The well-publicised scrutiny of Steve Price by the media and fans alike, culminated last week in his sacking from the St George Illawarra Dragons.
Temporary saviour Paul ‘Mary’ McGregor will step in as the caretaker coach for the remainder of the season.
Mid season coach changes are not at all a good look, it shows that a club is so desperate they sack the man who is in charge rather than looking at the real issue, the players.
I agree that letting Price go is the correct decision, he had a poor record despite starting off well, and has slumped to three straight humiliations.
But it was not the bulk of the problem.
The Dragons’ losing trend will certainly continue under Paul McGregor unless he is well versed in the dark arts. If McGregor can’t come down to Wollongong and conjure out of thin air two 115-kilogram props, things will not change.
In the last three weeks the Dragons have lost to the Roosters 34-14, the Bulldogs 38-6 and the Eels 36-0. In those three defeats, the Dragons forward pack were treated like the Under-10s from the Berkeley Eagles. They suffered an average difference of 648 metres gained, peaking against the Bulldogs with 753 metres.
When you compare the size of the Dragons pack to what I think is the best and biggest in Canterbury, the disparity is staggering. The combined total weight of the Canterbury forwards is over one ton, at 1003 kilograms. This is compared to the Dragons’ total of 944 kilograms.
The average weight of the forwards for the Dragons is 104 kilograms, while the Canterbury average is 111.5 kilograms. That means that the average player for the Bulldogs weighs more than the Dragons’ biggest, Leeson Ah Mau (111 kilograms) and in actual fact, five Bulldogs forwards edge him on the scales.
While having a mobile and smaller pack can work for teams such as the Tigers occasionally, those players have to be playing out of their skin to match and defeat packs like the Roosters, Rabbitohs and the Bulldogs. That is something the Dragons are not able to do.
In this situation of a smaller pack being consistently dominated, I feel bad not only for the forwards, but for the backs. The Dragons have some excellent talent in Gareth Widdop, Josh Dugan, Brett Morris and Benji Marshall – if he can find form – who have the ability to break games open with flashes of brilliance.
But rugby league is grit first, glamor second. When twisting the top off a stubborn jar of strawberry jam, you first need to loosen it and then with a few more spectacular twists the top will pop off and allow you to reap the rewards of your labour. This concept applies to the Dragons.
Without the forward pack loosening the jar lid with metres gained and tackles made, the backs have no chance of ripping off the top and actually winning games. Unfortunately the Dragons’ forwards are incapable of doing this legwork.
So Paul, the solution is simple. Either collect as many books on Haitian voodoo magic as you can or recruit a few forwards with size and skill. Otherwise this trend of a dominated Dragons team dwelling near the bottom will continue.
James Cairns
Roar Guru
i agree it isn't entirely about size, i personally think graham is one of, if not the best prop in the game and its all heart and work ethic over size but he is special. though the dragons props are similar sizes to graham and tolman, you're right, it would help if they were 1)all graham clones 2) played well and worked hard. guess we will see tomorrow if they are capable of that.
Alex L
Roar Rookie
Point was that forward effectiveness isn't entirely about size (given Graham and Tolman make 300m and 60 tackles per game between them); work rate is a big factor with the Dragons props at the moment -- they're too small to be spending half the game on the interchange bench putting in low hit up and tackle numbers, but that's what they're doing.
James Cairns
Roar Guru
tim browne is 112kg, tony williams is 120. tolman and graham are a bit smaller yeah. but we have several sizeable men.
James Cairns
Roar Guru
yeah, ball skills are very important to have an effective smaller pack. i think you have a pack of good second rowers, but you need to develop from cutters as you say some skillful props. mcgregor might change somethings soon, mcfadden at the warriors made some big calls and they worked.
Alex L
Roar Rookie
Current Bulldogs pack has its size inflated by the presence of Kasiano and Klemmer (who are on the ground for about 50mins per game between them). Bulldogs starting props are under 110kg.
saint ryno
Guest
The problem with the dragon pack is although they are smaller they don't back it up with ball skills. They never draw and pass or pass through the line using their speed. The team selections for the forwards have been pathetic under price--they need frizzell at second row with Thompson--real ball running second rowers who are tough. Merrin needs to be smart about when he offloads. yes we don't have big props but we don't play our best props in the starting side either. Cooper should start. We have big guys in the cutters who never get a go in fg so who knows how they would go because price has never tried Obrien, ailiomi and groat who were bought foir the purpose. Based on mcgregors selections he wont do any better than price. Who would play green instead of runiman?
James Cairns
Roar Guru
It makes it a lot harder to be competitive i think. quick play the balls could aid the problem, but when your forwards are going nowhere and getting dominated in tackles, its hard to get a quick play the ball. if they could bend the line and then play the ball quick, that would be an effective method but again, harder to bend the line when you are small and especially don't play with enthusiasm.
Charles NSW
Guest
Having a smaller pack does not meant they cannot be competitive. It means having a stronger defensive line and fast play the balls to put them on the backfoot.
James Cairns
Roar Guru
yeah i agree, they do definitely lack heart and that would help. i think they are in for another belting this weekend unfortunately, the forwards are demoralised and the whole pack lacks confidence, can't see that changing.
James Cairns
Roar Guru
yeah those players are exceptions, and play in packs with andrew fifita and tagatese for gallen and myles and taylor for bird. but i agree, a general increase in enthusiasm and heart for the dragons would help in them not getting smashed anymore, but they need the size to be a true contender
JohnnoMcJohnno
Guest
Hear what you're saying but as you point out the size issue can't be solved without magic. In any case, the forwards aren't that small and size isn't everything. For example Paul Gallen and Greg Bird aren't the biggest blokes but they seem to go allright. Its the enthusiasm and being up for the contest that needs to improve.
Walter Penninger
Roar Guru
Good article, but I think that there is something that can be done to turn the Dragons arround. While the forwards are a problem, they lack enthusiasm and the whole team is playing without confidence largely a result of Price. What they do not need now is another thrashing by Souths, just an improved performance and no total collaspe would be good.