Who would you like to see appointed as Dragons Coach for 2015 on

[Damo!]

Could somebody please comment on what the McGregor / Millward coaching combination, have actually done wrong to date.

Exactly, who wouldn't want a guy with such a stellar record coaching the Dragons;

Coach Years Games W L D Win %
MILLWARD, Ian 2008 14 2 12 - 14.3

That includes a 13 game losing streak, a record for the Cowboys.

 

[coast_dragons]

Mary is expected to go to a foreign country to ply his trade on the word of a few fans lol now thats funny.

 

[chuckling]

Matt Parish is a rookie who could be worth looking at, has a lot of experience as assistant with some good squads and a good working relationship with Mary in Origin. Could be worth considering.

Problem with Parish is then you've got Ray Hadley up our ass and thats never helpful...

 

[Godz Illa]

Mary is expected to go to a foreign country to ply his trade on the word of a few fans lol now thats funny.

I couldn't care less what he does. Go back to coaching in the bush leagues if he wants. Not going to help his resumè as much as a few seasons in the Superleague though.

 

[coast_dragons]

You make it easy to just pack up your stuff and head overseas interesting.

 

[The Damo]

McGregor has proven nothing. His wins have come against weak/weakened teams. I'll concede he might be better than Price. But that's setting the bar pretty low.

This is not actually much of an argument, basically "lack of experience" and that's it. I am not convinced one way or another who should be next coach, but think that the only real argument I've heard so far against Mary is lack of first grade experience. So my question is - what do you think a more experienced, better choice for coach (Bennett, Bellamy, hasler, anyone) would have done differently had they taken over in the circumstances Mary did, and how would those decisions have led to better outcomes?

 

[Godz Illa]

I didn't realise that it's never been done before

 

[The Damo]

Thought I would do this as an exercise to clarify my thinking, and think there is at least some evidence to support these contentions
Mary's good decisions;
Creagh to prop
Cooper to starting prop
Thomson permanent shift to left edge, 80 mins
Merrin to prop (could start easily, brings impact off bench though and has mostly got big mins anyway)
JDB to lock
Hunt being "injured"
Giving benji and widdop suitable roles and expectations

Mary's bad decisions
Keeping ah mau playing long mins (if in team should be used shorter stints)

Mary's other decisions
Big one - Dugan to centre quinlan to fullback. On evidence so far I think this has been mostly successful, hard to say as assertions about what would happen otherwise are speculation, but most arguments come down to dugans kick returns and better defense vs quinlan a ball playing and support play, both plausible but on evidence so far this decision is at least a pass.
Runciman and Beale swapping while Morris out. Not sure on this one, but one thing I am sure of is replacing the best winger in the world is not an easy task.

Any other suggestions or arguments to these?
And again, what do you think a better coach would have done, and how would it have made a positive difference?

 

[Cherrybrookdragon84]

I reckon Ah Mau has played more minutes recently partly because Frizz has been injured. We lose a lot not having. Friz on the right edge. I'm personally not sold on Dugan at centre full time, great experiment and certainly against certain opposition it works - however Quinlans reluctance to catch the high ball at times and his perpetual need to pass to nightingale rather than take the ball back lead me to think that longer term Dugan offers more danger from the back. I've been impressed by Mary generally, his demeanour in press conferences is great. Calls a spade a spade and doesn't dress mutton up as lamb like price did. Mary seems to be determined to bring credibility back to the Red V rather than see us continue to be a great club with a soft reputation.....

 

[smi962]

Summarising the supporters and non-supporters arguments on the coaching threads here and on JA about Mary:

The Mary supporters arguments:

-He has a reasonable coaching record so far
-The players are supporting him and responding to his coaching methods
-What other good coaching options are there?
-Even if there is other reasonable coaching options, how do we know this option will be good fit at the Dragons i.e. better the devil you know.


The Mary critics arguments:

-His coaching sample size is currently too small to suggest he is a good coach
-He is part of the old boy's club at the Dragons
-We need an experienced coach to ensure we can be successful as quickly as possible given the talent in the squad
-He is an ex-Steeler great, and this will increase the strength of the Illawarra side of the joint venture.

 

[bottle]

Could somebody please comment on what the McGregor / Millward coaching combination, have actually done wrong to date.
McGregor's coaching methodologies are playing out, for all of us to see, as the weeks are going by.
Millward, is one of a few coaches that have won a world club championship.
Why do we need to look any further?
Problem solved...

In all seriousness SS it isn't about what they've done wrong. It's about being sure that the right decision is made.

The sample we've seen so far simply isn't enough to deliver a verdict either way. Nor has the quality of the outcomes been such that it is overwhelmingly convincing. If continuous improvement is shown, standards are seen to improve and the quality of the outcomes enhanced, then there is a sounder basis upon which to deliver a judgement. The improvements that appear to have been implemented so far are still subject to scrutiny and under question due to underlying circumstances, as we've seen above. If improvement continues though, wins accumulate and our position on the table keeps moving upwards then such qualifications lose weight and become less compelling.

There are at least 6 games left for Saints this season (hopefully more). I just don't see the need to rush any decision until this season plays itself out.

I don't care a bit about the rookie issue, there are a plethora of examples where rookie coaches have gone on to win Premmys with their rookie club. I don't care about the 'old boy/Illawarra' issue. Again, the old boy scenario has played out well for other clubs (Gould-Penrith, Hasler/Cleal/Toovey-Manly, Anderson/Folkes -Dogs). I care about the quality of outcomes and results. If Mary continues to deliver these in a positive fashion, and the decision is a results based one ONLY, then I'm happy for him to be appointed on that basis if that is what the decision makers deem to be in the club's best interests. Time will be the arbiter of that. I don't believe we are at that point yet.

As someone stated elsewhere, any decision made before the end of this season will most likely be a premature one.

 

[The Damo]

Great post bottle, on the money.

 

[Damo!]

Problem with Parish is then you've got Ray Hadley up our ass and thats never helpful...

meh, it's not as if he likes us anyway I, for one, think pissing him off is a bonus.

 

[getsmarty]

The Dragons have not offered Paul ‘Mary’ McGregor the vacant head coach position

• DEAN RITCHIE
• The Daily Telegraph
• July 30, 2014 12:00AM

Dragons remain in finals hunt as pressure mounts on Potter

HE has won five of his eight games as St George Illawarra’s interim coach and has received heavyweight support from the NSW State of Origin coach.

The Dragons, though, continue to stall on appointing Paul ‘Mary’ McGregor to the top job permanently.
Only percentages keep the Dragons out of the top eight with six rounds remaining as the wave of support for McGregor to be appointed head coach continues to grow.
It is unknown whether McGregor, who has key support from the playing group, has been officially interviewed by the club yet.




Gold Coast assistant Neil Henry is in the frame while Tim Sheens and the soon-to-be former Brisbane coach Anthony Griffin has also been mentioned as an option.
Henry is said to be desperately keen for another head coaching position.
McGregor is still favourite after taking over from sacked former coach Steve Price two months ago.
“He is a guy for whom I have great respect,” victorious Blues coach Laurie Daley said last night. “He has wonderful work ethic and is very diligent. His attention to detail is first class.
“Mary has a great rapport with players and he seeks perfection. He has worked with me on programs for Country Origin and NSW Origin since 2008.
“He was also an influential member of this year’s NSW coaching team.




“I can’t speak highly enough of him. He has been a highly successful coach at a number of levels.”
It is understood the Dragons board is waiting to see whether the side continues to succeed under McGregor or falls away leading into the finals.
A former NSW, Dragons and Test centre, McGregor was not commenting on Tuesday.
There is one theory at Saints that some want a big-name coach who can attract sponsorship. They may, however, have an issue convincing the McGregor-supporting playing group of their logic.






Saints had a massive turnover of players last year and with Benji Marshall’s arrival earlier this season, most of the roster is locked in for 2015. That gives the Dragons the flexibility of not having to rush into a decision due to recruitment reasons.
Dragons chief executive Peter Doust was not speculating on the coaching position last night.
Saints and NSW forward Trent Merrin appeared in The Daily Telegraph to declare his desire for McGregor to stay.
“He deserves the job, he has turned this team around and all the boys believe and trust in him,” Merrin said.





Saints halfback Marshall added: “The big thing is it’s his club and he’s passionate about that. He demands perfection at training which I think a lot of these guys haven’t had for a long time.”
Ex-Illawarra Steelers skipper Michael Bolt was another supporting McGregor.
“He is by far the best candidate,” Bolt said. “I would back him to the hilt.
“Mary shows discipline and calls a spade a spade.”
McGregor is preparing his side for a big match against Sydney Roosters this Saturday at Allianz Stadium.


http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...d-coach-position/story-fni3g9a3-1227006316041

 

[BrissyRedV]

The relentless push from the media for Mary continues. What happened to all the stories about our financial problems? All seemed to disappear after they got their way with Bennett's appointment to the news limited broncos.

 

[St Georgio]

The relentless push from the media for Mary continues. What happened to all the stories about our financial problems? All seemed to disappear after they got their way with Bennett's appointment to the news limited broncos.

These parasites never give up, they won the battle over Wayne Bennett. If Mary truly loves this club as he has stated...he would be quite happy to play out the season and whether he is head coach or assistants who cares, either way he is here to stay.
My tip is he will get us into the finals and secure himself the main position with Potter his assistant.
Mary and Mick both Dragon legends.

 

[DF4E]

It we are going to appoint a rookie coach I think there are better options out there than Mary.
JT would be my first choice with Mary as assistant.
If the club does go with Mary then I think Parrish as assistant would be a good fit.

 

[Godz Illa]

What happened to all the stories about our financial problems?

Funny that, isn't it? All of a sudden the leaks out of the club were miraculously plugged up as soon as Bennett signed elsewhere. Curious and curiouser...

 

[twinkletoes]

The one thing Mary has achieved is that we are playing with structure and an attacking flair which has been missing for the last 2 seasons. Attitude and defence are also much improved. I don't think he could have achieved more in the short time he has been in charge...

 

[Godz Illa]

Price had them playing with structure and flair against Wests in round 1 also, and we scored more points against a team with fewer injuries.

Look Price was awful and should have been sacked at the end of last year, but this season he coached us to wins against similar teams to McGregor. Technically he also got a win over Melbourne in Melbourne.