Dragons 2018: McGregor wary of wounded Sea Eagles
Dragons Den News
GUARDED: Dragons coach Paul McGregor at training this week. Picture: Sylvia Liber
IT'S a complete mismatch on paper but St George Illawarra coach Paul McGregor remains wary of an ambush from a wounded Manly outfit in Wollongong on Saturday.
The strife-torn Sea Eagles have came into the season under a salary cap cloud that's severely limited their recruitment and retention amid other off-field dramas that led to banishment of young half Jackson Hastings.
Coach Trent Barrett's woes have been compounded by an injury crisis that last week claimed star hooker Api Koroisau with the NRL this week knocking back the club's bid to draft young-gun Manase Fainu as a replacement.
Club great Anthony Watmough also thrust skipper Daly Cherry-Evans back into the headlines this week when he publicly unloaded on his former premiership-winning teammate.
In contrast, the Dragons have been a picture stability, reclaiming the competition lead with a gritty win over the Bulldogs last week, but McGregor insisted his side won't fall into the trap of underestimating the Eagles.
“They’re a good team they beat Brisbane in Brisbane and Melbourne in Melbourne not so long ago,” McGregor said.
“They’ve only scored one try less than us throughout the season so they’ve got some attack in them through individual brilliance.
“Their hooker will be Lewis Brown and [Matthew] Wright will come off the interchange there, that’s how we’re planning. If anything changes from there we’ve just got to adjust on the run.
“We always focus more on ourselves as we get closer to the game, we obviously know what the opposition are likely to throw at us. We’ve got to make sure we apply the pressure, not feel the pressure.
“We’re playing in front of a home crowd and it’s a chance to go out there and play a good brand of footy. We know what we need to do, it’s just about going out there and doing it.”
McGregor also battled salary cap issues when he moved into his first head-coaching role with the Dragons in a transitional phase. It's made it easy to empathise with his good-mate Barrett, but it will be all business on Saturday.
“The job as an NRL coach at any club is quite difficult and when you go through change it hurts at times,” McGregor said.
“He’s going through a fair bit of that at the moment around his recruitment and retention and salary cap. There’s a few other things happening within his squad [where] players aren’t playing.
“Of course I feel for him, that’s what mates do, they’re there for each other, but he knows I’ve got my job to do and he’s got his to do.
“We’re both going to go out there with one thing in mind, which is to play the best brand of footy we can and get the win.”
The Dragons have no shortage of distractions of their own, with four players backing up from Origin last week and as many as 10 set to be involved in the rep round next weekend.
It promises to be a juggling act but McGregor said the coming weeks shape as more of a mental battle than a physical one for his rep contingent.
“They've all been on light duties this week, this will be their third game in 11 days so we've got to be mindful of that,” McGregor said of his Origin stars.
“It's not a physical thing through the week it's this time of year it's your mental approach that's important. We’ve had a limited five-day turn, limited work on the field but it’s more between the ears at the moment.
“There’s no excuse there. It’s a good test of character as a player to know that, first and foremost, the team needs to come first and representative stuff follows.
“The guys know that. They understand they’re in a position to play rep footy through their team efforts.
“You can't see around corners so I can't judge what's going to happen. I just think we need to get through this week and then look at what we do after this week.”
https://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/5470097/mcgregor-wary-of-wounded-sea-eagles/?cs=3713
