Time for new fullback !

[hazzbeen]

Make all the changes you want, it won't change the outcome for this season. 2017 is done. Won't win another game.

Crush you ok mate ? You have been fairly positive so far , even when we played poorly you managed to see some good . Not having a dig at you but why all of a sudden the gloom ? I think we are gone for the season , Thats just my opinion ......

 

[Crush]

Crush you ok mate ? You have been fairly positive so far , even when we played poorly you managed to see some good . Not having a dig at you but why all of a sudden the gloom ? I think we are gone for the season , Thats just my opinion ......

Just disappointed Hazz. I'll snap out of it soon. Maybe.....

 

[hazzbeen]

Just disappointed Hazz. I'll snap out of it soon. Maybe.....

The problem is , for me I am getting use to the disappointment , and I know when the slide starts under Marys coaching that the decline is fast .... The Power game as Mary told everyone was ok for a few weeks as we seemed to have had a grueling preseason in the fitness department . The rest of the teams start picking up there fitness as the season gets to the pointy end of the comp . As we have said no plan B no real chances for our young blokes to be ready for the following year the cycle continues the same ... So disappointed yea , but upset no , because I didn't expect any different under Marys coaching ....

 

[ALSGI]

ALSGI, you know that I am one of the most positive posters on here and always full of optimism right? Well I guess the titans game was the one where I realised that we were pretending. Titans didn't even play well and they won comfortably. Last year it was after we went to NZ and played a half strength Warriors and got smashed that I realised it was over.
Im still struggling to get over the Titans game. I knew Dogs would be a tough ask given the circumstances but the Titans we should have owned. But we didnt. We got owned.
Its over.

Yes I agree Crush, I'm usually pretty positive and only a month or so ago I said it was a great time to be a Dragons supporter. FMD.
I thought with Mann at 7 we would begin to turn the corner but ..... at least the few times he got the ball at 7 he was an upgrade on McCrone but there was obviously instructions not to give him the ball.
I didn't agree earlier but f**k we're a mess and I can't see us winning enough to crawl into the 8, if any at all.
The board especially, as well as Mary, Hornby and Young should hang their heads in shame.

 

[st.phil]

Well we couldn't beat dogs 13th, Titans 14th, barely beat Tigers 15th, let 16th Knights score 28 points in 15 minutes against us at home.
So yeah, really......

chin up mate

 

[Crush]

The problem is , for me I am getting use to the disappointment , and I know when the slide starts under Marys coaching that the decline is fast .... The Power game as Mary told everyone was ok for a few weeks as we seemed to have had a grueling preseason in the fitness department . The rest of the teams start picking up there fitness as the season gets to the pointy end of the comp . As we have said no plan B no real chances for our young blokes to be ready for the following year the cycle continues the same ... So disappointed yea , but upset no , because I didn't expect any different under Marys coaching ....

Execution is letting us down as well as a lack of speed out wide and a halfback.
I blame the players as well as the coach.

 

[Crush]

Yes I agree Crush, I'm usually pretty positive and only a month or so ago I said it was a great time to be a Dragons supporter. FMD.
I thought with Mann at 7 we would begin to turn the corner but ..... at least the few times he got the ball at 7 he was an upgrade on McCrone but there was obviously instructions not to give him the ball.
I didn't agree earlier but f**k we're a mess and I can't see us winning enough to crawl into the 8, if any at all.
The board especially, as well as Mary, Hornby and Young should hang their heads in shame.

Its hard to see us turning this around mate but lets hope we do.
If nothing else it will be amusing to see how Mary handles the press conferences if we go on a losing streak.

 

[coast_dragons]

Mary will just rehash the same shit he does every week.

This is the same guy that got the arse from the club when they had a coach with Balls.

For whatever reason they bring him back and he has done sfa and he still remains.

The Dragons are the new Steelers in the way they are run and well we all know what happens next another merger will be on the cards.

 

[possm]

Make all the changes you want, it won't change the outcome for this season. 2017 is done. Won't win another game.

And yet many on here would say it's not a mess! I'd say that our current situation is clearly because we have a mess.
A bunch of juniors signed but not ready for first grade and no plans to test them this season even though we are clearly sliding down the ladder and unlikely to win the competition this year. Dufty at fullback, young outside backs and some promising forwards need to be tested this year to answer questions for next year.

 

[Crush]

And yet many on here would say it's not a mess! I'd say that our current situation is clearly because we have a mess.
A bunch of juniors signed but not ready for first grade and no plans to test them this season even though we are clearly sliding down the ladder and unlikely to win the competition this year. Dufty at fullback, young outside backs and some promising forwards need to be tested this year to answer questions for next year.

I see your point somewhat but you can't just throw everything out the window and pick a team full of youth so as to develop them for years to come. It needs to be gradual. I know I have been saying we are doomed but I am just showing frustration. I would like dufty to be given a run yes. But I don't want to see the whole team changed.

 

[JDHD]

Dufty is in his first year out of 20s. He's only just starting to find great form in Cup after an injury affected start to the year and you want the throw him into grade. That'll do me.

 

[Crush]

Dufty is in his first year out of 20s. He's only just starting to find great form in Cup after an injury affected start to the year and you want the throw him into grade. That'll do me.

I would like to see him eased into first grade to give him the experience this year. I don't think he will have a great impact but I think he is ready for a taste. He is progressing well.

 

[possm]

I see your point somewhat but you can't just throw everything out the window and pick a team full of youth so as to develop them for years to come. It needs to be gradual. I know I have been saying we are doomed but I am just showing frustration. I would like dufty to be given a run yes. But I don't want to see the whole team changed.

You are absolutely right however, there needs to be a creditable plan in place with mentors and a committee comprising club officials with a vested interest to see our juniors progress within the Club.

I complete agree that juniors must be ready and prepared to be tested at first grade level. I also hold the view that first grade vacancy must be filled with players like for like or better to ensure team stability and progression. We have had about 5 dead years in a row where in which there was very little prospect of us making a grand final. Not good enough for a proud club like the Dragons.

If there is not substantial change sooner rather than later, our Club could very well be in the cross-hairs of those at the NRL who would dearly love to see us go in the same way that Newtown, North Sydney and now possibly Balmain have gone. These were all very fine clubs who developed many famous players and served there fans and district well until they fell into financial difficulty. It is time to address the mismanagement of our Club before it is too late.

 

[Dennis Papaioannou]

And yet many on here would say it's not a mess! I'd say that our current situation is clearly because we have a mess.
A bunch of juniors signed but not ready for first grade and no plans to test them this season even though we are clearly sliding down the ladder and unlikely to win the competition this year. Dufty at fullback, young outside backs and some promising forwards need to be tested this year to answer questions for next year.

Definitely a mess - no doubt about it.

 

[ALSGI]

Dufty is in his first year out of 20s. He's only just starting to find great form in Cup after an injury affected start to the year and you want the throw him into grade. That'll do me.

2016 Bevan French debut as 20yo after less than half a year in Reggies.
2017 Cotric debut as a 18yo straight from NYC.
Jack Bird.......
There are plenty more around that have added speed and xfactor to their clubs NRL teams, just not at Dragons - we don't need speed with our power game.

 

[Dragonslayer]

2016 Bevan French debut as 20yo after less than half a year in Reggies.
2017 Cotric debut as a 18yo straight from NYC.
Jack Bird.......
There are plenty more around that have added speed and xfactor to their clubs NRL teams, just not at Dragons - we don't need speed with our power game.

The issue there of course is that McGregor would argue that he has given debuts to Host, Leilua, Sele, Lawrie and Field and even back to Aitken who of course are all youngsters.
However, i think we can agree that they dont really get a fair go (barring Aitken) with consistant playing. They either play as the #17 and given like 10 mins or they play and then banished back to reggies the next week. Sometimes they dont play at all.
This is the conundrum i cant work out, you select them in the 21 but they dont play at all even in reggies.....unless they are injured but why select them in the first place?.....very perplexed at this.

 

[ALSGI]

The issue there of course is that McGregor would argue that he has given debuts to Host, Leilua, Sele, Lawrie and Field and even back to Aitken who of course are all youngsters.
However, i think we can agree that they dont really get a fair go (barring Aitken) with consistant playing. They either play as the #17 and given like 10 mins or they play and then banished back to reggies the next week. Sometimes they dont play at all.
This is the conundrum i cant work out, you select them in the 21 but they dont play at all even in reggies.....unless they are injured but why select them in the first place?.....very perplexed at this.

Yep, meanwhile we have the slowest backs in the NRL.

 

[Overseas dragon]

No point boys trying to work out Mary's thought process.his shrink told me he's been trying to sort out his thought process for the last 5 years with no success.no hope no f**kin hope

 

[denis preston]

You are absolutely right however, there needs to be a creditable plan in place with mentors and a committee comprising club officials with a vested interest to see our juniors progress within the Club.

I complete agree that juniors must be ready and prepared to be tested at first grade level. I also hold the view that first grade vacancy must be filled with players like for like or better to ensure team stability and progression. We have had about 5 dead years in a row where in which there was very little prospect of us making a grand final. Not good enough for a proud club like the Dragons.

If there is not substantial change sooner rather than later, our Club could very well be in the cross-hairs of those at the NRL who would dearly love to see us go in the same way that Newtown, North Sydney and now possibly Balmain have gone. These were all very fine clubs who developed many famous players and served there fans and district well until they fell into financial difficulty. It is time to address the mismanagement of our Club before it is too late.

I disagree with you completely regarding player acquisition / retention and don't believe it is a " mess " but not in regard to the board & McGregor. Why do we have a pathways program and have a coach that blocks this pathway ? As for Coyne , did he have a say in renewing Mary ? It doesn't make sense to renew him at that stage when nobody else was chasing him. ( Also did he get a upgrade in salary ? ) The scary thing is the club can't afford to renig on marys contract and sack him but this obviously needs to be done.

We are never going to overthrow the Board but we can build pressure on Doust to do something about our pathetic coaches . The only time the board reacts is when they think their job is exposed as in very obvious poor decision making , and retention of Mary is prominent.

 

[JDHD]

2016 Bevan French debut as 20yo after less than half a year in Reggies.
2017 Cotric debut as a 18yo straight from NYC.
Jack Bird.......
There are plenty more around that have added speed and xfactor to their clubs NRL teams, just not at Dragons - we don't need speed with our power game.

French came in because the Eels season last year was a complete write off. It worked, but he's since been shifted back to the wing because his speed is phenomenal but he lacks the polish and size that Gutherson brings to the position.

Cotric would have about 20cm and 20 kg on Dufty. So did Latrell Mitchell last year, and he was absolutely busted by the half way point, so much so that they moved Finger Rapist to fullback for the last few rounds to give him a break.

Jack Bird, again, was bigger and heavier then than Dufty is now and was dominating every position except hooker and halves through out 20s. I have mutual friends with a former Panthers talent scout who left at the end of last year and he said that Bird was as close to a sure thing as he had ever seen in his ten years in the job. Dufty, meanwhile, is unproven at Cup level yet. He's an outstanding talent who will play grade but he's only just finding his feet in reggies after a slow start. A move to grade could ruin him.