Worse Dragons Side Ever!

[FlameThrower]

Players don’t care, captain does not even want to be here, and demanded immediate release whilst in origin camp. There is no way forward, we are doomed.

 

[thebigredv]

When we end up holding the wooden spoon in late September 2023, our joint venture club will have reached the rock bottom it ever has in this modern day. The worst year by a long shot. Joint ventures simply do not work. The Tigers won the spoon last year and now it is our turn this year. Wooden Spooner Joint Venture Clubs one after the other who would have bet on this a few years ago?

If this trend continues with these two clubs, why have them in the competition?

I know it sounds like a rash and petty response to an inevitable wooden spoon but I am 100% happy to see the club fold and be done with it. If this is what culture and effort of a joint venture is going to equate to then I don't want part of it. I thought it was a bad patch but it looks entrenched in our culture and that is really dawning on me now.

Can't see St George being viable so that's it. Done. The whole joint venture thing is just a step towards eventual extinction and both clubs are feeling that now.

Haven't felt proud of the team in a decade. Haven't felt the same love of the players representing us. Just so hard to get the same feelings one used to when rugby league was rugby league. I'm not even 40 yet. This is not some senile rant but I tend to have a good nose for these things. We're cooked and joint ventures are jokes.

 

[getsmarty]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse2.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.-Z_tMw8o74vsC99uNf2upAAAAA%26pid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=2ccef2ba8d88c5d8166a1f08f81585027ef0716347914960f35e9a53b957441d&ipo=images

 

[matPORTS]

I know it sounds like a rash and petty response to an inevitable wooden spoon but I am 100% happy to see the club fold and be done with it. If this is what culture and effort of a joint venture is going to equate to then I don't want part of it. I thought it was a bad patch but it looks entrenched in our culture and that is really dawning on me now.

Can't see St George being viable so that's it. Done. The whole joint venture thing is just a step towards eventual extinction and both clubs are feeling that now.

Haven't felt proud of the team in a decade. Haven't felt the same love of the players representing us. Just so hard to get the same feelings one used to when rugby league was rugby league. I'm not even 40 yet. This is not some senile rant but I tend to have a good nose for these things. We're cooked and joint ventures are jokes.

I share your sentiments (and I'm not even 40 yet either).

I've been supporting the club since talking footy with my mates in the pre-school playground. Despite not getting to lift the trophy during four GFs in the 90s, and when we also forced Tallis to sit out in 1996 because he defected to SL, the club actually stood for something.

Is it any surprise that both joint ventures are sitting in the bottom two spots of the table at the moment?

Likewise, I don't have the same emotional attachment to any of the players in the current group as what I did earlier in this century.

But, I will hold on to one last glimpse of hope in that I feel Sloan & Sullivan can be superstars and players we can become emotionally attached to. But, it's going to take some superstar coaching, man management and expectations management from Shane Flanagan in order for us to get to this stage...

... and by expectations management - I mean transparency around all the things that are currently going wrong i.e. Ben Haran being out of his depth, the board getting their noses out of areas in the footballing department where they don't have the necessary expertise to be making decisions, being honest about the overall state of the playing group and having honest conversations with those players who are clearly out of their depth or simply don't want to be at the club... moving them on and then being aggressive in terms of recruiting the necessary replacements (as right now we need a dose of 'Weyman, J Smith, Costigan, Saffy 2009' style recruitment in our pack and an urgent clean out of plodders - and perhaps a first grade standard outside back or two as well).

 

[dungay dragon]

I share your sentiments (and I'm not even 40 yet either).

I've been supporting the club since talking footy with my mates in the pre-school playground. Despite not getting to lift the trophy during four GFs in the 90s, and when we also forced Tallis to sit out in 1996 because he defected to SL, the club actually stood for something.

Is it any surprise that both joint ventures are sitting in the bottom two spots of the table at the moment?

Likewise, I don't have the same emotional attachment to any of the players in the current group as what I did earlier in this century.

But, I will hold on to one last glimpse of hope in that I feel Sloan & Sullivan can be superstars and players we can become emotionally attached to. But, it's going to take some superstar coaching, man management and expectations management from Shane Flanagan in order for us to get to this stage...

... and by expectations management - I mean transparency around all the things that are currently going wrong i.e. Ben Haran being out of his depth, the board getting their noses out of areas in the footballing department where they don't have the necessary expertise to be making decisions, being honest about the overall state of the playing group and having honest conversations with those players who are clearly out of their depth or simply don't want to be at the club... moving them on and then being aggressive in terms of recruiting the necessary replacements (as right now we need a dose of 'Weyman, J Smith, Costigan, Saffy 2009' style recruitment in our pack and an urgent clean out of plodders - and perhaps a first grade standard outside back or two as well).

Totally agree with the above sentiments
Have followed this Club since 1965 and have never seen us in such a worse state
Perhaps it mite be time to consider folding up and not taking too much more of this.
One thing i would do NOW
Our World Famous Jumper should be RETIRED IMMEDIATELY until the performance of this mob improves to that of NRL Standard
Lets no devalue this Jersey or Club any more
The red t shirt can be worn in the interim
No Iffs Butts Maybes
Things have got this bad

 

[Slippery Morris]

I don't know if I was a player that I would want to be part of this type of history for the club. History that is for the first team since the JV to win a wooden spoon. In years to come people will be benchmarking their worst team to this one. If that is not enough motivation then nothing is. What an embarrassment.

Hunt and Hook will be singled out especially Hunt for the last 2 weeks as this seriously has impacted the club. The board nobody will remember in 20 years time they will get off scot free even though they are the real culprits for this terrible season. How can they honestly feel good about themselves taking fans money and delivering this crap. I would be ashamed of myself. Giving a coach 6-10 weeks to prove himself should never have been considered. Absolute shocking call made.

There is time to get out of this however and avoid the spoon. It will be hard but if the players have any sort of belief they will get out of this. Hunt clearly has none seeing he wants out so leave him out till he does have any faith in our squad. I would rather Amone, Herring or Mbye fighting for a contract than a guy who is going through the motions playing in the spine.

 

[Dragonssupporter]

I dont know how to get this anger through to the club. I send emails to dragons@dragons.com.au and never get any replies. I dont know if the club just doesnt care or just doesn’t answer. Does anyone else here ever get replies to emails? Mine certainly don’t contain swearing or threats but theyre never answered. Id love to know if anyone else has success or is there a better way to complain to the club

 

[RedVDave]

May sound strange but part of me is relieved this is happening maybe now the board with there six figure sums per year will give them a reality check and they are not doing the bang up job they thought but I'm probably very sadly wrong and they'll delude themselves while drinking crownies and blame everyone other than themselves.

Most of us saw this coming but the people in charge couldn't, that's the problem with morons they don't know they are morons.

 

[Gomarchin]

I'd hate to think what the score would've been without DeBelin last night.

 

[dannyt]

When we end up holding the wooden spoon in late September 2023, our joint venture club will have reached the rock bottom it ever has in this modern day. The worst year by a long shot. Joint ventures simply do not work. The Tigers won the spoon last year and now it is our turn this year. Wooden Spooner Joint Venture Clubs one after the other who would have bet on this a few years ago?

If this trend continues with these two clubs, why have them in the competition?

I think you're overreacting when you say "why have them in the competition" just because they might get the spoon.

How quickly we forget:
-The Roosters got the spoon in 2009, played in GF the following year, and won in 2013, 2018, 2019.
-The Sharks got the spoon in 2014 and won in 2016.

As these two recent examples show, things can turn quickly when the right systems are put in place.

In Flanno we trust.

 

[Dragon David]

I think you're overreacting when you say "why have them in the competition" just because they might get the spoon.

How quickly we forget:
-The Roosters got the spoon in 2009, played in GF the following year, and won in 2013, 2018, 2019.
-The Sharks got the spoon in 2014 and won in 2016.

As these two recent examples show, things can turn quickly when the right systems are put in place.

In Flanno we trust.

But the Roosters and Sharks were not and are not Joint Venture Clubs and cannot be used as comparisons. The Dragons and Tigers are - they are useless because the Joint Venture doesn't work and the reason why I say "why have them in the competition". The joining of Manly and Norths didn't work and look at how they are now functioning for better or for worse with Norths of course not part of the NRL.

 

[Dragon David]

i'm just so pissed off. The excitement of seeing good footy rests with the better clubs. We on the other hand play predictable, boring non exciting footy. Please Shane bring the excitement back to this club.

 

[Mojo]

Im not ready to give up on Sloan yet I think his problem is his positional play he is found out of position in both attack & defence. I put that down to lack of proper coaching & hopefully Flanno & his new assistants can fix that. My massive pet hate is our wingers constantly coming in to tackle centres leaving their winger unmarked we let in at least 1-2 tries each week & 3-4 last night. You are coached from a very early age as a winger to stay on your man & let the inside men defend the centres but both our wingers do it constantly & I can only assume the coaches do nothing about it otherwise they would & should be dropped for a basic wingers error. We will not win another game until that is fixed as we cannot make up the points we lose week after week

It is so consistent I assume they are coached to defend that way out wide. The only 'logic' for it that I can 'invent' is that there is supposed to be some sort of second line of cover defence but, due to lack of fitness, it's never actually there. It is a glaring flaw and inconceivable that nothing seems to be done to correct it.

 

[TruSaint]

This has been coming.

I feel for the diehards here, as i am one and have been for going on 5 fricken decades.

I hate what the Club has become and I don't blame Illawarra. They were born in the 80's. The custodians of the Club, the board, has let us slip to the bottom of the barrel.

Whilst Im at it, the NRL can go and get f**ked too. They have managed to turn the game into a farce.

 

[Mojo]

But the Roosters and Sharks were not and are not Joint Venture Clubs and cannot be used as comparisons. The Dragons and Tigers are - they are useless because the Joint Venture doesn't work and the reason why I say "why have them in the competition". The joining of Manly and Norths didn't work and look at how they are now functioning for better or for worse with Norths of course not part of the NRL.

It's not a JV. It's more like a 50/50 partnership, which is a notoriously difficult business structure. Even worse if the two parties often disagree. Even if it were a true JV, there would normally be an agreed 'manging partner' and usually a management committee. The business structure of StGI is extremely unusual, maybe even unique. That's because it's fkn idiotic, of course! FFS! Can one side please sell-out to the other, or can they please find a way to at least consolidate their interests into a single entity?

 

[KogarahWarrior]

But the Roosters and Sharks were not and are not Joint Venture Clubs and cannot be used as comparisons. The Dragons and Tigers are - they are useless because the Joint Venture doesn't work and the reason why I say "why have them in the competition". The joining of Manly and Norths didn't work and look at how they are now functioning for better or for worse with Norths of course not part of the NRL.

Worst part is, I'd hate to imagine what our roster would look like without the Illawarra side. Most of our juniors are from that region, and the St George board doesn't give a flying f**k about local juniors. We haven't actually had one since Dufty, Sele, Host etc. and we didn't even contest Cronulla for propsects like Blayke Brailey (Menai), or Kane Bradley who's now at the Storm. Not to say that the Illawarra side of the board is perfect by any means, either.

I'm a St George man through and through, but can somebody actually please explain to me what the St George side contributes these days? I'm not assuming that they do nothing, I actually want to know what they contribute.

 

[Mojo]

Worst part is, I'd hate to imagine what our roster would look like without the Illawarra side. Most of our juniors are from that region, and the St George board doesn't give a flying f**k about local juniors. We haven't actually had one since Dufty, Sele, Host etc. and we didn't even contest Cronulla for propsects like Blayke Brailey (Menai), or Kane Bradley who's now at the Storm. Not to say that the Illawarra side of the board is perfect by any means, either.

I'm a St George man through and through, but can somebody actually please explain to me what the St George side contributes these days? I'm not assuming that they do nothing, I actually want to know what they contribute.

Apparently they contribute road-blocks to the other side's hidden agenda which has little to do with rugby league. Not that I know. But that's the summary of all I have been able to glean.

 

[smi962]

The melodrama about the wooden spoon is a bit dramatic; its not like there is relegation and real consequences for getting it. And it will be our first. The management of the club has been always been poor and in decline; early on during the joint venture we were helped by a fairly large group of talented juniors, then we had Bennett and some smart immediate term recruitment. But coaching, quality juniors and smart recruitment are things we have lacked over the past 10 years, so the poor management of the club cannot be swept under the rug.

 

[Illusion]

This has been coming.

I feel for the diehards here, as i am one and have been for going on 5 fricken decades.

I hate what the Club has become and I don't blame Illawarra. They were born in the 80's. The custodians of the Club, the board, has let us slip to the bottom of the barrel.

Whilst Im at it, the NRL can go and get f**ked too. They have managed to turn the game into a farce.

Yes mate the NRL is not like it used to be , it has changed the game ...... And as for our lot Young , Doust , Piggott to name a few have slowly killed this club , and this joint venture thing isn't working ..... What has the 50% Win ownership done since buying in ? ....... I'm over it as much as you , let's just wait and see what happens next year and if I don't see improvements, , I might find something else to follow , maybe Womens beach volleyball , at least the view will be better than the crap we watch now ......

 

[Mojo]

Yes mate the NRL is not like it used to be , it has changed the game ...... And as for our lot Young , Doust , Piggott to name a few have slowly killed this club , and this joint venture thing isn't working ..... What has the 50% Win ownership done since buying in ? ....... I'm over it as much as you , let's just wait and see what happens next year and if I don't see improvements, , I might find something else to follow , maybe Womens beach volleyball , at least the view will be better than the crap we watch now ......

Careful, I believe Reece Walsh moonlights in his tight little two-piece at the beach on non-footy-game weekend days.