RedV01
SGI NSW Cup
Lawrie is also on his last chance. He simply isn't making enough metres and still can't pass.
Round 4 vs Parramatta
- Thread starter Morgan
- Start date
Morgan
SGI NSW Cup
According to The Roar. A really disappointing performance last week. They deserve harsh criticism such as this.
Their discipline is also becoming a problem. Not that they commit a lot of fouls, but more that they put themselves in the position to lose because of the fouls they commit. You won’t win many games in the NRL playing 12 on 13, and that’s becoming a major issue for St George Illawarra. Here’s an interesting stat: the Dragons have the third-worst defence in the NRL, with 72 points conceded, but of those 72 points, 24 have come when they were a man down.
14 – St George Illawarra Dragons (-8)
As the weeks go by, the Round 1 win that the Dragons managed over the Warriors looks worse and worse. The manner in which they succumbed to the Sharks on Thursday night spoke to a team that lacked attacking endeavour: despite bad weather, there was football there to be played and the Dragons failed to do so.Their discipline is also becoming a problem. Not that they commit a lot of fouls, but more that they put themselves in the position to lose because of the fouls they commit. You won’t win many games in the NRL playing 12 on 13, and that’s becoming a major issue for St George Illawarra. Here’s an interesting stat: the Dragons have the third-worst defence in the NRL, with 72 points conceded, but of those 72 points, 24 have come when they were a man down.
Chris M
SGI NSW Cup
Feagai will be on the wing due to Ramsey having a hamstring issue. But Saints major issue was in the middle last week. Macca and Woods being back will be help but I hope Molo is the other starting prop with Woods. Lawrie might even get dropped from the 17.
Eric
Staff
We'll see soon enough about Lawrie. I'd like to see a local junior excel as much as anyone else but he isn't cutting it at present.
Eric
Staff
St George Illawarra Dragons feel sting over broken wing
St George Illawarra winger Cody Ramsey is set to miss Sunday’s game against Parramatta after suffering a hamstring injury. Ramsey has been a fixture in the Dragons side through the opening three rounds of the season but club officials confirmed he would spend some time on the sidelines after injuring himself during his side’s loss to Cronulla at the weekend.The Dragons have options in the outside backs including the Feagai brothers - Mathew and Max. Tauatu Moga was 18th man against the Sharks and may come into contention as well. While Ramsey will miss the game against the in-form Eels, the Dragons will have George Burgess available after the NRL elected not to enforce the no-fault stand-down rule on the English prop.
If Moga gets selected rather than Feagai, we have a problem. It'll mean he (Feagai) isn't cutting it in the NSW Cup and if he isn't cutting it in NSW Cup now, doubtful he'll ever cut it in the NRL.
Eric
Staff
ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS CALL JOURNEYMAN
St George Illawarra winger Cody Ramsay is battling a hamstring injury and is in doubt to play the Eels on Sunday night. If Ramsay is out, the Dragons will hand journeyman Tautau Moga his first start of the season. Moga is in line to play for his sixth club if he starts on the wing for the Dragons.If this is true, probably should put a line through Matt Feagai. He isn't going to make it. One by one our much hyped next generation are falling by the wayside.
- Connor Muhleisen is a bright spot.
- Too early to tell about Jackson Shereb but he is 20, isn't he? If he were a great talent, he'd be pushing for a sport in the NRL team every week instead of not even in the top 30.
- I always get the Feagai's mixed up. Not sure who is who yet when I've seen them play in the top grade and in trials I've been impressed. A few mistakes but they can be fixed easily enough. Yet, if the information above is true, Matt Feagai obviously isn't going well in the NSW Cup and they are 21 now. Not especially young for outside backs.
- Ramsey has put on several kgs as he needed to but still isn't going great when it comes to coming in and making metres early in the tackle count which is vital for good wingers these days. He needs to put in several more kgs while keeping his speed.
- Sloan had a bad game last week. A really bad game but a little early to write him off yet. He was good in the first 2 rounds.
- Amone certainly hasn't picked up from where he left off last year but let's hope after the shocker he had last week, the coach has given him a stern talking to and we see his form dramatically improve.
- I'm not sure Josh Coric is going to make it. Like Lawrie though a little more skillful. He can pass the ball. But not mobile enough for an edge forward and not big enough for a middle forward.
- Still have high hopes in Sullivan. Let's see how he goes probably in the NSW Cup this weekend.
Chris M
SGI NSW Cup
O'Ofuo has been 18th man for the NSW Cup team as well. Obviously not doing great.
Eric
Staff
Parramatta Eels vs St George Illawarra Dragons at 6.15pm at CommBank Stadium
Dragons team:
- Tyrell Sloan - As expected. This week he had better "run" back from kicks rather than slow jog and surrender immediately.
- Mathew Feagai - Thankfully the earlier report about Moga being brought in was wrong. Hoping for a big game to cement a permanent spot.
- Moses Suli - As expected.
- Zac Lomax - As expected. Stop being so ambitious with the flick passes and other low % plays please.
- Mikaele Ravalawa - As expected.
- Talatau Amone - Expecting a much bigger game from him this week.
- Ben Hunt - As expected.
- Francis Molo - As expected.
- Moses Mbye - He'll go back to bench and McCullough will come in.
- Blake Lawrie - Expected but I don't agree.
- Jack Bird - Expected. Better toughen up his defence this week!
- Jack Gosiewski - Not "unexpected" but a starting pack containing 3 lightweights (Bird, Lawrie and Gosieski)? Seems very dumb to me and a simliar stratergy failed badly last week.
- Tariq Sims - Well, FFS his best position is on the edge! If he isn't going to be released, pick him in his best position. Specially as he's keeping out best forward on the bench!
- Jack de Belin - WTF is going on???? The team, especially the forwards lifted as soon as he came on for the last 2 weeks. Why isn't he starting in his best position of lock and playing as many minutes as possible?
- Josh Kerr - As expected though not sure it's deserved.
- Jackson Ford - He'll drop out to make way for Mbye on the bench and McCullough at hooker.
- Aaron Woods - Should be starting.
- Tautau Moga
- Poasa Faamausili
- Daniel Alvaro
- Andrew McCullough
- Jaiyden Hunt
- Jonathon Reuben
- George Burgess
I had hopes that there was a strategy behind the light pack last week. It failed spectacularly last week so this week the coach has doubled down and made the pack even lighter? And JDB still on the bench? Is Griffin trying to sabotage the team on purpose?
GCRV
SGI NSW Cup
And a 50% chance of rain this Sunday in Sydney. Making a lightweight pack even stranger. And judging by the first 3 weeks, there are going to be very few, if any late changes. Macca will be the only one. Replacing him with Ford will make the pack still lighter.
RedV01
SGI NSW Cup
I don't like that forward pack at all. Let's see if there are any late changes before crucifying the coaching staff.
Morgan
SGI NSW Cup
Not like you to promote restraint.
RedV01
SGI NSW Cup
I'm too disappointed over last week to be fired up. If the lightweight pack fails again, I think I might fire up over the coaching staff. If the pack fails again, we can say the coaching staff have clearly lost their minds.
Morgan
SGI NSW Cup
Some more pretty fair criticism:
St George Illawarra Dragons (5)
St George Illawarra were absolutely atrocious on Thursday night. Ben Hunt was the only Dragon in the top 12 players on the field. Conditions were extremely difficult and a few decisions didn't go their way but the way the Dragons allowed Nicho Hynes to stroll through the line to score the Sharks sixth try says it all. Ben Hunt was, by far, the best for the home side. He was in everything and was forced to overplay his hand in that farcical moment when Mybe was 25 metres off-side. The Dragons need a distraction-free week first and foremost but face a very difficult trip to face the Eels on Sunday night.
jodragon40
SGI NSW Cup
Well its good to have a crystal ball in another post I had Feagai in the 17 but on the bench but with the injury to Ramsay he rightly gets his long awaited chance. I do not like the look of Debelin off the bench and starting with Lawrie and Molo we need desperately to be able to match the eels big men in the first 20 minutes of this game not having our best defensive forward is in my view a mistake, another mistake is not starting one of the big bodies in this case Woods he shouldn't be starting from the bench. My man Gosie will hold his own but its a very light pack to be trying to stop the likes of Paulo and Camp-Gillard I fear the game could be lost before the rotation comes into effect. We are playing a team that is on a high after beating Melbourne in Melbourne and they are tipped to be one of the teams in the GF so its nonsensical to be starting a pack that has been announced in my view. Parra have an extremely strong bench and have taken a gamble not having a back on the bench so if I was still coaching and seeing the team that they have announced I would certainly change my starting line up. Im mystified why our 2 biggest men aren't starting and more by this continual use of Debelin off the bench. Time will tell but I fear the very worst unless there is a change of heart with the starting line up.
jodragon40
SGI NSW Cup
Moga wont start before Feagai
jodragon40
SGI NSW Cup
agree 100%
jodragon40
SGI NSW Cup
Agree
jodragon40
SGI NSW Cup
This is a very big game and we need our big game players on the field if McCullogh is fit enough he starts, so Mbye back to the bench. If fit enough Woods starts, Lawrie off the bench, if fit enough Burgess on the bench Ford removed from the 17, Kerr also gone. My starting pack if all fit would be Woods, Molo, McCullogh, Debelin, Sims and Bird, bench Mbye, Lawrie, Burgess and Gosie
RedV01
SGI NSW Cup
The smallish forwards not going forward in the early part of the game was such an obvious problem from the first 3 rounds, they've now gone with an even smaller park. I'm absolutely baffled by it.
Chris M
SGI NSW Cup
Look at the size of the Parra pack compared to ours.
- Reagan Campbell-Gillard vs Francis Molo: Similar. I'd think within 2 or 3 kgs of each other.
- Junior Paulo vs Blake Lawrie: Paulo has about 20kg on him.
- Shaun Lane vs Jack Bird: Lane has at least 10kg on him.
- Isaiah Papali’i vs Jack Gosiewski: Papali’i has at least 10kg on him.
- Nathan Brown vs Tariq Sims: Sims probably has 2~5kgs on him.
Then I saw the second game. Our smaller forwards did get the better of them in the second half but the first 20~30min was painful to watch. Penrith forwards were treating Bird and Lawrie like Dufty from last season. The side was under constant pressure because Penrith were dominating field position.
Then we come to last game when the whole game was like the first 20min against Penrith.
Ok coach, so you made a mistake. These smaller forwards are not bad. No criticism of them but we see from the fist 3 games, especially the 2nd and 3rd, we need bigger forwards starting and then bring the smaller players on.
So the coach doubles down on still a smaller starting pack! What's going on?
Even the best forwards are going get gang tackles and forced back from time to time but when we fire Lawrie followed by Bird followed by Gosiewski at them in the first 10min, we are looking at a gain of about 10m between them if lucky!