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I was just grabbing a coffee and talking to my mate. We were talking all things sport, as you do. Subjects centered around choking in sport: will the All Blacks choke at this year RWC?
It got me thinking about the psychology behind sport and I thought of one man, Wayne Bennett, clearly the best mentor in Australian sport.
Then I started thinking: what has caused Dragons sudden fall over recent months.
In early May, the Dragons were the benchmark. They were averaging 21.87 points for and an amazing 9.7 points against. At the time, the Dragons were seven wins and one loss. They were a Tipster’s dream and it was a case of who they would be facing in the 2011 Grand Final.
Then an announcement was made in the first week of May.
Bennett would be assisting the Wallabies. Add in the previous announcement that he had signed a four year contract with the Knights.
All of a sudden, Bennett’s focus shifted from managing the Dragons roster to a 30 man Wallaby squad and figuring out the make up of his 2012 Knights roster.
Since this announcement, the Dragons have slipped from first on the ladder to fifth. And they’re still sliding. They have played 13 games for only 5 wins, 7 losses and 1 draw, at an average 18 points for and 17 against.
For some teams, this would be acceptable. But for the benchmark team in the NRL, they are left scratching their heads.
Of more concerns is the dramatic loss of confidence with a number of key players at the Dragons. I strongly believe that Bennett 2010 would have stamped on this before league fans started asking: what has happened to the Dragons and will Bennett go out the way he deserves?
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