Is the Price right?

It is unfortunate but I believe Price has it all wrong - we have a centre playing five eighth who at best as a centre is fair, a slow forward playing centre and skill to burn in the lower grades. Getting rid of Soward was unfortunate but he still produced more than what is being provided at the moment. Here is my idea: Drinkwater as half, Quinlan as five eight (if that is too risky), Quinlan at half and Frizell as five eight - get rid of Prior from the centre position and put Stanley back. If nothing else he defends well.

Bennett also recommended that Henjak take over his role at the Broncos. It's all about Waynes lagacy. Making sure his position of best coach stays there.

The Dragons form is extremely frustrating. Their attack is poor but I too can not see the point in dropping Soward. He needs to play better but NSW cup is not the place to do it - although sure the Cutters don't mind. Would things be different if Soward had kicked the penalty in the Bulldogs game to take to extra time. But I cannot believe that Steve Price got re signed, they obviously wanted better but to then say you'll do is just terrible and they have played badly since. -- Comment from The Roar's iPhone app.

Oh Bennett actually recommended to Doust that we appoint Price coach. While Bennett recommended to Greenberg that Canterbury sign Hasler. lol Now that is a joke but Saints fans aren't laughing.

No Price is not right. Price never was right. I think that Bennett was the worst thing that happened to Saints. He coached us to play a very negative style of play, with a pathetic pair of halves, that is why we had to play a very negative style of play. Price being Bennett's apprentice has been too influenced to coach similar to what Bennett coached us to play. Bennett did play Prior in the centres and no one criticized Bennett for that. Bennett even played Fien at halfback and no one criticized Bennett for that either. Now we have Dean Young and Ben Hornby coaching junior teams, I hope they don't end up coaching the style of play that Bennett coached us to play. As for excuses for Soward, I have heard them all. Thurston goes alright without a top half or 5/8 nest to him, so did Barrett and Lockyer. The only thing that Soward offers is his long kicking game and his cross field chip. Our attack was the worst in the comp last year and we had Hornby and Soward there all year. We should never have had Soward and Hornby as our halves ever. There isn't a decent creative play maker between them, but Bennett stuck with them and because we kept going well, that masked our deficiencies. In our first game under Bennett against Melbourne we had enough ball in their 20 metre zone to win 3 games, but we couldn't score, after the game Bennett said in the press conference get defence right and the attack will come. I don't think the attack ever really came. So here we are post Bennett. By the way I have never seen a coach of a first grade team have so little care for its future as Bennett did with us. If Bennett planned to stay would we have had Hornby and Soward as our halves still last year? One more thing if Bennett rated Soward Puss so highly then why has he not got him to Newcastle?

Scott, you say that Soward Puss was our main creative player. Would you care to elaborate on what this creativity that Soward brings to our side? When Bennett was here we had 2 main plays to score tries. They were our sweeping left side play and the barge over. Hornby was on our left side and Soward played on our right side. Soward is that bad at setting up him runners that he even made Gasnier look average, but because the media never told the masses about that very few worked it out for themselves. I will tell you that NO ONE has ever looked good playing outside Soward. Soward Puss is too afraid to draw and commit defenders and possibly get hit just as he passes the ball to put a runner through a hole. Soward will not straighten up the attack to create room for his runners. Soward will not put a grubber in goal for a repeat set as one has to be close to the defensive line and possibly et hit just as one kicks the ball and getting hit is not a part of Soward's game. So please explain what this creativity that Soward brings to our team is? I am very interested to read your response.

Did you like the style of play that Bennett coached us to play? I didn't. Bennett played Prior in the centres too and no one said anything about that at the time. I want to see Vidot play second row. I think he could develop into a rep second rower.

Soward would make a great water boy. All he does is stand pointing and around barking orders, just like the water boy. Soward Puss does kick the ball on the last tackle. I wanted to contact Price before the start of last season and tell him if he keeps Soward Puss in the team then his coaching career would be a very short one.

I agree with your comment and must say I was disgusted that a profesional team of there stature could ot penitrate the cowboys line jack

Pretty obvious with the lack of penetration and "lost" expressions around the rucks...all playing ad lib footy when ever we get the ball in hand ,in an attcking position ,nobody seems to know what to do next...lak of ball work,adherence to match plans...only penetration comes from well behind ,missing smart forward passing interchanges...yes agree ,get Prior working as a running forward,hard running Vidot in the centres with Green and utilse Dugam,Florrie and Morris...halves are a majoe concern...Rangi Chase,didnt we let him go years ago...?? D.D.

As a frustrated Dragons fan, I'll make a few points. The team on the park is poorly coached. There is no depth in attack, no interchange passing, no running decoys no set pieces, etc etc. The Dragons attack consists of one out hit ups with one or two off loads, while the depth in attack is very shallow, which is prone to forward passes. As for selecting the team, three players in the backline are playing out of position, Fein at halfback is a hooker, Stanley at five-eighth is a centre (a slow one at that), and Prior at centre is a prop forward. You also have Green at centre who I don't think is up to the mark. Injuries haven't helped with the likes of Cooper, Beale and Kyle Stanley, which has exposed the lack of depth in the halves and centres. However, getting rid of Soward, and replace him with a centre is a poor move. Price should be giving the likes of Quinlan, Drinkwater or Cummins a go in the halves. While in the centres, Prior should move back into the forwards, bring Stanley back into the centres, while his centre partner, put either Vidot, or a youngster like Runciman or Vai Vai, until Cooper is back. Price does have some talent to work with, but I don't think he is selecting the team the right way, and I don't think the team is playing the right way. On a positve note, we are bringing in some young forwards like De Belin, Stockwall, King, and Frizell. Also we have recruited well like Widdop, Farrell, Thompson, Mike Cooper and hopefully Dugan sticks around. Dragons are chasing a half like Rangi Chase and Sam Williams. If Price gave someone like Drinkwater or Quinlan a go and performed well, there wouldn't be the need to chase a halfback. All in all, the Dragons should sack Steve Price. He has had 18 months with the team, where right now we are close to the bottom of the ladder, and playing the most boring football you'll ever see. That's despite the fact he has rep players in his roster, like Dugan, Soward, Morris, Florence, Merrin, Weyman, Creagh, Harrison, Fein, Beale and Cooper. (unlucky with the Beale and Cooper) He is not getting the best out of them.

We all would love to sip on penfolds grange but all drinkers of fine wine know that time in the bottle can mean the difference between vinegar and nectar from the gods. What is working is that we are getting the very best out of our young forwards. Jack S and D and Tyson are just growing into very exciting forwards and by next year will have experienced enough FG to be ready to dominate not just compete. On that basis I feel we have developed a pack and recruited brilliantly so far for 2014 as long as Dugan stays and we find a halfback. Now yes I believe 2014 is the sweet but can the 2013 be less sour? If the cowboys didn't defend like their life depended on it in the last 20mins we would have won. The cowboys were brilliant in defence. I disagree and do believe that the attack on the left is best with Dugan and Stanley for our season remaining and best in defence on the left without sowie. In summary if Thurston played for the dragons we would have win by 20 last night. 50/50 if sowie did 50/50 if either of the Stanley's played in the halves Drink water from what I have seen is terrible

From the rumours going around, Soward and Price don't like each other, and this goes back to when Price was the water boy. The irony is that it will likely kill off Price's career as a coach.

SACK HIM. Its not just the players who aren't performing. The team looks lost running the same fail plays. Green and Prior at Center? Stanley at 5/8? Where is Vidot, and Soward isn't going that badly. Would be better giving some young tallent a run. The fact that we are losing games isn't the issue. Its that he changes nothing week after week. Only real change he made was ditching the only player who had any flare in attack. Dugan won't resign with the Dragons if they keep going at this rate. And its important that some of the old cattle like Fien and Cooper are moved on after this season.

Pricey for our next game in 2 wks vs Penrith can u please try Green on one side and Vidot on the other. Drop Prior back to the bench as a running forward where he was doing well 6 weeks ago. If we keep losing u will be gone by the end of this season and some other coach will step in for 2014 like Sheens or maybe even N Brown

I've been as patient with Price as he's been with the players, but it now seems pretty obvious that Price has little to no attacking strategy or understanding. In press confernces he repeats the same old cliche's over and over and never provides any analyses of why Dragons lose games or why oppositions win ~ it's always ball control, discipline, take our chances, opportunity . . . same old same old every week. Well, if the same team keeps making the same juniour-grade mistakes time after time, week after week, game after game, what on earth is the coach coaching??

The first problem here is the dropping of Soward. There is obviously bigger issues than form alone but it was a stupid move. Why would you drop your best 5/8 option in place of a centre when you already have a hooker as your halfback?

Totally agree, the style of play the dragons put up every week consists of second man plays. If creagh is the front runner he gets it. A average defensive team can read and react to these options. What happened to line runners, angles and the simple run around. The dragons play makers are either under strict instruction to make these plays, or lack vision in playing what is in front of them. Then this is not possible, as we have backrowers playing left centre, a dummy half playing half, a centre pretending to be a five eight. And yeah, a rookie pretending to be a coach. Give the Drinkwaters, the Quinlans, the Greenes an opprtunity. And what had Vidot done wrong. Give him his opportunity in the centres..isn't that why the dragon's bought him.

My take on Rookie coaches is how flexible and adaptable they are under pressure. As a Souths fan, for decades i saw rookie Coaches like Langmack and Katinas get the job and staunchly ignore advise and player potential and instead blindly steer the team into the cellar following their 'vision' and use styles of play ill suited to their rosters etc I see Price as another one of those. Fein is not a half in either the long or short term. The Dragons season is essentially over but not even blooding Drinkwater for instance, to see how he goes is crazy and short sighted. Parra fans saw the same with Kearney..... loss after loss, blank stares at Pressers and the same team trotted out the next week, hoping some grand vision will fall into place.

Pretty obvious that this wedge between Jamie and the rest of the squad is much more about off field matters than form.Bouquets to him for not doing a Dugan and getting the immediate transfer he's after,but Price looks to have had his arm forced by the team here.As for the other selections,what could he do,just doesn't have the cattle for those positions.14 other sides have got no hope this year with much better rosters than the dragons,if that's any comfort(ha).