is happening but it's food for thought. Clubs refusing to release players to us but happy to do so for other teams, players not wanting to come here, our best juniors being easily poached, player managers using us as pawns to attract better offers for their charges and in the process embarrass us etc, makes you wonder.

 

[RedVee]

I don't want to sound like a Conspiracy Theorist but.......
Do any of you have any insight into the relationship between Win Corporation and the Murdoch Media empire ?
I know they have an uneasy business relationship and share content (?) but Win would have to be one of Murdoch's biggest domestic competitors in television and radio and Murdoch would not be doing anything to help out that competitor. Theoretically they could in fact use their market power and influence to stifle any expansion or overt success. Two things that stem from that idea are 1) the fact that Win have a 25% stake in the Dragons (correct me if that has changed or I'm completely mistaken) and 2) Murdoch's Fox exert a lot of influence over the NRL and their associates - e.g. other media groups, Clubs (they hold the purse strings of some), player manages (would be easy to "influence") etc. Basically what I'm saying, a very successful and powerful Dragons team/club would be a boon for Win in subscriptions, viewing audiences, advertising etc and Murdoch has the power to influence that should they wish to.
Not saying this is happening but it's food for thought. Clubs refusing to release players to us but happy to do so for other teams, players not wanting to come here, our best juniors being easily poached, player managers using us as pawns to attract better offers for their charges and in the process embarrass us etc, makes you wonder.

Correction: WIN holds 50% ownership and control of the license.

 

[lemnoc]

I don't want to sound like a Conspiracy Theorist but.......
Do any of you have any insight into the relationship between Win Corporation and the Murdoch Media empire ?
I know they have an uneasy business relationship and share content (?) but Win would have to be one of Murdoch's biggest domestic competitors in television and radio and Murdoch would not be doing anything to help out that competitor. Theoretically they could in fact use their market power and influence to stifle any expansion or overt success. Two things that stem from that idea are 1) the fact that Win have a 25% stake in the Dragons (correct me if that has changed or I'm completely mistaken) and 2) Murdoch's Fox exert a lot of influence over the NRL and their associates - e.g. other media groups, Clubs (they hold the purse strings of some), player manages (would be easy to "influence") etc. Basically what I'm saying, a very successful and powerful Dragons team/club would be a boon for Win in subscriptions, viewing audiences, advertising etc and Murdoch has the power to influence that should they wish to.
Not saying this is happening but it's food for thought. Clubs refusing to release players to us but happy to do so for other teams, players not wanting to come here, our best juniors being easily poached, player managers using us as pawns to attract better offers for their charges and in the process embarrass us etc, makes you wonder.

Wow! I definitely think you have come up with something here. It might not be an overt or clear direction that the Fox media have been given, but a subtle and subconscious dislike of our club. What i definitely have noticed is a clear absence of our club colours and players in any of Fox Sports promotions for the NRL. In all the ads for instance, you will need to look very hard to see anything of our club. The lastest ad promoting the season has Ben Hunt featured for a split second, while the other glamour clubs have numerous references to their players.
Keep an eye on all the Fox Sports ads/promotions and see for yourself. Let me know if you think I am imagining it?

 

[Wolfgang90]

I might get shot down for this but I really feel Saints missed the boat big time to be such a huge success like Penrith as this has been said a million times. Sloan in his article said how he played his best footy with Amone and Bud. Just like Penrith persisted with Cleary, Edwards and Luia. Saints simply should have done the same we had 3 or 4 years of pain, hiw much worse would it have got if they played together those 3-4 years? I am sure Cleary, Luia and Edwards did not burn teams from their first few games as they were just getting experience. They also brought in Api a gun hooker to make it even easier for them. The Panthers simpley had more patience. They knew they had something special and just gave it so much time to blossom and they are bearing all the fruits to that with 4 awesome years of excellent footy on the back of these youngsters who simply stuck together and were given time.

Saints had that with Sloan, Bud and Amone and if Hunt went to Hooker would have made it so much easier for them just like Api. But it never happened. Watching the Charity shield then Bud play the way he did for the Tigers was sad.

I just hope Saints learn from this. Watching Kyle Flanno and Bud, I still cannot understand by the coach let go of Bud knowing Amone was literally no chance of getting clear. Kyle could have still been in the 17 as hooker. Coach Flanno has as much to blame as Mary and Hook as it was really bad judgement and one where he may have been blinded because he wants his son to succeed.

I reckon Flanno was told misleading info regarding Amone's situation & his chances of being cleared or able to play NRL. He then used that info to make a judgement call on Bud & Kyle as he saw them playing the same utility position off the bench. He decided it made more sense to get Kyle at a cheaper contract & release Bud at a more expensive contract, as they were going to play the same role. Basically Flanno got hoodwinked & then made a bad decision in releasing Bud. This is all speculation but I think it makes a bit of sense & fits in with what's occurred.

Tigers have a few gun halves so we should definitely look at targeting one or two of them in the next couple of years (including bud).

 

[justadragon]

I reckon Flanno was told misleading info regarding Amone's situation & his chances of being cleared or able to play NRL. He then used that info to make a judgement call on Bud & Kyle as he saw them playing the same utility position off the bench. He decided it made more sense to get Kyle at a cheaper contract & release Bud at a more expensive contract, as they were going to play the same role. Basically Flanno got hoodwinked & then made a bad decision in releasing Bud. This is all speculation but I think it makes a bit of sense & fits in with what's occurred.

Tigers have a few gun halves so we should definitely look at targeting one or two of them in the next couple of years (including bud).

The Amone incident had been in the media for months and the potential ramifications would have been well known to Flanno, I doubt in such an important position he would not have done his due diligence. As for Flanno junior he was brought to the club a 9-14 and got put in the 6 as a consequence of Amone. I believe after watching the CS I would like to see Marschke get a run at 6 and put Kyle back to 14 in the next trial. IMO I dont think he did enough against the Bunnies reserve graders.

 

[Desperate Dragon]

I think Flanagan showed his hand following the Hastings rumour a few weeks back.
Think he has already realised that the Hunt/K Flanagan halves combination will not be the way to go.
He would be actively looking for another 6/7 in the market right now.
The only other option available right now is Marschke to number 6, and Kyle to number 14.
Think this would be worth trying against West's this weekend.
I still think we could sign two more players in the coming weeks/months, a forward and utility spine player.

 

[qld redvee]

Wow! I definitely think you have come up with something here. It might not be an overt or clear direction that the Fox media have been given, but a subtle and subconscious dislike of our club. What i definitely have noticed is a clear absence of our club colours and players in any of Fox Sports promotions for the NRL. In all the ads for instance, you will need to look very hard to see anything of our club. The lastest ad promoting the season has Ben Hunt featured for a split second, while the other glamour clubs have numerous references to their players.
Keep an eye on all the Fox Sports ads/promotions and see for yourself. Let me know if you think I am imagining it?

Lemnoc, I like you have been amazed how we don't feature on fox due to our enormous fan base.. definitely not an even playing field

 

[justadragon]

Dragons to offer reece walsh from Brisbane a contract to hard to refuse.
Will be the highest paid fullback in the nrl.

Just what we need, another big bucks chasing Queenslander

 

[Dragon David]

The Amone incident had been in the media for months and the potential ramifications would have been well known to Flanno, I doubt in such an important position he would not have done his due diligence. As for Flanno junior he was brought to the club a 9-14 and got put in the 6 as a consequence of Amone. I believe after watching the CS I would like to see Marschke get a run at 6 and put Kyle back to 14 in the next trial. IMO I dont think he did enough against the Bunnies reserve graders.

Yep, the same goes for me. Marschke showed a lot more enterprise when he came on and even my mate who saw the game with me at Netstrata said he stood out.

Flanno needs to put Marschke with Hunt at least for the full first half to see how they go and have Kyle as the 14 to back-up Liddle.

 

[Dragon David]

Wow! I definitely think you have come up with something here. It might not be an overt or clear direction that the Fox media have been given, but a subtle and subconscious dislike of our club. What i definitely have noticed is a clear absence of our club colours and players in any of Fox Sports promotions for the NRL. In all the ads for instance, you will need to look very hard to see anything of our club. The lastest ad promoting the season has Ben Hunt featured for a split second, while the other glamour clubs have numerous references to their players.
Keep an eye on all the Fox Sports ads/promotions and see for yourself. Let me know if you think I am imagining it?

There are so many other individuals, figure heads, chiefs/ indians of business who don't like the Dragons just as many of us and business heads disliking other clubs.

I just see us as a not too popular club to promote the NRL and it boils down to how our own administration had and has been deplorable with the bad decisions they have generally made to make us the way we are today. Employing the likes of Price, McGregor, Griffin and allowing them and their recruiters to harness in rejects, journeymen and favourites to take up the salary cap for so many years.

Is it any wonder that we have been overlooked because we have become an embarrassment in my opinion to the NRL, fanbase and financial backers of the club?

If the heads of our Organisation did their due diligence to the nth degree and ensured that with the plenty of notice given by Bennett that he was leaving that the Club would have gone all out for a more reputable and experienced head coach rather than Price and the years afterwards doing the same thing for the replacement of head coaches, we would be seen in a different light as our good results would have enabled this.

Many of us have been following the Dragons for most of our lives and for too long now we have been waiting and waiting for a Messiah of some sort to bring us back from the brink of despair (almost there) to being successful once again. I'm concerned that I might not see this success and that would be my bad luck, so I'm really hoping that Shane Flanagan can get us the players we desperately need and get us making up the numbers in the top 4 sooner rather than later.

Then maybe we will see the brand of the RedV being uppermost in the promotional ads of the NRL.

 

[BLM01]

I might get shot down for this but I really feel Saints missed the boat big time to be such a huge success like Penrith as this has been said a million times. Sloan in his article said how he played his best footy with Amone and Bud. Just like Penrith persisted with Cleary, Edwards and Luia. Saints simply should have done the same we had 3 or 4 years of pain, hiw much worse would it have got if they played together those 3-4 years? I am sure Cleary, Luia and Edwards did not burn teams from their first few games as they were just getting experience. They also brought in Api a gun hooker to make it even easier for them. The Panthers simpley had more patience. They knew they had something special and just gave it so much time to blossom and they are bearing all the fruits to that with 4 awesome years of excellent footy on the back of these youngsters who simply stuck together and were given time.

Saints had that with Sloan, Bud and Amone and if Hunt went to Hooker would have made it so much easier for them just like Api. But it never happened. Watching the Charity shield then Bud play the way he did for the Tigers was sad.

I just hope Saints learn from this. Watching Kyle Flanno and Bud, I still cannot understand by the coach let go of Bud knowing Amone was literally no chance of getting clear. Kyle could have still been in the 17 as hooker. Coach Flanno has as much to blame as Mary and Hook as it was really bad judgement and one where he may have been blinded because he wants his son to succeed.

Chalk and cheese as players the Penrith v our trio even in early days they showed more
Not a good comparison although Panthers had better training coaching snd pathways
That is obvious

 

[BLM01]

I don't want to sound like a Conspiracy Theorist but.......
Do any of you have any insight into the relationship between Win Corporation and the Murdoch Media empire ?
I know they have an uneasy business relationship and share content (?) but Win would have to be one of Murdoch's biggest domestic competitors in television and radio and Murdoch would not be doing anything to help out that competitor. Theoretically they could in fact use their market power and influence to stifle any expansion or overt success. Two things that stem from that idea are 1) the fact that Win have a 25% stake in the Dragons (correct me if that has changed or I'm completely mistaken) and 2) Murdoch's Fox exert a lot of influence over the NRL and their associates - e.g. other media groups, Clubs (they hold the purse strings of some), player manages (would be easy to "influence") etc. Basically what I'm saying, a very successful and powerful Dragons team/club would be a boon for Win in subscriptions, viewing audiences, advertising etc and Murdoch has the power to influence that should they wish to.
Not saying this is happening but it's food for thought. Clubs refusing to release players to us but happy to do so for other teams, players not wanting to come here, our best juniors being easily poached, player managers using us as pawns to attract better offers for their charges and in the process embarrass us etc, makes you wonder.

I applaud you for a well thought out big conspiracy theory.

 

[Mojo]

I might get shot down for this but I really feel Saints missed the boat big time to be such a huge success like Penrith as this has been said a million times. Sloan in his article said how he played his best footy with Amone and Bud. Just like Penrith persisted with Cleary, Edwards and Luia. Saints simply should have done the same we had 3 or 4 years of pain, hiw much worse would it have got if they played together those 3-4 years? I am sure Cleary, Luia and Edwards did not burn teams from their first few games as they were just getting experience. They also brought in Api a gun hooker to make it even easier for them. The Panthers simpley had more patience. They knew they had something special and just gave it so much time to blossom and they are bearing all the fruits to that with 4 awesome years of excellent footy on the back of these youngsters who simply stuck together and were given time.

Saints had that with Sloan, Bud and Amone and if Hunt went to Hooker would have made it so much easier for them just like Api. But it never happened. Watching the Charity shield then Bud play the way he did for the Tigers was sad.

I just hope Saints learn from this. Watching Kyle Flanno and Bud, I still cannot understand by the coach let go of Bud knowing Amone was literally no chance of getting clear. Kyle could have still been in the 17 as hooker. Coach Flanno has as much to blame as Mary and Hook as it was really bad judgement and one where he may have been blinded because he wants his son to succeed.

That's how I see it. too. Another angle on this is that Hunt's insistence on playing 7 has had a huge impact. Worse still, he's not even a particularly good 7. If Hunt would have agreed to play 9 we would have had so many more options, at the very least. We shouldn't have lost Sullivan. I can't help suspecting Hunt had something to do with it. I cannot understand why the hell the Dragons have hitched their wagon to Hunt. It seems we've virtually managed the side for some years to satisfy his requirements. I've never believed we'd be completely stuffed without him.

 

[TruSaint]

Lemnoc, I like you have been amazed how we don't feature on fox due to our enormous fan base.. definitely not an even playing field

Our fan base is massive but much less engaged than years back. Miles wide, inch deep.

TV rights rule our game sadly. We are not the Club that would draw huge viewerships and crowds at games.

A decade or more of mediocrity would do that.

 

[Dragon David]

That's how I see it. too. Another angle on this is that Hunt's insistence on playing 7 has had a huge impact. Worse still, he's not even a particularly good 7. If Hunt would have agreed to play 9 we would have had so many more options, at the very least. We shouldn't have lost Sullivan. I can't help suspecting Hunt had something to do with it. I cannot understand why the hell the Dragons have hitched their wagon to Hunt. It seems we've virtually managed the side for some years to satisfy his requirements. I've never believed we'd be completely stuffed without him.

I can see a guy like Marschke to be a better half than Hunt and that is just from seeing him play in the Charity Shield. I don't think that I am the only one to have this thought and that one short spell last Saturday would definitely not be a true indication of whether or not he will be able to cut it in first grade but I can just tell that he has that quality and build and brain to be creative and lead a team.

 

[Desperate Dragon]

For what it's worth, in Hoops blog today he was asked the question about what Luciano would do.
Said it is too close to call as the Dragons and Raiders offers are very similar.
Definitely looks like if big Luc is going to leave the Cows he will have to take a fairly large pay cut.

 

[The Word]

Good post.
I'm hoping Twiggys involvement in '25 changes that. Australia's second richest man potentially opens TPA opportunities to the Dragons the likes of which others can only dream of.

Sadly I see no reason why this would happen. The wealthy benefactors who become involved in TPA's are almost always diehard boyhood fans of their clubs. As far as I'm aware Twiggy has no prior involvement in League, let alone the Dragons. It looks like a straightforward sponsorship deal to me which works very well for both parties.

Now if Flanagan can talk Twiggy into coming down to a few home games, get him into the sheds, around the fans and the passion, get him excited at a local level, then who knows. Maybe he falls in love with this club like we have and starts writing cheques...

 

[The Word]

I don't want to sound like a Conspiracy Theorist but.......
Do any of you have any insight into the relationship between Win Corporation and the Murdoch Media empire ?
I know they have an uneasy business relationship and share content (?) but Win would have to be one of Murdoch's biggest domestic competitors in television and radio and Murdoch would not be doing anything to help out that competitor. Theoretically they could in fact use their market power and influence to stifle any expansion or overt success. Two things that stem from that idea are 1) the fact that Win have a 25% stake in the Dragons (correct me if that has changed or I'm completely mistaken) and 2) Murdoch's Fox exert a lot of influence over the NRL and their associates - e.g. other media groups, Clubs (they hold the purse strings of some), player manages (would be easy to "influence") etc. Basically what I'm saying, a very successful and powerful Dragons team/club would be a boon for Win in subscriptions, viewing audiences, advertising etc and Murdoch has the power to influence that should they wish to.
Not saying this is happening but it's food for thought. Clubs refusing to release players to us but happy to do so for other teams, players not wanting to come here, our best juniors being easily poached, player managers using us as pawns to attract better offers for their charges and in the process embarrass us etc, makes you wonder.

I love a good conspiracy theory as much as the next man. Unfortunately I don't think we register high enough on Newscorp's radar to warrant any energy expense from them.

 

[carltonsouth79]

Dragons to offer reece walsh from Brisbane a contract to hard to refuse.
Will be the highest paid fullback in the nrl.

Does he want to move to Sydney?