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Joined September 2014
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A die hard Dragons fan, and a man with virtually no sporting skills whatsoever.
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OK. As a StGI supporter I feel flattered, and yet dubious. A top 4 finish? Yes the forwards can physically dominate, yes they have damaging ball running forwards, and yes they finally have a good halfback. What they don’t have is strike power in the backs. The backline of Lafai, Aitken, MacDonald and Nightingale is Bog average with a capital ‘B’, and while Dufty at fullback looks the goods he is yet to play a full season.
Based on last years performance, when they come up against other sides with good forwards, even lower ranked sides like Canterbury or Souths, then they have nothing else. I hope I’m wrong but I don’t see this changing. Top 8 is a definite possibility but I think top 4 is a bridge too far.
St George Illawarra Dragons 2018 season preview
Couldn’t find Dugan in any of the lists either. Bit harsh for a bloke who plays centre/wing/fullback for Australia.
The Roar’s top 50 NRL players for 2018: 10-1
Personally thought the snowboard cross was awesome. A bit of a lottery, but awesome nonetheless.
A definitive ranking of Winter Olympic sports: An armchair expert’s guide
Phil Tufnell instead of Lance Gibbs for mine. Less wickets, less runs and more entertaining in the field.
The out of time XI: History's greats taking on T20
Pretty fair team Ben. I was thinking along the lines of Boycott, Tavare and Slasher Mackay, but this is better.
The out of time XI: History's greats taking on T20
I still think Gus’s biggest error was getting rid of Ivan Cleary as coach. I don’t think Hook Griffin is up to scratch. His results over many years are bog average, and I really dont know what Gus sees in him.
A defence of Gus Gould's musical chairs approach at Penrith
Good point. England were a bowler down and yet still had minimal trouble restricting us to a losing score.
Australia crash to one-day series defeat
Not again! You will never build anything if you keep chopping and changing. Give it time. In my experience the local school kids mostly support the Titans. They will grow up being Titans supporters. Change now and you are starting from ground zero – again.
Is it time for a Titans rebrand?
My God that’s a scary front row that would put fear into the opposition. I suspect they would also put fear into the second rowers that pack behind them.
A historical First XV of famous Australian faces
Disappointed you cant find room for Douglas Mawson. If you can find your way to the South Magnetic Pole, you can find your way to pretty much any try-line. Used to spending long periods isolated in freezing conditions so must be considered for a wing spot.
A historical First XV of famous Australian faces
Excellent read. So many memories encapsulated in one article. Hookesy, Whitney and KB Lager. My Dad used to buy it cause it tasted like crap and he knew I wouldn’t drink it. Surely Wayne, Kevin Trevor and Bruce would have been drinking Fosters at the MCG I thought. Then I remembered – you used to take your own Esky to the ground, so they could have taken any beer they liked, even my Dad’s. An Esky was way better than a mobile phone because you could sit on it. Those were the days.
T20 whack action is the stuff of Mike Whitney's dreams
All comes down to whether McGregor is capable of learning from his mistakes and progressing as a coach. There were some signs last year that he can. Unfortunately he also seems to have plenty of blind spots, such as valuing experience way more than ability and potential. The other thing that has got me stuffed is that McGregor was a champion back himself in his day, and yet the Dragons backline was close to the worst in the comp last year.
Is he the right man to coach the Dragons? Probably not but we’re stuck with him.
Is Paul McGregor the right man to coach the Dragons?
Still a lot of question marks in my mind. Will Widdop combine well with Hunt? You would hope so, but then Widdop barely combined at all when Benji Marshall was half, so no guarantee there. Will Dufty improve? Again you hope so, but he had one stand out game last year after which most teams seemed to work him out. Will Graham be an asset? On paper yes, but he’s no spring chicken and we have lost Russell Packer and Joel Thompson from the forwards. Can the backline improve? You would hope so, but last season in both attack and defense the Dragons backline was close to weakest in the comp, with the only significant change the loss of Dugan.
Based on the above they may scrape into the 8, but that woukd be about it.
The Dragons will breathe fire in 2018
Not sure what to say about Nightingale but the fact that he is still one of our best backs says a lot about the state of our backline. Yes he has skills, yes he can still score tries. But in a backline not noted for any speed, a bloke losing a yard of pace is not a good thing. And unlike previous years, he didnt look much of a threat in broken play. Handy player but I hope we have a few more speedy backs coming through the ranks.
Where will your side finish in 2018? (Part Three)
Hi Charles, I dont pretend to be a coaches a-hole, but what intrigues and frustrates me is that in his day MacGregor was a superb centre, and yet the backline continues to be a weakness. I dont know how many points were scored against the Dragons due to MacDonald coming in off his wing, or from bombs targetting Aitken, but it was substantial. These are things that you would hope the coach can address. Add to that the many games where the bench wasnt used to its full extent (irrespective of the state of the game) and I think the coach can justifiably be considered a weakness – based on last years performance.
Will MacGregor learn and improve? I hope so, but it remains to be seen.
Where will your side finish in 2018? (Part Three)
As a Dragons fan I’m pleased you have them in the eight. I just have no confidence that this will be reality. Yes Graham will improve the pack, but given Packer and Thompson have gone its not a huge improvement, and the pack was hardly the weak point anyway. The issues were the halfback (now hopefully fixed), the backline, and the coach. Compared to last year the backline has lost Dugan, retains an ageing Nightingale and it remains to be seen whether the defensive frailties of Nene MacDonald and Aitken have been addressed.
Where will your side finish in 2018? (Part Three)
Not convinced. This is the club that also said they wanted Pearce to stay and could fit him under the cap. The cap is the cap but it always seems like a magic pudding cap with the Roosters.
Five reasons why the Roosters won't be over the cap in 2018
Its strange Tedesco not being selected, but Dugan has played fullback, wing and centre at the highest levels. I have no qualms with him being picked.
How does Josh Dugan keep getting selected?
Archer needs to go further than apologizing. He should hold a “compliments day”, where all referees are compelled to say nice things about the coaches.
Tony Archer forced to apologise for everything
Agree the club was going nowhere with the Hayne/Henry combo. But why pull the plug now? Two games to go and the club can hold an end of year review and sack who they choose. This just looks like they took Haynes side which is a piss weak decision.
Neil Henry sacked by Gold Coast Titans
Hunt has represented Australia on three occasions in 2014. I’d call that Imternational experience.
Don’t disagree with your general arguement though. Balance between stars, juniors, development and providing a worthwhile experience for the fans is key. Head office bureaucracy should be a distant last in the remuneration stakes which is where it all seems to go pear-shaped in every sport.
League, not union, is showing the benefit of funding the grassroots
“Joey’s well-chronicled battle with drugs and depression.”
Whilst I think Joey Johns has the nous and the passion to be successful, it’s also not hard to see a gig like NSW coach making his depression worse. Unless that depression is now totally under control, he shouldn’t consider the job.
Joey, it’s time: You’re the 2018 NSW Blues Origin coach
I know he played for North Sydney. He said so often enough on his radio calls. I do not know what position he played.
North Sydney Bears: Top ten Players
Nightingale, Lafai, MacDonald and Aitken are all internationals, so that’s 4 based on world cup games. Doesn’t change my opinion that they are bog average when they play for StGI. Last season Aitken was injured, Lafai was good until his contract was renewed, MacDonald was lazy and Nightingale is slowing down. Apart from Dufty there are no speedsters in that backline, and in the games I watched they were never threatening in attack, and a liability in defence.
St George Illawarra Dragons 2018 season preview