According to St George coach Steve Price, the Dragons are training really well and he cannot put his finger on what the team are doing wrong.
At the start of the season there were plenty of commentators and fans who could not put their finger on the Dragons’ three-win start to the season, putting them in first place.
But there were some wise fans who said that the Dragons were only winning against the lesser sides, and, in retrospect, they have been proven correct.
St George have failed to beat any of the more favoured sides and have been spanked by 30-point margins in the past two weeks.
With a bye this weekend there is no doubt the team will have two more weeks of impressive training under Steve Price to prepare for Souths.
But while the writing is not exactly on the wall, it is in the banners at Dragons games that Price is to go. Even the Dragons’ web site is promoting the merits of ex-Super League and current Illawarra Cutters coach Ian Millward.
So while the Dragons have a bye in the NRL, there is a NSW Cup match on this weekend. Maybe it will be useful for Steve Price and his NRL squad to go and support the Cutters. They play at 3pm (AEST) on Saturday at Henson Park against the Newtown Jets.
The Cutters are currently second in the NSW Cup after losing to Wentworthville 30-36 in a close match last weekend.
Benji Marshall is one player who could use the game time in the NSW Cup, but he has not been named and after Sam Williams’ two-try performance last weekend maybe Benji will only rate a position on the bench.
I personally thought Benji showed some real spark during his first game for the Dragons, and it is hopefully only a matter of time before his fantastic football brain connects with his legs and hands and delivers the goods for the Dragons. He also set up the first try last weekend against the Eels, which was incorrectly disallowed.
Charly Runciman is also one player that the Dragons’ NRL centres will find difficult to displace in the Cutters team. Runciman knows how to tackle, score tries and pass and receive the ball, which makes him something the Dragons NRL squad could learn from.
Gerard Beale, who has played well in the NRL, is still adjusting to the centre position and causing winger Brett Morris to compress in defence, which was the cause to Morris’ frustration after the first try last week.
So I think a visit to the NSW Cup Dragons versus Jets match might provide a look into the near future for St George.
At his post-match media conference following the loss to the Eels, Steve Price looked like the coaching equivalent of the walking dead. His only glimmer of hope was, “that he could not put his finger on it”.
Well, some commentators have suggested that he should turn his finger around and point it at himself and that is a view not too far from the truth.
At this stage I believe the Dragons squad is playing without confidence in themselves and coach Steve Price, so the removal of Price is only part of the solution. The Warriors acted early in sacking coach Matthew Elliot, and seemed to many to have turned their season around.
The Dragons are going backwards rapidly and need to act sooner rather than later to try and save this season. Let the writing go on the wall by Round 13 at the latest.
If Ian Millward is to take over as coach from Steve Price for the remainder of the season then at least he knows the players and has substantial experience as a head coach in Super League.
But the Dragons should wait until the end of the season before naming a long-term coach, with names such as Laurie Daley, Wayne Bennett, Neil Henry and Tim Sheens also being mentioned in the press.
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