Widdop seeks release

[tumbidragon]

Nonsense. If we gained Normal as a result of losing Widdop,and lost Widdop as a result of supercoach Price poaching him, supercoach Price has partially made up for all the damage he did.

Norman and Hunt are going to be the most formidable halves combination in the competition.

 

[getsmarty]

DRAGONS


Tough conversations as UK calls for Widdop
Author
Dan Walsh NRL.com Reporter
Timestamp
Mon 11 Mar 2019, 11:19 AM

Gareth Widdop once marched into Craig Bellamy's office, 60-odd NRL games and a Storm title to his name, and left the Melbourne mastermind speechless.

"I’m about to sign with the Dragons, when’s a good time to tell the lads?" the young Englishman told Bellamy, no fuss, no muss.

Since that frank chat six years ago, Widdop and his family have become ingrained in the St George Illawarra inner sanctum and in turn the wider Wollongong community.

Widdop captains the club, his son Brayden runs his kicking tee and the English international apparently knows the name of every kid who crosses his path in the northern Illawarra suburb of Thirroul.

All of which makes his shift to Warrington at season's end, and the conversations around it, that much tougher.

When news of an impending Super League switch for the 29-year-old first broke, his kids feared they were UK-bound the next day.

St George Illawarra instead have a whole season with Widdop leading the side.

And one more crack at adding another premiership ring to the collection before he and his family make a move that has been more than a decade in the making.


"It has been on my mind ever since I moved out here," Widdop told NRL.com.

"I've always wanted to go back and play since I first came out at 16. It's been no secret that I've wanted to go back and play home at some point.

"These are tough decisions, but you come across them in life and this is just one of them that we've made. I'm looking forward to it but it's still a long way off at the moment.

"I don't want to go into it too much out of respect to my teammates, the sponsors and our fans. It's a decision that was made a long time ago now.

"My main focus now is making sure that in this last year at the Dragons I'm going out there and doing everything possible to have some success."

Widdop is reluctant to dwell too long on his return to his motherland, but more comfortable with lifting the Dragons back to the promised one.

Jack de Belin's playing fate aside, Paul McGregor well and truly has a roster of his own making.

"I came into the club when it probably wasn't in the best position," Widdop said.

"I've been here for six, seven years now and it's taken that long to get the roster that the coaches want and it's a really competitive roster.

"Last year for a number of reasons we didn't get there but our team hasn't gone backwards. We've added Corey Norman, we've lost Leeson Ah Mau but we've got Korbin Sims.

"You'd like to think the squad's the same if not a little bit more experienced."

Norman's introduction to the red and white shifts Widdop to fullback for the first time at club level since those days at Melbourne, though a standout 2017 World Cup campaign in England's No.1 jersey puts he and McGregor at ease with the spinal adjustment.

Dragons skipper Gareth Widdop. Gregg Porteous/NRL Photos
The coach has also outlined a plan for livewire custodian Matt Dufty to play from the pine, with Widdop able to shift into the halves alongside Norman and Ben Hunt pushing into hooker.

Widdop is open to the in-game changes and the luxury of attacking options compared to seasons past, provided the playmakers have enough time to truly nut out their combinations.

"I think if you come up with something you need to stick with it and give it a good crack," Widdop said.

"We've got that ability to rotate and change things, we've all played in those positions.

"But generally in the spine you don't want to tweak things too much, I've got the mindset that I am going to be at fullback for a full year or at least a large part of it.

"Each week it will be different, you don't want to be tweaking your spine too much and changing things but we do have that option.

"Each game is going to be different for whatever reason but we can use Duft like that because I can switch into the front line if he's to come on with his speed and footwork, that could be really useful against a tired defence."


https://www.dragons.com.au/news/2019/03/11/tough-conversations-as-uk-calls-for-widdop/

 

[41yearsaint]

DRAGONS


Tough conversations as UK calls for Widdop
Author
Dan Walsh NRL.com Reporter
Timestamp
Mon 11 Mar 2019, 11:19 AM

Gareth Widdop once marched into Craig Bellamy's office, 60-odd NRL games and a Storm title to his name, and left the Melbourne mastermind speechless.

"I’m about to sign with the Dragons, when’s a good time to tell the lads?" the young Englishman told Bellamy, no fuss, no muss.

Since that frank chat six years ago, Widdop and his family have become ingrained in the St George Illawarra inner sanctum and in turn the wider Wollongong community.

Widdop captains the club, his son Brayden runs his kicking tee and the English international apparently knows the name of every kid who crosses his path in the northern Illawarra suburb of Thirroul.

All of which makes his shift to Warrington at season's end, and the conversations around it, that much tougher.

When news of an impending Super League switch for the 29-year-old first broke, his kids feared they were UK-bound the next day.

St George Illawarra instead have a whole season with Widdop leading the side.

And one more crack at adding another premiership ring to the collection before he and his family make a move that has been more than a decade in the making.


"It has been on my mind ever since I moved out here," Widdop told NRL.com.

"I've always wanted to go back and play since I first came out at 16. It's been no secret that I've wanted to go back and play home at some point.

"These are tough decisions, but you come across them in life and this is just one of them that we've made. I'm looking forward to it but it's still a long way off at the moment.

"I don't want to go into it too much out of respect to my teammates, the sponsors and our fans. It's a decision that was made a long time ago now.

"My main focus now is making sure that in this last year at the Dragons I'm going out there and doing everything possible to have some success."

Widdop is reluctant to dwell too long on his return to his motherland, but more comfortable with lifting the Dragons back to the promised one.

Jack de Belin's playing fate aside, Paul McGregor well and truly has a roster of his own making.

"I came into the club when it probably wasn't in the best position," Widdop said.

"I've been here for six, seven years now and it's taken that long to get the roster that the coaches want and it's a really competitive roster.

"Last year for a number of reasons we didn't get there but our team hasn't gone backwards. We've added Corey Norman, we've lost Leeson Ah Mau but we've got Korbin Sims.

"You'd like to think the squad's the same if not a little bit more experienced."

Norman's introduction to the red and white shifts Widdop to fullback for the first time at club level since those days at Melbourne, though a standout 2017 World Cup campaign in England's No.1 jersey puts he and McGregor at ease with the spinal adjustment.

Dragons skipper Gareth Widdop. Gregg Porteous/NRL Photos
The coach has also outlined a plan for livewire custodian Matt Dufty to play from the pine, with Widdop able to shift into the halves alongside Norman and Ben Hunt pushing into hooker.

Widdop is open to the in-game changes and the luxury of attacking options compared to seasons past, provided the playmakers have enough time to truly nut out their combinations.

"I think if you come up with something you need to stick with it and give it a good crack," Widdop said.

"We've got that ability to rotate and change things, we've all played in those positions.

"But generally in the spine you don't want to tweak things too much, I've got the mindset that I am going to be at fullback for a full year or at least a large part of it.

"Each week it will be different, you don't want to be tweaking your spine too much and changing things but we do have that option.

"Each game is going to be different for whatever reason but we can use Duft like that because I can switch into the front line if he's to come on with his speed and footwork, that could be really useful against a tired defence."


https://www.dragons.com.au/news/2019/03/11/tough-conversations-as-uk-calls-for-widdop/

The words Spine and Tweak is concerning me.

 

[getsmarty]

Widdop's last shot at NRL title with St George Illawarra Dragons

• 
  Tim Barrow

Local Sport

Grand plan: Gareth Widdop. Picture: John Veage


At some point between September 7 and October 6, St George Illawarra captain Gareth Widdop will farewell the fans for the final time.

The worst case scenario presents a quiet exit to a handful of Dragons supporters on the Gold Coast, after missing the finals.

Obviously, the dream would be joining Ben Hornby in the pages of history as a premiership-winning leader at ANZ Stadium a month later.

Certainly, Widdop will be hoping his departure from Australia will be more successful and less messy than his homeland's political push to leave the European Union.

The measure of Widdop's Brexit will be determined by how well he makes the shift to fullback - and the moving parts around it, controlled by coach Paul McGregor.

Even in itself, Widdop's switch is remarkable, bucking the long-running trend of players who move from the No.1 jersey into the halves.

Initially a fullback, Hornby was the levelled-headed No.7 who broke the drought in 2010. Darren Lockyer was Brisbane's Dally M fullback-of-the-year in 1998 and Clive Churchill Medallist in 2000, before winning a third title at five-eighth with the Broncos in 2006.


Widdop already has his own premiership ring as five-eighth in the Storm's 2012 triumph over the Bulldogs and is now trying to do it in reverse in his Dragons swansong.

"Everyone knows i’m going back home at the end of the year, it’s still a long way away, for me," he said.

"Obviously bringing in Corey (Norman) enables the spine to move around a little bit.

"It’s something Mary sat down and spoke to me about, in the end i said whatever he feels is best for the team, I’m happy with.

"I played five-eighth my whole NRL career, I’m a five-eighth, but i’m enjoying it at the back. It’s a new challenge for me, iIve done it before, for England, things like that, it’s enjoyable.

"I think the biggest difference is obviously doing it for 24 rounds, instead of doing it for 6-7 weeks is going to be the biggest challenge."

Widdop's move allows Norman, who arrived from Parramatta amid an old social media video storm, to partner Ben Hunt in the halves.

It also provides McGregor with the flexibility of using Hunt and Cameron McInnes as a dummy-half tag-team, when he can pull the trigger against tiring forwards, with the added firepower of Matt Dufty playing the bench utility role.


Still the Dragons have to shake the reputation for late-season fadeouts, having lost eight of their last 12 to miss the finals in 2017, again stumbling last year, dropping six of their last nine to qualify in seventh.

Widdop has played 185 games in the NRL since making his debut the year St George Illawarra won the title.

The breakdown includes 115 for the Dragons, out of the shadow of Cooper Cronk and Cameron Smith.

Cronk won a premiership effectively with one arm last year at the Roosters. Smith won another title at the Storm in 2017.

Charge: Dragons forward Jack de Belin. Picture: Paul Barkley/NRL Photos

Another ex-Melbourne superstar, Greg Inglis was part of the South Sydney fairytale in 2014. This is Widdop's final hope.

"There’s no reason why not," Widdop said on Monday.

"Obviously a lot of things need to get right before that, you need to have belief, that’s what we play the game for, to win premierships and we do have the squad to do it."

Flagging his intention to leave last year, Widdop agreed to be part of the upcoming campaign rather than force a hurried last goodbye and put McGregor's plans in disarray. And yet still the Dragons off-season has been anything but smooth.

The rape charges levelled against Jack de Belin have rocked the playing group, as much as they retreat within the club "bubble" and McGregor has enforce an edict they must keep focus on what's ahead on the field. Whatever happens in the de Belin court case, it will drag on for some time to come, the shadow cast.

The NRL's new no-fault policy to stand down players accused of serious crimes, challenged by de Belin in the Federal Court last week, has presented a selection headache.


McGregor has enlisted NSW forward Tyson Frizell to move into the middle and take on de Belin's defensive workload.

The alternative may well be for Korbin Sims, recruited from Brisbane, to fill de Belin's gap and Frizell to return to the second-row, but the youngest of the famous Gerringong rugby league family is suspended until round three.

But the Charity Shield exposed some major defensive worries for the Dragons, with Jacob Host taking Frizell's place on the right edge and Ben Hunt in combination with Zac Lomax, Euan Aitken and Mikaele Ravalawa.

You need to have belief, that’s what we play the game for, to win premierships and we do have the squad to do it.

Gareth Widdop
Perhaps they would have had teething problems anyway, given they are without the experience of Jason Nightingale and Nene Macdonald.

McGregor has offered no excuses, given the Dragons stunned Brisbane 48-18 in last year's elimination final and, without Widdop on the field, lost to Souths in the semi-final, but only after Adam Reynolds kicked three field goals.

"I think we showed that last year," McGregor said after the Charity Shield loss to the Rabbitohs.

"We didn't have Paul Vaughan for the finals series, we did alright without him.

"We lost Gareth (Widdop) going into the second final and we were up 8-2 at halftime until we lost Tariq (Sims). We lost Tariq and still only got beaten by a field goal.

"The same players are still here. No one's changed.

"It's just about now knuckling down and working towards what we need to do for round one. I think the resilience and learnings from last year are pretty important going into a fresh year."

Red and white delight: Wayne Bennett and Ben Hornby in Wollongong with the 2010 premiership. Picture: Ken Robertson


https://www.illawarramercury.com.au...an-secure-nrl-premiership-for-dragons/?cs=302

 

[Crush]

Interesting to hear Wayne Bennett say that he prefers Widdop in the halves than fullback.
Even though he can play fullback he is much more effective in the halves.
Wise words from a wise man.
Our coach should listen to uncle wayne.

 

[getsmarty]

Will the Widdop experiment pay off?

It wouldn’t be the start of the NRL season without Dragons fans being filled with optimism and hope for the season ahead.

You can’t blame them though, can you?

Coach Paul McGregor has put together a fairly decent St George Illawarra side over the last couple of seasons and had it not been for injuries you might’ve tipped them to go all the way last year.

But with the spine of the team set for a major shake-up, can they bring the premiership back to Kogarah?

The Dragons added former Eels five-eighth Corey Norman to their roster in the off-season and his arrival has caused a bit of a re-shuffle in their starting line-up.

McGregor has taken a gamble and moved star player Gareth Widdop to fullback to accommodate Norman’s arrival.

This a risky change to make considering that Widdop is one of the team’s best players and their attack can be quite flat at times without him.

We have seen in the past that players like Ben Hunt, for example, can look quite lost without his leadership.

It seems strange to move one of your most vital players out of his best position to make way for a new signing.

Widdop has proved time and time again how crucial he is to the Dragons’ set-up and fans have been left puzzled by this decision from McGregor.

Let’s look at the numbers.

Both Widdop and Norman scored four tries last season whilst Norman averaged more tackles per game at 15.48 compared to Widdop’s 13.81.

(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Widdop recorded more try assists last season at 18 whilst Norman was not far behind at 14.

All of this must be considered with the fact that Norman was playing in a struggling Parramatta side last year.

So who deserves the five-eighth spot more?

On one hand it makes sense. Widdop will be leaving the Dragons at the end of the season to head back to England and it seems like a good idea that they’ve brought in a replacement nice and early and are now trying to settle him in to the team.

With Widdop being moved to fullback, this has left Matthew Dufty relegated to the bench.

Dufty wasn’t perfect for the Dragons last year but he definitely showed promising signs in his debut season for the Saints and at the age of 23 he can only get better.

But how is he supposed to improve his game and fulfill his potential if he is sitting on the bench and not even getting a go?

St George Illawarra fell to the Cowboys 24-12 in Round 1 and many fans will point to this change in the team as the reason to why their team was so disappointing.

Others will say that the team simply needs time to gel and adjust to this new change.

https://www.theroar.com.au/2019/03/19/will-the-widdop-experiment-pay-off/

 

[getsmarty]

Widdop starts to reflect on time at the Dragons
Skipper Gareth Widdop reflects on his time at the Dragons and shares some of his favourite memories in the Red V ahead of his final game with the squad on Saturday.

https://www.dragons.com.au/news/2019/09/04/widdop-reflects-on-time-at-the-dragons/

 

[Bloodbath]

Widdop starts to reflect on time at the Dragons
Skipper Gareth Widdop reflects on his time at the Dragons and shares some of his favourite memories in the Red V ahead of his final game with the squad on Saturday.

https://www.dragons.com.au/news/2019/09/04/widdop-reflects-on-time-at-the-dragons/

Should be a short reflection.or a long one if he talks about how many games he missed through injury

 

[Saint_JimmyG]

In years to come, we will rue how Saints lost a wonderful player and a perfect opportunity to win another premiership all because of the decision to appoint the worst coach in its history.

 

[St Georgio]

In years to come, we will rue how Saints lost a wonderful player and a perfect opportunity to win another premiership all because of the decision to appoint the worst coach in its history.

Like 2003-2006 having the Likes of Barrett, Gaz, Coops, Bailey, Ryles, Thommo, Timmins coached by another L Plater, what amazes me there are many here seeking another Rookie to take over!
Somehow they never learn!

 

[Saint_JimmyG]

Like 2003-2006 having the Likes of Barrett, Gaz, Coops, Bailey, Ryles, Thommo, Timmins coached by another L Plater, what amazes me there are many here seeking another Rookie to take over!
Somehow they never learn!

That “L plater” (Brown) managed a preliminary final appearance during that time and was desperately unlucky to be screwed by referees Mander (2005) and Clarke (2006).

McGregor will never attain that kind of achievement.

 

[St Georgio]

That “L plater” (Brown) managed a preliminary final appearance during that time and was desperately unlucky to be screwed by referees Mander (2005) and Clarke (2006).

McGregor will never attain that kind of achievement.

I will agree Browny is a better coach, but an old head at the time would have been a better choice.

 

[Saint_JimmyG]

I will agree Browny is a better coach, but an old head at the time would have been a better choice.

An “old head” wouldn’t have mattered with a brace of referees who palpably disliked Saints.

 

[giboz71]

Brown never had the smarts to take us all the way but he hasn't single handedly ruined players like McGregor has.

The exodus of juniors like Garrick, Herbert, Robson and now seemingly Dufty who all learnt nothing under his watch is almost criminal how that was allowed to happen.

 

[R&WTILLIDIE]

Brown never had the smarts to take us all the way but he hasn't single handedly ruined players like McGregor has.

The exodus of juniors like Garrick, Herbert, Robson and now seemingly Dufty who all learnt nothing under his watch is almost criminal how that was allowed to happen.

I had a chat with Gasnier years ago. He said Brown was great at spotting talent. He said the perfect combination would be Bennett as coach and Brown as assistant.

Looking at Brown's track record Gaz was probably right. He built that premiership team. Bennett applied a few finishing touches and the rest is history.

Mcmerkinface on the other hand couldn't build a sandcastle with a pile of wet sand and an excavator.

 

[giboz71]

I had a chat with Gasnier years ago. He said Brown was great at spotting talent. He said the perfect combination would be Bennett as coach and Brown as assistant.

Looking at Brown's track record Gaz was probably right. He built that premiership team. Bennett applied a few finishing touches and the rest is history.

Mcmerkinface on the other hand couldn't build a sandcastle with a pile of wet sand and an excavator.

More specifically, Brown taught those blokes how to be FG players and how to survive the rigours of an NRL season.

He had a golden age of juniors which included Ryles, Bailey, Head, Gaz, Coops, Hornby, Young, Creagh, the Morris twins, Nighty etc. Most of those guys went on to rep careers under Brown's watch.

Mary also had a great crop coming through that were all part of the 2016 20's team that made a prelim. Dufty, Field, Leilua, Host, Garrick, Sele, Robson, Herbert, Lawrie etc. None of those blokes have learnt a thing under Mary and half have left,

Chalk and cheese how Brown and Mary's lists will end up.

 

[BLM01]

Should be a short reflection.or a long one if he talks about how many games he missed through injury

Great player i will miss him and so will the Dragons. He does not have too many highlights to report.poor bugger..thanks Mary.....but he looks happy now and a weight of his shoulders.

 

[Willow]

Should be a short reflection.or a long one if he talks about how many games he missed through injury

Really...? Gareth Widdop has been there for an average of 21 games per season for us.

2014-2019 (6 seasons)
Games:125
Tries: 33
Goals: 386
Field Goals: 6
Total: 910 points

... with one game to play.

One of the reasons why I am going to the game on Saturday is because I know it's the last time we'll see Gareth Widdop in the Red V. No player is perfect, even Chang had crap games. But Widdop gave us good service. IMO, he could have been fantastic under a better coaching regime.

He is a purpose-built Rugby League player. He can play in almost any position, from wing to lock and everything in between. He can kick, he can pass, he can run and knows how land them goals from the sideline.

Make no mistake, the only reason McGregor has a semi-finals win in his kit is because Widdop took control of the game last year against Brisbane. Anyone who thought it was the coach's game plan is kidding themselves.

 

[Old Timer]

Really...? Gareth Widdop has been there for an average of 21 games per season for us.

2014-2019 (6 seasons)
Games:125
Tries: 33
Goals: 386
Field Goals: 6
Total: 910 points

... with one game to play.

One of the reasons why I am going to the game on Saturday is because I know it's the last time we'll see Gareth Widdop in the Red V. No player is perfect, even Chang had crap games. But Widdop gave us good service. IMO, he could have been fantastic under a better coaching regime.

He is a purpose-built Rugby League player. He can play in almost any position, from wing to lock and everything in between. He can kick, he can pass, he can run and knows how land them goals from the sideline.

Make no mistake, the only reason McGregor has a semi-finals win in his kit is because Widdop took control of the game last year against Brisbane. Anyone who thought it was the coach's game plan is kidding themselves.

We don't always agree Willow but I salute you for the above post.
Widdop's absence next year will make it very hard for me to even contemplate watching Dragons games where we will look like absolute rabble as I think that is how big his loss will be.

 

[Willow]

We don't always agree Willow but I salute you for the above post.
Widdop's absence next year will make it very hard for me to even contemplate watching Dragons games where we will look like absolute rabble as I think that is how big his loss will be.

I forgot to add that Widdop's injury was a dislocated shoulder that he suffered in early 2018. He came back to win us that game against Brisbane in the semis, only to dislocate his shoulder again late in the match. He was brought back too early this year and it popped again. I could excuse him for refusing to play this weekend.