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It's time to ice Steve Price

Roar Rookie
28th August, 2013
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Ex-Dragons coach Steve Price in happier times. (Source: AAP Image/Action Photographics,Colin Whelan)
Roar Rookie
28th August, 2013
33
1414 Reads

As a longtime Dragons fan I have had to go through many tough times since my father introduced me to them when I was a young bloke.

The pinnacle was without doubt the 2010 grand final victory under Wayne Bennett. Wind the clock forward three years, however, and the once mighty St George Illawarra have fast become easybeats.

So where has it all gone wrong? I’ve seen a lot of different opinions from avid Dragon fans on social media and all of them carry weight.

Ageing roster, injuries and Peter Doust are a few reasons I often hear, but the majority are pointing the finger at head coach Steve Price.

I agree that Price must carry most, but not all, of the blame. He has been left with a poor roster after injuries and key personnel losses such as Darius Boyd and Beau Scott to other clubs.

Still, he’s been in charge for two full seasons after a being an assistant to Bennett, so I would have expected some slightly better results by now.

There is a definite lack of structure within the Dragons’ attack this season. The attack in 2010 was a boring, grinding style, but it got the results.

Watching them play with seemingly no plan or structure week in, week out this season has left me shaking my head.

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Continually selecting the retiring Nathan Fien at halfback has been a disaster. He is a hooker, plain and simple.

Yes, I understand there are not many other options currently, but Josh Drinkwater is a halfback. Maybe not an outstanding halfback, but that’s his position.

Given how badly the attack was going, he should have been given a starting spot for the second half of this season. In the few times I’ve seen him play for the Dragon’s feeder team, the Illawarra Cutters, he has had a decent kicking game – something we’ve lacked this season.

Josh Dugan has been the Dragons’ only shining light with ball in hand this season. The back three of the Dragons are up there with the best in the competition with Dugan, Morris and Nightingale returning the ball.

No direction in the halves has given them minimal opportunities to score tries.

Defence! Where has this disappeared too? Things have desperately fallen apart in this department.

There seems to be no fire and desperation in the defensive line this season whatsoever. Lazy marker defence has given teams an easy path down the field almost all season.

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Defence comes down to energy, effort and an instilled fire to not let the other team cross your stripe, as the Roosters have shown for much of the season.

I am not one to throw the coach under the bus, as players must also take some blame, but I see none of this changing under Price.

Letting Steve Folkes go as the assistant coach is a strange decision given he’s tasted success in the past.

Promoting Paul McGregor and Justin Holbrook to assistants is another strange decision. The Cutters and Dragons’ Holden Cup team haven’t set their respective competitions alight in the past two seasons so I’m skeptical of things improving on the coaching front.

After losing out on the bid for Craig Bellamy early this season, the Dragons won three games in a row and Price was prematurely re-signed before the ANZAC Day clash.

Since Price’s reappointment, St George Illawarra have won three games.

I don’t think Price will be replaced before next season by the board. They will give him the first part of next season with new recruits Joel Thompson, Gareth Widdop and Sam Williams among others to prove himself.

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He should still be sacked at season’s end and replaced, giving the incoming coach a full pre-season to get some performance, structure and leadership back in the mighty Red V once more.

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