Lock Trent Merrin, arguably the Dragons' best this season, said the players, not the coach, were to blame for the side's slow start and urged the club to stick with Price.
''That's exactly what it was, it was us as a group to blame,'' Merrin said before Country's clash with City in Coffs Harbour on Sunday.
''Everyone was blaming Pricey but in the end it comes down to the players and the individuals. If we don't want to play footy then we're going to dish up rubbish, which we did the first few weeks. We've had a good look at ourselves and tweaked a few things and it's been working since.
''There was heaps of talk about him getting the chop and we knew that. But that's not what we're about. We don't give into stuff like that and and we knew we were better than that. To see someone we love and respect so much to be criticised like that hurt all of us. We knew we had to pull our fingers out to make sure he stays with us.''
You'd be hard pressed to find a person who has anything negative to say about Price, and those in rugby league circles believe the besieged Dragons mentor is one of the best young coaches in the business.
But St George Illawarra haven't done him any favours by placing so much uncertainty over his future.
They've made no secret of their desire to lure a high-profile coach to the club and even when they missed out on Craig Bellamy, they placed Price under even greater pressure when they insisted they would continue their search for another coach. Amidst the uncertainty and the lack of support from the club, Price has transformed his side from potential wooden-spooners into a confident team many believe may challenge for the finals.
Merrin, who has played under Price since the under-20s, went as far as comparing Price with Bennett.
''Pricey is one of those blokes you want to go out there and play for,'' Merrin said. ''There's a similar comparison to Wayne Bennett because you got out there and played for Wayne as well.
''Pricey's down to earth, but he'll give you the tap on the shoulder when he thinks you need it and that's what any good coach does.''
Read more:
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...und-in-form-20130419-2i5hn.html#ixzz2QvKSoFqo
Merrin has put his weight behind Pricey and who are we all to disagree with arguably our best player?
;-)