Morgan
SGI NSW Cup
I agree with you. Rock bottom this year, improving with a new coach next year, a serious premiership threat in 3 years.
PRE SEASON
- Thread starter GCRV
- Start date
Edward
SGI Jersey Flegg
Give them a chance. They might surprise a few people this year.
Morgan
SGI NSW Cup
It's good to be optimistic. I'm just giving my honest opinion.
RedV01
SGI NSW Cup
Unless the extra 5 players yet to join the top 30 and/or the 6 development players really start to kill it this year, it's looking bleak. I'm expecting the team to start improving in the second half of the season and keep improving next season.
RedV01
SGI NSW Cup
Dragons
Coach Anthony Griffin must be about ready to start dyeing his hair.
On top of the constant drama, the Red V have lost Tariq Sims, Josh McGuire, Andrew McCullough and George Burgess, Cody Ramsey is out for the year after due to a serious illness, and Junior Amone is another player who has been stood down with a court case pending.Tyrell Sloan looks set to secure the fullback spot in Ramsey’s absence, but Amone’s five-eighth spot is a bit harder to fill. The two top choices of Jayden Sullivan and Jack Bird are both still under injury clouds, so Moses Mbye may just become the Steven Bradbury in the scenario. The trials will be all about putting together makeshift combinations, locking in a fullback, getting older heads to stand up and do their part, and having someone – anyone – help Ben Hunt.
Problems to solve, fitting new players in, getting combinations sorted: What each NRL team wants from trials
There are lots of questions the coaches will hope will to answer ahead of the season.
www.theroar.com.au
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jodragon40
SGI NSW Cup
The big problem here is you need time for those players to adjust to 1st grade which includes fitness and combination training. It's hard to feel or be part of a team when still at this stage we have so many vacancies. In my experience this is a recipe for disaster
RedV01
SGI NSW Cup
Agree. That's why I said getting better toward the end of the season and continuing to get better next season.
Eric
Staff
There might be some truth to it, just a little IMO, but I'm so sick of media raving about how good Hunt is and how bad the rest of the team is.Dragons
Coach Anthony Griffin must be about ready to start dyeing his hair.
On top of the constant drama, the Red V have lost Tariq Sims, Josh McGuire, Andrew McCullough and George Burgess, Cody Ramsey is out for the year after due to a serious illness, and Junior Amone is another player who has been stood down with a court case pending.
Tyrell Sloan looks set to secure the fullback spot in Ramsey’s absence, but Amone’s five-eighth spot is a bit harder to fill. The two top choices of Jayden Sullivan and Jack Bird are both still under injury clouds, so Moses Mbye may just become the Steven Bradbury in the scenario. The trials will be all about putting together makeshift combinations, locking in a fullback, getting older heads to stand up and do their part, and having someone – anyone – help Ben Hunt.
Problems to solve, fitting new players in, getting combinations sorted: What each NRL team wants from trials
There are lots of questions the coaches will hope will to answer ahead of the season.www.theroar.com.au
jodragon40
SGI NSW Cup
We will see how good we go without him during origin period again.
Eric
Staff
I only remember the one last year. Poor Bud Sullivan and Junior had absolute shockers.
Eric
Staff
St George Illawarra Dragons v St Helens, WIN Stadium, Wollongong 8.05pm
St George Illawarra coach Anthony Griffin has mended his fractured relationships and his players say his message, and unique approach, is finally sinking in. Just how united are the coach and team? The effort put in this weekend will be the only true indicator. The Dragons aren’t taking St Helens lightly and have gone with NRL experience in the likes of Moses Mbye, Zac Lomax and Blake Lawrie.Fox League expert Braith Anasta says:
The Dragons cannot hesitate, or get off to a slow start. Moses Mbye gets a chance at no.7 and with Talatau Amone banned from playing, Griffin might need to lean on Mbye in the halves, so with the lack of depth there, that’s worth keeping an eye on. Honestly, there is an element of unknown with the Dragons. The question is, where are they at as a club and in terms of their culture. We’re about to find the answer to that in how hard they worked for their coach in the off-season.
I’m a big fan of St Helens fullback Jack Welsby, he was good in the World Cup. I think he’d make it in the NRL from what I have seen, and it’s a chance to flex his muscles against NRL talent and show us what he has got.
The thing that interests me most about this game is whether St Helens have any good forwards we can poach. Other than that, I hope Shereb, Coric, Egan, Couchman get plenty of minutes but honestly, even if they have blinders, Griffin won't elevate them into the top 30.
jodragon40
SGI NSW Cup
I wonder how the coach has won back the dressing room he lost 18 months ago? Perhaps a BBQ, followed by a A Cafe latte, followed by a game of ten pin bowling where he threw most of his balls directly into the gutter. Actions speak louder than words, let's just see where we are at after round 6.
RedV01
SGI NSW Cup
You would know better than me but IMO the answer of how he won back the dressing room is very simple. The club and coach are lying. A lot of the players, probably a majority, still hate him.
Edward
SGI Jersey Flegg
Whatever happens, looking forward to seeing the game.
jodragon40
SGI NSW Cup
Agree and in my view because he has lost the dressing room we will continue to be divided and flounder
GCRV
SGI NSW Cup
Aren't you in China? How are you going to watch the game?
Edward
SGI Jersey Flegg
Yep. Streaming video. At least in the east coast and central mega cities, internet speeds are very fast. Many already have 5G but not where I am yet.
GCRV
SGI NSW Cup
Sounds good. Australia is about 20 years behind China because the government banned Huawei due to some spying backdoors the US regime assured our regime exists but never provided any proof. And for which technological minnows such Japan, Germany and Russia can't find.
Edward
SGI Jersey Flegg
They talk about that a lot here. That is in the English language media. In the Chinese media, I think they talk about it a real lot. It is weird. The more and more rapidly US power wanes, the more the Australian government is subservient to it.
Eric
Staff
This is an interesting topic. I'd like to comment as well. I'm going to start a new thread in Dragons Lair Club > General Discussion. Shall we discuss China there and leave this to be about St George Illawarra?