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The Rumours Thread

S

slippery5

Juniors
Messages
1,740
Old Timer said:
I get the point about the roster but do believe that to a very large extent S F has created some of the mess that we are in.

Some bad recruitment, some poor extensions, some debatable actions re players that have been let go and throw some bad "low balling" offers.

Notwithstanding any of that the essence of coaching is actually about players acquiring skills and improving combined with getting rid of oft repeated bad habits.

I believe in respect of that S F has failed and in fact made us more ponderous than we already were.

We still do dumb shit, we still have some players that are easily gassed, we have poor defensive patterns combined with arm grabbers, poor kicking games, clunky attacking structures combined with poor game strategy let alone game management.

If there is an area where S F has improved us as a team or an individual players skills then I would like to know what that is.

S F has been kissed on the dick because of the work that has been done by Willie T and his crew in preparing the young one's for their chance at playing regular NRL and if not for that work we would be in an even more parlous state.

Indeed the roster is not great but we should be doing better than what we are especially if any of the things that people posted about S F's "coaching" ability are actually true.
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I don't get why there are so many arm grabeers in the NRL, why are they not identified & pulled aside for some one on one training? I had some 13 yr olds in our street that asked me to give them some tackling lessons, so I took them to our local park with a sandpit & coached them out of it in 2hrs.
They were so proud of them selves the next week they played, & every one was commenting to them how good they were.
Watch Munster, he's a perfect example.
 
Old Timer

Old Timer

Coach
Messages
18,653
slippery5 said:
I don't get why there are so many arm grabeers in the NRL, why are they not identified & pulled aside for some one on one training? I had some 13 yr olds in our street that asked me to give them some tackling lessons, so I took them to our local park with a sandpit & coached them out of it in 2hrs.
They were so proud of them selves the next week they played, & every one was commenting to them how good they were.
Watch Munster, he's a perfect example.
Click to expand...
Indeed Slippery it makes you wonder how some players ever managed to get to 1st grade.

I guess some players think they can play standing upright the entire game and are really just there for the attacking plays and they only have to make a bit of a token effort to bend the back to defend properly every now and then.

I remember > 50 years ago doing tackling practise at Moore Park on the field opposite the Captain Cook Hotel where it sloped down to the next field which was probably a good 3 foot lower.

You would have the attacker run at you west to east and you had to tackle him with your left shoulder and drive him down the slope and the you would reverse it and have him run at you east to west and you had to tackle him on your right shoulder and again drive him down the slope.

It quickly taught you how to get your head in the correct position and that you had to wrap your arms around the upper thighs / hips of the opposition player and drive into the tackle with your legs.

If they were close to your line then you just moved the target area up accordingly.

We weren't allowed to do any ball work until such times as the tackling drills were all completed to the coaches liking.
 
M

mattw5

Juniors
Messages
811
Murfy said:
Some good news…

The Dragons have locked in highly-rated Penrith juniors Cornelius and Alexander Pupualii. The 16-year-old twins met with Shane Flanagan and will be locked in long term at the Dragons. (Zerotackle)

centre and second rower both huge
Click to expand...
One of the brothers unfortunately suffered an ACL injury this season. Both players were impressed with the vision outlayed by Flanagan from the same report it goes on to mention a few other clubs were interested also so this is a positive that things are moving in the right direction.
 
M

maestro1

Bench
Messages
4,978
The Word said:
I'm also keen to see Flanagan get his roster. Much as I wasn't a fan of Griffin, I don't think we can say he ever got the roster he wanted. The club was completely hamstrung by the salary cap through poor signings and contract negotiations. Griffin was not good enough at managing the salary cap and neither was the football department and he ended up having to recruit aging players to fill the spots. He simply wasn't able to change or fix the mess we were already in.

The difference now is that I get the impression Flanagan has a much better handle on the cap as well as player retention and contract sizes. Although he hasn't been able to get some of the high profile players he's after, he has put the club in a position so that financially we can put in proper bids for these players. Therefore there's a decent chance that over the next year or two, if he's given the time, we could end up with a really good squad.

I'm not happy with how the season has panned out, but I would definitely say that our top 30 is continuing to evolve and improve under Flanagan.
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Griffin was caught up in the nostalgia of getting his Brisbane boys back together. He got hi squad, unfortunately they were all too old for the NRL.
 
Inisai Toga

Inisai Toga

Juniors
Messages
1,654
maestro1 said:
Griffin was caught up in the nostalgia of getting his Brisbane boys back together. He got hi squad, unfortunately they were all too old for the NRL.
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Perhaps, but different times imo maestro 1.. He couldn’t call on the reserves as they hadn’t played due to Covid 19, so no great options there. Overplayed it imo, but a different context to now, which I feel that’s often overlooked or ignored.
 
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AyiosYiorgos

AyiosYiorgos

Coach
Messages
14,447
Old Timer said:
Indeed Slippery it makes you wonder how some players ever managed to get to 1st grade.

I guess some players think they can play standing upright the entire game and are really just there for the attacking plays and they only have to make a bit of a token effort to bend the back to defend properly every now and then.

I remember > 50 years ago doing tackling practise at Moore Park on the field opposite the Captain Cook Hotel where it sloped down to the next field which was probably a good 3 foot lower.

You would have the attacker run at you west to east and you had to tackle him with your left shoulder and drive him down the slope and the you would reverse it and have him run at you east to west and you had to tackle him on your right shoulder and again drive him down the slope.

It quickly taught you how to get your head in the correct position and that you had to wrap your arms around the upper thighs / hips of the opposition player and drive into the tackle with your legs.

If they were close to your line then you just moved the target area up accordingly.

We weren't allowed to do any ball work until such times as the tackling drills were all completed to the coaches liking.
Click to expand...
They're not taught to tackle like that now
 
KogarahWarrior

KogarahWarrior

Bench
Messages
2,514
Mickov said:
I disagree, i think this is a good scenario where a guy like Hornby who has Dragons DNA but spends time away from the club broadening his knowledge, seeing what works what doesn't at other clubs and then brings that experience back when he's ready.
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I thought Hornby did OK taking over from JD last year. It was his idea at the time to shift Keaon to the middle which took Wayne a while to actually do this year
 
possm

possm

Coach
Messages
16,551
I'm Hornby said:
At least Mary got us to finals in his first full season in charge and again in his fourth full season in charge.

His win/loss ratio as coach is also superior to Flanagan's at the dragons.

You're encouraging Flanagan to overstay his welcome which is absurd, he can either get the team winning or he can piss off ASAP
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Like Price, Mary did so much damage to the Dragons, and we are still paying the price.
 
possm

possm

Coach
Messages
16,551
slippery5 said:
I don't get why there are so many arm grabeers in the NRL, why are they not identified & pulled aside for some one on one training? I had some 13 yr olds in our street that asked me to give them some tackling lessons, so I took them to our local park with a sandpit & coached them out of it in 2hrs.
They were so proud of them selves the next week they played, & every one was commenting to them how good they were.
Watch Munster, he's a perfect example.
Click to expand...
Defensive coach can't coach. Sack Young
 
I

I'm Hornby

Juniors
Messages
1,031
maestro1 said:
Griffin was caught up in the nostalgia of getting his Brisbane boys back together. He got hi squad, unfortunately they were all too old for the NRL.
Click to expand...
Griffin got his squad in the same way that Flanagan now has his, both have been given an opportunity to sign players who are available on the market.

Can you honestly say the recruitment is markedly better? I think anyone who does better take their apologist glasses off.
 
possm

possm

Coach
Messages
16,551
I'm Hornby said:
Griffin got his squad in the same way that Flanagan now has his, both have been given an opportunity to sign players who are available on the market.

Can you honestly say the recruitment is markedly better? I think anyone who does better take their apologist glasses off.
Click to expand...
Recruitment was gret during the Bennett era but has fallen away significantly ever since.
 
O

offiah

Juniors
Messages
446
Flanno is the one that has set the pathways and doing a great job there. Willie is also doing a great job at cup level. Their relationship is working well in that it is not just about getting a win, but knowing what Flanno needs at NRL level.

One of the big problems here outside of recruitment, is the defensive systems fall apart with pressure. If only we had a Ciraldo type running our defence. Or really anyone that has proven they can improve defence and put a system in place that holds up. The Panthers are still using Ciros structures to this day.
 
I

InFlannoWeTrust

Juniors
Messages
257
St George Illawarra chief executive Tim Watsford has lifted the lid on the club’s plan to hit the NRL player market in search of a big-name halfback and lashed the online bullying of Kyle Flanagan.
In his most expansive comments yet on his plans for the Red V, Watsford, speaking on the Dragons Den podcast, also spoke about his disappointment at the departure of Jack de Belin to Parramatta at season’s end and vowed to make the decisions necessary to turn the Dragons back into a premiership force.

No-one at the club has been under the microscope more this season than Flanagan, in large part because his father Shane is the head coach of the club.

Watsford wants fans to remember that Kyle Flanagan was brought to the club with a plan to play as a utility but forced to take more control of the team when Ben Hunt departed and Junior Amone was sacked.

Flanagan has held his gloves up but that hasn’t stopped some fans targeting the Dragons No.7 with vile social media attacks that have now been called out by the club.

“I think if you look at where we are as a club at the moment from a half perspective, Lyhkan (King-Togia) is killing it,” Watsford said.


He had an absolute brainer on the weekend. I think we’ve all just seen exactly what this kid’s going to do in the future — superstar.

“(Lachlan) Ilias and Kylie are sitting there. We’ve got Kade Reed coming through the juniors. Decisions once again have to be made.

“I think looking at the Kyle factor as an example and looking at kind of where he sits, there’s a few things that probably need to be said.


Kyle was brought in as a 14 or utility to play a role. At the time, we had two halves in Benny Hunt and Junior Amone in and around the club.


“That was where the club was heading. At the end of last year, we signed Daniel Atkinson from the Sharks and he will come in and play half in 2026.

“Kyle is there fulfilling a role for 2025 and fulfilling it well. We’re in the market and we’ll be in the market for a marquee halfback — fact.

Kyle Flanagan has been the subject of online ridicule in recent months. Picture: NRL Photos
“I think there’s a real misconception out there that Kyle in particular has been put into a role to be that elite halfback.

“He is performing a role and doing it really, really well.”

That hasn’t stopped some fans hammering the Dragons No.7.

“Seeing and hearing elements of what he’s going through over the past two or three weeks in particular has been horrendous,” Watsford said.

“I look at some of the stuff from an online point of view – that’s not fair … that’s not our ecosystem.

“But in saying that, as I mentioned before, Dragons fans deserve and want success. What’s the plan? The plan is that Atkinson is coming in 2026.

“We’re in the market for a big halfback and absolutely Kyle is fulfilling a role now that is making the club proud.

“Look some players left the club at the end of last year for multiple reasons. This year we’re competing, we’re hanging in there.

“Winning is the game that we’re in. That’s where we want to be and that’s what Kyle wants to be.”

A handful of big-name halves will be on the market from November 1 including Jahrome Hughes, Sandon Smith, Jaxon Purdue and Luke Metcalf.

Injured Warriors halfback Luke Metcalf is a November 1 guy.
The Dragons have money to spend, although Watsford is intent on ensuring there is still room for the coterie of club juniors to flourish.

That charter helps explain why de Belin was allowed to depart at season’s end.

“Jack’s been very good to the club, the club’s been very good to Jack,” Watsford said.

“Jack and his agent were looking for direction around what the future looks like for Jack. He was off contract obviously at the end of 2025.

Young Dragons five-eighth Lyhkan King-Togia has been tipped for a big future.

Daniel Atkinson will join the Red-V from local rivals Cronulla at the end of the season.


“Jack’s always going to be a Dragon, an absolute barnstorming Dragon. He’s given the commitment to play hard and we’ll celebrate everything that Jack has given to the club between now and the end of the year.

“But it comes back to the business of sport. I’ve got a salary cap to manage. These decisions get scrutinised. With what’s coming through and particularly our junior pathway programs and who’s currently on field …. we need to look at ways to develop these guys.


“We’ve got two new teams coming in- the Bears are coming down the pipe hot in November this year.

“The club’s always been strong with juniors. The point now is to put our border force up and really have a decent swing, support our juniors and drive home time premierships.

“That’s where we want to be.”

De Belin isn’t the only Dragon headed for the exit door at season’s end with

promising half Jonah Glover set to join South Sydney.

Glover, a star of the Dragons’ NSW Cup side that has been riding high near the top of the ladder this season, has agreed to a two-year deal with the Rabbitohs.
 
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