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Who thinks we would win another comp, if Bennett came to coach us for the next 3 years.

Do you think we would win another comp under Bennett if he comes to coach us for the next 3 years

  • yes

  • no


Results are only viewable after voting.
Messages
8,480
Undecided.

I had the privilege of meeting Wayne Bennett a few years ago, blind luck got me sitting directly opposite him at an Australia Day Council function where he was keynote speaker to over 500 people. While there's a load of stories I could tell - relevant to topic..

I thanked Wayne for being the coach who guided us to a premiership when many of us feared we'd never live to see it. Followed up by asking what the key thing(s) were he did to get us there. He replied akin to "my job was simply to get their heads right - they had the talent, skills, fitness, intent and all the fundamentals of a side that could win it. But there was also a mighty Gorilla on their backs and had been for a long time. So my job was simply to create a mindset of belief in themselves".

He was impressive in so many ways. I also made him chuckle - one of my lifetime highlights. Again that's another story.

The reason i'd answer yes here is what he said his job was is EXACTLY what we need desperately right now. And he'd happily take the brunt of media and deflect it like a pro, and get his side focussed on proving the naysayers wrong. Siege Mentality we lack.

The reason I'd think no is more that that it's approaching a decade since he took that job on for us. Would he have it in him again for another 3 years - going into his mid-70's.

I only look back on his time at the Dragons with positivity, not what many also see is the aftermath when he left. I see that at the Club Management responsibility to manage.
 

to_ddeath

Coach
Messages
11,932
Isaako - poached from the sharks
Nikorima - local boy however went to the roosters and blooded by Griffin.
Shibasaki - played one game, wowee.
Staggs - fair enough.
Pangai - Poached from Canberra.

Does that really matter in all honesty?
Fact is, their minutes this year have crapped on anything that Lomax/Laurie/Robson/Field etc have been given combined...
 

J.moz

Juniors
Messages
236
We should now look forward to the future with the partnership of st.george and win corporation plus a new coach and ceo .
 

getsmarty

Immortal
Messages
34,445
Whether he wins us a premiership or not, who knows...What Bennett would do is get rid of the "Soft Underbelly" and you know that your team would go out every week and have a dig....we would always be in the game.
 

ouryears

Bench
Messages
3,195
I've voted no. I believe Wayne's best coaching days are past him. He has only taken sides to three premierships since 2000. The game is changing and he isn't changing with it, in my opinion. Would like to see a coach from outside the system but not Bennett for mine.
Well, he has his team firing on all cylinders right now.

Could win it!!
Better than anyone else available.

Who do you like who is available?
 

Gareth67

First Grade
Messages
8,845
Well, he has his team firing on all cylinders right now.

Could win it!!
Better than anyone else available.

Who do you like who is available?

Agree , the Broncos are the dark horse of the finalists and are becoming better at the right time . In fact my choice as the 2018 premiers against the wabbits - you heard it here first !
 

SGMax

Juniors
Messages
460
In 2009 Bennett showed us the way to win.
In the very first off season he fixed the defensive issues and we were immediately a contender.
He did tinker with the roster but mainly he had them competing and playing with belief.
If Bennett had been coach in the Brown years we would have won multiple premierships with the roster we had.

I was very disappointed with Price who thought he knew better and stated he would focus on more attacking footy. We went back to spending most of our sets getting to the half way mark.
I was also disappointed in Hornby and some of the other senior players who also should have learnt what it takes to win.....playing hard aggressive footy with defense as the priority.

I am mostly disappointed with the club management who were shown how important an experienced quality coach is and still continued to appoint rookies.
The Price years were some of the most frustrating years as I could see the lack of aggression and intent in their defense but he refused to place any pressure on the opposition by surrendering field position and had the team waiting 10m away on each tackle so the other team could freely organise their attack.

Please bring Bennett back and immediately target the next best coach as his successor.
No more rookies!
 

My man Gasnier

Juniors
Messages
283
Does that really matter in all honesty?
Fact is, their minutes this year have crapped on anything that Lomax/Laurie/Robson/Field etc have been given combined...

It does. If Bennett's team has a rugby league monopoly over Australia's third largest city but he still resorts to poaching juniors rather than scouting and developing locally, how on earth will he manage at the dragons? Our club has a proud history of tapping in to the local juniors and developing them in to great players. Bennett doesn't share that belief nor does his recent record suggest he is capable of it. This is why I believe he is a short term fix, not the guy we want or deserve for long term success.
 

to_ddeath

Coach
Messages
11,932
It does. If Bennett's team has a rugby league monopoly over Australia's third largest city but he still resorts to poaching juniors rather than scouting and developing locally, how on earth will he manage at the dragons? Our club has a proud history of tapping in to the local juniors and developing them in to great players. Bennett doesn't share that belief nor does his recent record suggest he is capable of it. This is why I believe he is a short term fix, not the guy we want or deserve for long term success.

This stuff about our own juniors is a myth...we barely ever maintain decent ones these days & all the top performing teams generally poach a little here and there as they are premiership focused, not 'making the 8 & relying on pot luck' focused..
 

My man Gasnier

Juniors
Messages
283
This stuff about our own juniors is a myth...we barely ever maintain decent ones these days & all the top performing teams generally poach a little here and there as they are premiership focused, not 'making the 8 & relying on pot luck' focused..

A myth? By my count, 10 of the 17 players in the 2010 premiership winning team were dragons juniors (Morris, Gasnier, Cooper, Nightingale, Hornby, Young, Scott, Creagh, Merrin and Prior). Most of which weren't blooded by Bennett.

The top teams can afford to poach juniors at a good price for a whole range of reasons such as prestige, reputation, career prospects etc.

I don't see us having that same luxury as we have a lot of competition in Sydney for fans and players and therefore don't have the same revenue base or appeal as other clubs.

Players, fans, coaches and management alike need to buy in to our culture of organic growth and sustained success. We've gone away from that this decade and are beginning to lose our identity which is a real shame.
 

possm

Coach
Messages
16,034
This stuff about our own juniors is a myth...we barely ever maintain decent ones these days & all the top performing teams generally poach a little here and there as they are premiership focused, not 'making the 8 & relying on pot luck' focused..

I like the idea of gaining clubs paying 100k for each St George Illawarra junior that they register with the NRL. In this way we would at least receive compensation for a portion of the cost of developing these players.
 

This Year?

Immortal
Messages
36,639
I voted no because I believe he wouldn't have the desire to get us over the line and our current bunch are just f**king softcock showponies who don't give a shit anyway.
 

Ted bartolo

Juniors
Messages
293
I voted no because I believe he wouldn't have the desire to get us over the line and our current bunch are just f**king softcock showponies who don't give a shit anyway.[/QUO.At least with Bennett if you don't perform you are dropped and a talented young player is given a go
 

possm

Coach
Messages
16,034
Bennett is a professional and given the opportunity to recruit his squad and train his players, I am absolutely sure he is the best man for the job.
 

ouryears

Bench
Messages
3,195
A myth? By my count, 10 of the 17 players in the 2010 premiership winning team were dragons juniors (Morris, Gasnier, Cooper, Nightingale, Hornby, Young, Scott, Creagh, Merrin and Prior). Most of which weren't blooded by Bennett.

The top teams can afford to poach juniors at a good price for a whole range of reasons such as prestige, reputation, career prospects etc.

I don't see us having that same luxury as we have a lot of competition in Sydney for fans and players and therefore don't have the same revenue base or appeal as other clubs.

Players, fans, coaches and management alike need to buy in to our culture of organic growth and sustained success. We've gone away from that this decade and are beginning to lose our identity which is a real shame.
And how many juniors in our current team?
Two or three
Those days have gone.
 

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