Eric
Staff
Part III
AG: No, we didn’t. We were in the top eight for 18 of the 24 weeks. So it was obviously disappointing, and everyone at the club was disappointed. The players involved and right through the entire club. But we have to use that experience now as a lesson going forward and I suppose an opportunity to build a stronger standard throughout the club. The hardest thing was not being able to win a couple of football games, but in hindsight I am a believer that everything happens for a reason and that might be a strength now that we can draw on. The fact that we went through that and it has made us hungrier.
Q: I mentioned Matt Dufty. He had a crack at you publicly, talking about the fact you wouldn’t let him play his style of attacking football. Is that the reality of it or not?
AG: Matt Dufty is entitled to what he says. There are many reasons throughout a year when you are working with players that you can get a performance out of them or you can’t. Some of that you have got to take responsibility for yourself as a coach and as a club when a player doesn’t work out. But I have no problem with Matt. He did a great job for our club. He had been a junior and played a lot of football. But the reasons for us not wanting him had nothing to do with when he had the ball in his hands. It was the other way. And he understands that, and I think anyone that watches football would understand that. But he is entitled to his own opinion.
Q: What about the options you have for fullback. Young Sloan has obviously got exceptional talent. Is he ready to be a starting No. 1 for a full NRL season?
AG: Guys like him and Cody Ramsey, who has had a few more games. But they are obviously guys we are looking long term to be in those positions, and we are working really constantly with them at the moment both on and off the field with their education in that area. They are both doing well, physically. They are growing. They are both nearly 90kg. So you just don’t know. They are young and they are inexperienced. So that is what I was getting at before. We need to build a strong side around guys like that. But it is a real key position, particularly over the last five or six years with the way the fullback position has evolved. There is a lot of strategy, and being able to read play both with and without the ball. So we are working as a coaching staff really hard on that education for them. Whether (Tyrell) Sloany or Cody (Ramsey) nail that position down, all I can say is that we will give them every chance. I think long term they will, we will just need to wait and see for this year.
Q: What about the young halves, you’ve got two rising stars in Sullivan and Amone. How do you plan out their future? Sullivan has also played some dummy half.
AG: Sully did a great job last year at nine, and Junior jumped in and took his chance the first time we gave him a go at five-eighth. He came off the bench I think about two weeks after the SG Ball grand final and sort of stayed in the side filling in at lock and centre and places like that. But as soon as we stuck him in at five-eighth he showed a bit of class so he stayed there for the rest of the year.
But Jayden is a really talented player as well. He struggled with injury for the most of last year which probably didn’t help him. He didn’t actually start playing footy until midway through the year. They are both exciting prospects for the club. And with Benny Hunt, with the captaincy on his shoulders, had one of the best seasons he’s probably had, even though we would have like him to be on the field a bit longer. I think he was only there for 14 or 15 games but between the three of those guys and Moses Mbye and Jack Bird, who can also play in the halves, we are really well stocked.
It seems Ramsey might be starting the season at fullback with Sloan remaining a development player. And I think that puts an end to the debate on whether Sullivan or Amone will play 5/8. It's going to be Amone.
It seems Jack Bird and Mbye are going to be a utility players. I'm glad JDB will be starting at lock. I think it's the right decision to go with 2 big props running had and making metres and JDB doing that and offloading both before the defence and after.
NRL Coaching clipboard sessions: Anthony Griffin on St George Illawarra Dragons tough questions
Q: How disappointed were you with the barbecue at Paul Vaughan's house, how much did that rock your season, because you were in the eight at that point and I don’t think you won another game after?AG: No, we didn’t. We were in the top eight for 18 of the 24 weeks. So it was obviously disappointing, and everyone at the club was disappointed. The players involved and right through the entire club. But we have to use that experience now as a lesson going forward and I suppose an opportunity to build a stronger standard throughout the club. The hardest thing was not being able to win a couple of football games, but in hindsight I am a believer that everything happens for a reason and that might be a strength now that we can draw on. The fact that we went through that and it has made us hungrier.
Q: I mentioned Matt Dufty. He had a crack at you publicly, talking about the fact you wouldn’t let him play his style of attacking football. Is that the reality of it or not?
AG: Matt Dufty is entitled to what he says. There are many reasons throughout a year when you are working with players that you can get a performance out of them or you can’t. Some of that you have got to take responsibility for yourself as a coach and as a club when a player doesn’t work out. But I have no problem with Matt. He did a great job for our club. He had been a junior and played a lot of football. But the reasons for us not wanting him had nothing to do with when he had the ball in his hands. It was the other way. And he understands that, and I think anyone that watches football would understand that. But he is entitled to his own opinion.
Q: What about the options you have for fullback. Young Sloan has obviously got exceptional talent. Is he ready to be a starting No. 1 for a full NRL season?
AG: Guys like him and Cody Ramsey, who has had a few more games. But they are obviously guys we are looking long term to be in those positions, and we are working really constantly with them at the moment both on and off the field with their education in that area. They are both doing well, physically. They are growing. They are both nearly 90kg. So you just don’t know. They are young and they are inexperienced. So that is what I was getting at before. We need to build a strong side around guys like that. But it is a real key position, particularly over the last five or six years with the way the fullback position has evolved. There is a lot of strategy, and being able to read play both with and without the ball. So we are working as a coaching staff really hard on that education for them. Whether (Tyrell) Sloany or Cody (Ramsey) nail that position down, all I can say is that we will give them every chance. I think long term they will, we will just need to wait and see for this year.
Q: What about the young halves, you’ve got two rising stars in Sullivan and Amone. How do you plan out their future? Sullivan has also played some dummy half.
AG: Sully did a great job last year at nine, and Junior jumped in and took his chance the first time we gave him a go at five-eighth. He came off the bench I think about two weeks after the SG Ball grand final and sort of stayed in the side filling in at lock and centre and places like that. But as soon as we stuck him in at five-eighth he showed a bit of class so he stayed there for the rest of the year.
But Jayden is a really talented player as well. He struggled with injury for the most of last year which probably didn’t help him. He didn’t actually start playing footy until midway through the year. They are both exciting prospects for the club. And with Benny Hunt, with the captaincy on his shoulders, had one of the best seasons he’s probably had, even though we would have like him to be on the field a bit longer. I think he was only there for 14 or 15 games but between the three of those guys and Moses Mbye and Jack Bird, who can also play in the halves, we are really well stocked.
It seems Ramsey might be starting the season at fullback with Sloan remaining a development player. And I think that puts an end to the debate on whether Sullivan or Amone will play 5/8. It's going to be Amone.
It seems Jack Bird and Mbye are going to be a utility players. I'm glad JDB will be starting at lock. I think it's the right decision to go with 2 big props running had and making metres and JDB doing that and offloading both before the defence and after.
