2025 Season - The season that was

J

Justadragon

SGI Jersey Flegg
George Sancti said:
Whilst I’m hopeful Dragons Chris that DA can conjure up a marquee signing (or two) for 2026, I believe his main focus is on 2027 and beyond. The strong clubs seem to have a conveyer belt which delivers talented players required for each season in the positions which need filling. However, the work required to identify and acquire many of these players likely occurred two or three years earlier. Coach Flanno’s focus needs to be on bringing the best out of the players he has at his disposal. DA, and his assistants, need to ensure Coach Flanna has top quality resources at his disposal.
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Over the years we have been very poor in managing our pathways and most of all mentoring our younger crop of footballers. I firmly believe this is the reason we are in the mess we are today. Having said that there are people in place which are trying to rectify the problem, it will take a while but we in the right direction I believe.
 
George Sancti

George Sancti

SGI Jersey Flegg
Justadragon said:
Over the years we have been very poor in managing our pathways and most of all mentoring our younger crop of footballers. I firmly believe this is the reason we are in the mess we are today. Having said that there are people in place which are trying to rectify the problem, it will take a while but we in the right direction I believe.
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It has been a long time Justadragon especially for the true believers. However, there is finally cause for optimism now that we have a decent coach, improved front office, a bunch of good juniors coming through and the new high performance centre is taking shape.
 
D

Dragon David

SGI Jersey Flegg
I know that I have mentioned that we should look to the future. I've just thought - how great it would feel to know that after next week the Dragons win the minor premiership if of course it was real which it aint and we are coming useless 15th at the moment - worse than last year. Bloody hell its been sometime now - 2010. Forgotten the feeling its been that while back.
 
Ryan

Ryan

SGI NSW Cup
According to DT, the Dragons have 7 players in the top 100 highest paid. They are
  • Valentine Holmes
  • Clint Gutherson
  • Luciano Leilua
  • Jaydn Su’A
  • Damien Cook
  • Blake Lawrie
  • Moses Suli
What a sick joke. Gutho and Cook would be justified if they were in their prime. Holmes is probably justified. Leilua, Suli and Lawrie? Who is taking the piss out of the club?
 
Dragons Chris

Dragons Chris

SGI NSW Cup
Ryan said:
According to DT, the Dragons have 7 players in the top 100 highest paid. They are
  • Valentine Holmes
  • Clint Gutherson
  • Luciano Leilua
  • Jaydn Su’A
  • Damien Cook
  • Blake Lawrie
  • Moses Suli
What a sick joke. Gutho and Cook would be justified if they were in their prime. Holmes is probably justified. Leilua, Suli and Lawrie? Who is taking the piss out of the club?
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No wonder no other club wants to pick up a significant amount of Blocka's contract. Suli and Leilua overpaid as well. Val, Gutho, Su'A, Cook play like they are in the 100 best in the competition.
 
Illusion

Illusion

SGI NSW Cup
jodragon40 said:
We wont be getting our 1st joint venture wooden spoon
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Maybe they needed to get it , put a bomb under them then they might start taking things seriously ......... Until some of the Boys Club that I have been referring to are gone or stop having a say with what goes on in the joint the place will die a slow death .......... A worse year than last year , yes we have had injuries and lost close games , but that's why we signed Gutho , Cook , Holmes so we would win those games ( and they were all on deck in the close games ) So for me this year has really been a failure , the only good thing is we have blooded some of the younger brigade ( because he had no choice ) ......... The team balance is far from right , too many plodders in positions , too many wrong type of players for the modern game , lack of genuine speed that can go 100 m to win us a game , lack of a game breaker , and a REAL number 7 that we have been lacking for years ( Hunt for me was not a 7 more of a 9 ).......... Anyway very disappointed , expected more this year instead they have gone backwards on the table ........
 
D

Dragon David

SGI Jersey Flegg
Illusion said:
Maybe they needed to get it , put a bomb under them then they might start taking things seriously ......... Until some of the Boys Club that I have been referring to are gone or stop having a say with what goes on in the joint the place will die a slow death .......... A worse year than last year , yes we have had injuries and lost close games , but that's why we signed Gutho , Cook , Holmes so we would win those games ( and they were all on deck in the close games ) So for me this year has really been a failure , the only good thing is we have blooded some of the younger brigade ( because he had no choice ) ......... The team balance is far from right , too many plodders in positions , too many wrong type of players for the modern game , lack of genuine speed that can go 100 m to win us a game , lack of a game breaker , and a REAL number 7 that we have been lacking for years ( Hunt for me was not a 7 more of a 9 ).......... Anyway very disappointed , expected more this year instead they have gone backwards on the table ........
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Yes, 100% agree with you Illusion with all you say. We can't hide anymore from the facts as outlined by you. It also just shows that the quality of our players, including the reserves we have used because of the injuries, lack real class and true footballing ability as compared to the clubs in the top 10. I hope that I am proven wrong for next year when players like Dylan Egan, the Couchman brothers and Stewart together with LPT, Tsougranis, Buchanan and Halangahu get in the groove and become much better players.

I don't know what goes on within the inner sanctum of the league operations of the Club to know what the future plans are. We know that there will be changes to our coaching staff with so far Ryan Carr to leave. Andrew Lancaster has extended his tenure as Chairman of the Dragons Board for 3 more years, Tim Watsford was appointed as the new CEO in June 2025 and Daniel Anderson hired as the head Recruitment and Retention Manager in July 2025.

So far the Club has only signed Atkinson and Kerr. Will they benefit the club? Maybe and hopefully because we need them to. Any further signings of players that we have identified being needed? The club has tried on a couple but didn't succeed. Sooner or later they will inform us fans if they have but don't hold your breath and it might be a case of accept what you are given!!
 
Illusion

Illusion

SGI NSW Cup
Dragon David said:
Yes, 100% agree with you Illusion with all you say. We can't hide anymore from the facts as outlined by you. It also just shows that the quality of our players, including the reserves we have used because of the injuries, lack real class and true footballing ability as compared to the clubs in the top 10. I hope that I am proven wrong for next year when players like Dylan Egan, the Couchman brothers and Stewart together with LPT, Tsougranis, Buchanan and Halangahu get in the groove and become much better players.

I don't know what goes on within the inner sanctum of the league operations of the Club to know what the future plans are. We know that there will be changes to our coaching staff with so far Ryan Carr to leave. Andrew Lancaster has extended his tenure as Chairman of the Dragons Board for 3 more years, Tim Watsford was appointed as the new CEO in June 2025 and Daniel Anderson hired as the head Recruitment and Retention Manager in July 2025.

So far the Club has only signed Atkinson and Kerr. Will they benefit the club? Maybe and hopefully because we need them to. Any further signings of players that we have identified being needed? The club has tried on a couple but didn't succeed. Sooner or later they will inform us fans if they have but don't hold your breath and it might be a case of accept what you are given!!
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Agree mate , the thing that I see happening is the marquee signings if we can call them that , will be a year older and slooooower as is Gutho and really can't see him staying at fullback Every other club has explosive fullbacks ........ Our only hope is as you say the young blokes kick on next year ........ Anyway time will tell ........
 
D

Dragon David

SGI Jersey Flegg
Illusion said:
Agree mate , the thing that I see happening is the marquee signings if we can call them that , will be a year older and slooooower as is Gutho and really can't see him staying at fullback Every other club has explosive fullbacks ........ Our only hope is as you say the young blokes kick on next year ........ Anyway time will tell ........
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I agree that we need an explosive, exciting, run the full length of field try scorer - wait, we had one of those in Matt Dufty haha. But on top of explosiveness we need a full back that can read the play both in attack and defence really well so that in attack he can run with speed to an opening and dart through and in defence from the back see where the ball players are and where they are likely to be targeting to cover defend with speed - note that in both cases it is with speed.

I don't know of any young bloke coming through our system that has great acceleration, speed and muscle. I suppose there might be a couple but not with the total package as yet.

I'm thinking the marquees are the ones that we develop but has already has the talent. The marquee has to have natural talent and not coached to take away his good tradesmanship. He is a player that has an astute knowledge and awareness of how the game is trending and what he needs to do to bring the game alive for our team.

I honestly, really and truly cannot and most probably will not in my lifetime left on this planet see a couple of marquees from another club or clubs signing with the Dragons. Not one. That is my vision and based on all the years of failures to achieve this no matter who is at the helm of Recruitment. Maybe a couple of above average but not marquee.
 
Dragons Chris

Dragons Chris

SGI NSW Cup
Dragon David said:
I agree that we need an explosive, exciting, run the full length of field try scorer - wait, we had one of those in Matt Dufty haha. But on top of explosiveness we need a full back that can read the play both in attack and defence really well so that in attack he can run with speed to an opening and dart through and in defence from the back see where the ball players are and where they are likely to be targeting to cover defend with speed - note that in both cases it is with speed.

I don't know of any young bloke coming through our system that has great acceleration, speed and muscle. I suppose there might be a couple but not with the total package as yet.

I'm thinking the marquees are the ones that we develop but has already has the talent. The marquee has to have natural talent and not coached to take away his good tradesmanship. He is a player that has an astute knowledge and awareness of how the game is trending and what he needs to do to bring the game alive for our team.

I honestly, really and truly cannot and most probably will not in my lifetime left on this planet see a couple of marquees from another club or clubs signing with the Dragons. Not one. That is my vision and based on all the years of failures to achieve this no matter who is at the helm of Recruitment. Maybe a couple of above average but not marquee.
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Have to unearth our own marquee players. Hope it's Reed and hope it's from next year. Probably not round 1 but around the middle of the season. Maybe during the Origin period.
 
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