Widdop seeks release

[DragonJ]

Widdop is a major reason why Saints have been competitive over the past few years. Have you noticed the Dally M Medal points?

How competitive have we been? The Widdop era is probably the most unsuccessful consecutive 5 years in the history of the club. I mean, the history of St George.

 

[DragonJ]

Was it yourself who wagered s bet that Aitken WOULDN’T be on the wing? I feel he will be there.

McGregor’s round one team:

1. Widdop
2. Aitken
3. Lomax
4. Lafai
5. Peirera
6. Norman
7. Hunt
13. Host
12. Frizell
11. Sims
10. Graham
9. McIness
8. Vaughan

Reserves:

14. Latimore
15. Sims
16, Lawrie
17. Leiluia

Not a bad team but just so freaking slow! Forwards are probably faster than the backs.

 

[possm]

How competitive have we been? The Widdop era is probably the most unsuccessful consecutive 5 years in the history of the club. I mean, the history of St George.

I've noticed an attitude in which it doen't really matter all that much when we lose. It seems that players and coaching staff believe that losing is just part of business.

 

[Old Timer]

How competitive have we been? The Widdop era is probably the most unsuccessful consecutive 5 years in the history of the club. I mean, the history of St George.

Why is it the Widdop era?
If you want to blame 1 man for our performances then make sure you blame the right one and Widdop isn't it.
As to it being the most unsuccessful consecutive 5 years why bring St George into it because pre the JV we didn't have the Illawarra albatross and Mc Fookknuckle hanging around our neck so it should be apples for apples.

 

[DragonJ]

Why is it the Widdop era?
If you want to blame 1 man for our performances then make sure you blame the right one and Widdop isn't it.
As to it being the most unsuccessful consecutive 5 years why bring St George into it because pre the JV we didn't have the Illawarra albatross and Mc Fookknuckle hanging around our neck so it should be apples for apples.

The nature of an internet forum means sometimes one's comments at face value don't reflect what the poster really means.

Of course it's a team effort. If Widdop had Gaz and Coops outside him and.......... Smith and Cronk inside him, he may well have turned out to be a great recruit. But given Widdop has been the (C) for about the half the time and was recruited (and paid) as a supposed marquee playmaker, don't agree he should shoulder more of the blame than others?

As for out excellent coach, Mc Fookknuckle, the guy is an utter moron. No question! Can blame him for a lot but not this. Under good ol chinless, the team was even more of a rabble.

 

[DragonJ]

I've noticed an attitude in which it doen't really matter all that much when we lose. It seems that players and coaching staff believe that losing is just part of business.

Me too. Since the Premiership it seems to me Doust and Co gave themselves a pat on the back and didn't really care too much.

 

[Old Timer]

The nature of an internet forum means sometimes one's comments at face value don't reflect what the poster really means.

Of course it's a team effort. If Widdop had Gaz and Coops outside him and.......... Smith and Cronk inside him, he may well have turned out to be a great recruit. But given Widdop has been the (C) for about the half the time and was recruited (and paid) as a supposed marquee playmaker, don't agree he should shoulder more of the blame than others?

As for out excellent coach, Mc Fookknuckle, the guy is an utter moron. No question! Can blame him for a lot but not this. Under good ol chinless, the team was even more of a rabble.

He was recruited and they didn't add any other high quality players to the roster at that time other than him so the expectation that 1 player can change the fortunes of an entire team and a coach is ludicrous.
Constantly paired with make shift halves partners and having slow coaches and average performers outside him and somehow you think that is his fault FMD have a look at the facts of the situation.
We are an underwhelming team because of lacklustre recruitment, poor coaching and tactics, a selection policy that defies any logic and TBH if Widdop had of left after a couple of years our results would no doubt be far worse than what they were.
Plenty of others had a chance to stand up and be counted as the "player to consistently help make the difference" and that just didn't happen.
We lost so many close games for the want of a FG or forcing another line drop out and we recruited Hunt who has never kicked a FG in his life I suppose that's Widdop's fault to.

 

[DragonJ]

He was recruited and they didn't add any other high quality players to the roster at that time other than him so the expectation that 1 player can change the fortunes of an entire team and a coach is ludicrous.
Constantly paired with make shift halves partners and having slow coaches and average performers outside him and somehow you think that is his fault FMD have a look at the facts of the situation.
We are an underwhelming team because of lacklustre recruitment, poor coaching and tactics, a selection policy that defies any logic and TBH if Widdop had of left after a couple of years our results would no doubt be far worse than what they were.
Plenty of others had a chance to stand up and be counted as the "player to consistently help make the difference" and that just didn't happen.
We lost so many close games for the want of a FG or forcing another line drop out and we recruited Hunt who has never kicked a FG in his life I suppose that's Widdop's fault to.

Seems to me you want to blame everyone and everything but Widdop. Are you his dad?

The kick out on the full (don't forget that), lack of a repeat set, missed field goal and etc is supposed to be the job of the marquee playmaker, isn't it?

Is it the fun thing to do on this forum to throw Ben Hunt under the bus or is it just you? On another thread some guy (or gal) threw JDB under the bus for Widdop which I found very ordinary. I thought the general improvement last year, i.e. winning a few big games, was on the back of Ben Hunt and the superior forward pack.

 

[Dennis Papaioannou]

Seems to me you want to blame everyone and everything but Widdop. Are you his dad?

The kick out on the full (don't forget that), lack of a repeat set, missed field goal and etc is supposed to be the job of the marquee playmaker, isn't it?

Is it the fun thing to do on this forum to throw Ben Hunt under the bus or is it just you? On another thread some guy (or gal) threw JDB under the bus for Widdop which I found very ordinary. I thought the general improvement last year, i.e. winning a few big games, was on the back of Ben Hunt and the superior forward pack.

I tend to agree with you.
I know everyone raves about Widdop but he is overrated in my opinion.
Never converts close games.
Clutch moments are beyond him.
Terrible captain. No balls with the refs and unable to inspire his team mates.
He may as well not even turn up to press conferences as he is just a cardboard cut out.
There is no doubt he is a good footballer but put any half decent 5/8 behind our pack and he will look good.
I think that his best football was played under Bellamy when he had a very specific role to play and was not the chief playmaker.
He also shone at FB for the Poms after Bennett put him there.
While you can't blame Widdop for our continued under achieving, after McGregor - he certainly carries the next biggest responsibility.

 

[DragonJ]

I tend to agree with you.
I know everyone raves about Widdop but he is overrated in my opinion.
Never converts close games.
Clutch moments are beyond him.
Terrible captain. No balls with the refs and unable to inspire his team mates.
He may as well not even turn up to press conferences as he is just a cardboard cut out.
There is no doubt he is a good footballer but put any half decent 5/8 behind our pack and he will look good.
I think that his best football was played under Bellamy when he had a very specific role to play and was not the chief playmaker.
He also shone at FB for the Poms after Bennett put him there.
While you can't blame Widdop for our continued under achieving, after McGregor - he certainly carries the next biggest responsibility.

Sums it up pretty well. As a member of the orchestra, I don't see any reason why he wouldn't do well or very well. As the conductor he wanted to be, was recruited to be and has been paid to be, he has been an unmitigated failure.

I think he will be much better at fullback and judging from the games I have seen Norman play against us at 5/8, I'm a huge fan. I just very much doubt Widdop will prove to be anything near value for money at fullback even though he may do well. He will be one of, if not the highest paid fullback in the competition! At least officially on a higher salary than Tedesco, Ponga and RTS!! Only McFookknuckle could oversee such a farcical situation.

 

[True_Believer]

I think he will be much better at fullback and judging from the games I have seen Norman play against us at 5/8, I'm a huge fan.

So in 2018 the one game he played against us as 5/8 the eels lost, trying their heart out, but still lost to an underperforming Dragons. He sure didn't pull them out of the shite that game - or many of the games going by their final position on the table.

 

[red rocket]

My response is simple. How long did it take McGregor to recognise Lomax? Evaluating talent isn’t one of his strengths, and this has been demonstrated by the large number of promising players who have departed the club.

That's not true Lomax was injured for a large part of last year

 

[red rocket]

When I first heard of Widdop wanting a release from SGI my feelings were 'let him go now' and sign someone who wanted to be part of the red V family. Since that time I have come to the notion that it would be very unique for the Dragons to field 3 top grade halves on the field and in the spine at the same time.

Given we arguably have the 3rd best hooker in the competition and the most promising young hooker coming through - and now ready for selection on the first grade bench - it is logical that the 3 top grade halves would occupy the 1, 6 and 7 positions. Even though I have made my preferences very clear via previous posts, ultimately it will be up to Mary to select who goes where and we all know how unpredictable Mary can be.

Widdop staying that extra year is a chance in a lifetime for SGI to create attacking capability not seen at the Dragons for a long, long time. With Mary's career on the line, let's hope he makes decisions that are in the best interests of the advancement of the team rather than his personal dispositions of stubbiness, unsound loyalty and conservative thinking.

Doesn't mean we have a big fast fullback

 

[Gareth67]

Widdop - why don’t we just crucify the poor sod , after all he was always underperforming in his semi- final matches , he is bluudy useless .

There are 17 players in the Red V - not 1 , you cannot put the onus on his shoulders as it is a team effort , hopefully he will take the bit between his teeth this in his final season and make every post a winner and at the same time prove his critics wrong .

 

[red rocket]

Widdop - why don’t we just crucify the poor sod , after all he was always underperforming in his semi- final matches , he is bluudy useless .

There are 17 players in the Red V - not 1 , you cannot put the onus on his shoulders as it is a team effort , hopefully he will take the bit between his teeth this in his final season and make every post a winner and at the same time prove his critics wrong .

He doesn't have to he has carried the team for years

 

[Dennis Papaioannou]

Widdop - why don’t we just crucify the poor sod , after all he was always underperforming in his semi- final matches , he is bluudy useless .

There are 17 players in the Red V - not 1 , you cannot put the onus on his shoulders as it is a team effort , hopefully he will take the bit between his teeth this in his final season and make every post a winner and at the same time prove his critics wrong .

A little facetious but a more objective and balanced view would be commendable.
Right now, Widdop is on a pedestal which is the opposite of what you describe.
Hopefully his last year at fullback may see the best of him before he jets off into the sunset.

 

[Gareth67]

A little facetious but a more objective and balanced view would be commendable.
Right now, Widdop is on a pedestal which is the opposite of what you describe.
Hopefully his last year at fullback may see the best of him before he jets off into the sunset.

On a pedestal - who was it that place him there ? The media ? What I do know is that as said by some he does without doubt have problems when it comes to closing out the game . However he is and has always been the Dragons player whom get can the team points ( you only need to look at the Broncs semi match to see what damage he is capable of ) there is no need to pull the man down when he is doing his best in a badly coached team and a team that has always had issues with its centers underperforming.

I can only agree wholeheartedly with what our friend Red Rocket said in the earlier post ,
“ he has carried the team for years “ . However there is one point that we both agree upon Dennis and that is that season 2019 will hopefully be a better one for him , perhaps even a premiership ring to take back home to the old dart .

 

[Dennis Papaioannou]

On a pedestal - who was it that place him there ? The media ? What I do know is that as said by some he does without doubt have problems when it comes to closing out the game . However he is and has always been the Dragons player whom get can the team points ( you only need to look at the Broncs semi match to see what damage he is capable of ) there is no need to pull the man down when he is doing his best in a badly coached team and a team that has always had issues with its centers underperforming.

I can only agree wholeheartedly with what our friend Red Rocket said in the earlier post ,
“ he has carried the team for years “ . However there is one point that we both agree upon Dennis and that is that season 2019 will hopefully be a better one for him , perhaps even a premiership ring to take back home to the old dart .

Somewhere in your post we actually agree on a number of points and yes, the media is most responsible for espousing Widdop's virtues as a player. Doesn't mean a lot really.
No one is trying to pull him down, just offering a different perspective based on observing him over the last 5 years.
As for carrying the team for years - well let just say that is a stretch.
Our main strength in recent seasons has been our pack of forwards - not Widdop.
I loved caning the Broncs up at Suncorp in a semi but the undeniable blunt instrument that crushed Brisbane that day was our forwards.
Sims was a wrecking ball backed by Frizzell, JDB and the others.

 

[Saint_JimmyG]

How competitive have we been? The Widdop era is probably the most unsuccessful consecutive 5 years in the history of the club. I mean, the history of St George.

This coincides with the Price/McGregor era.

 

[muzby]

This coincides with the Price/McGregor era.

I prefer to call that era “the dark age”