Having been fed bagels by the North Queensland Cowboys and Brisbane Broncos in the past fortnight, the St George Illawarra Dragons will attempt to salvage something from their so-far pointless venture to Queensland on Saturday.
They face the Gold Coast Titans at Cbus Super Stadium this Saturday afternoon.
A lot has been said about the Dragons’ misfiring attack, with the 40 points (and six tries) scored to date in 2016 the fewest by any side this season.
They are also yet to score more than 16 points in a single match this season. They have been held tryless on three occasions. Apart from the recent pair of blanks they fired against the Cowboys and Broncos, the other time they failed to score a try was against Cronulla in Round 2.
This has resulted in the team copping some ridicule on social media, with some posts on Facebook and Twitter mocking the team’s current plight.
What didn’t help the Dragons’ plight against the Broncos in Brisbane was that they had only five days to prepare for that match after they had been defeated 36-0 by the Cowboys in Townsville.
Despite the best efforts of fullback Josh Dugan, the Dragons had a try denied in the first half and were eventually shut out 26-0 by the premiership favourites, but the scoreline aside, the team performance wasn’t all that bad.
It was only 14-0 with just over ten minutes to go before some ill-discipline cost them two late tries. And playing the Broncos in Brisbane is never an easy assignment; in fact, they haven’t been beaten at home since Round 26 last year.
Then there was the contractual issues involving Benji Marshall, with no other NRL club keen to gamble on him once his time at Kogarah Oval ends. He was a late withdrawal from the match against the Broncos due to a hamstring injury.
However, his return to the side this week may not be enough to spark the Dragons against the Titans, with club captain Ben Creagh not due back until Round 9 and Kurt Mann until the Anzac Day clash against the Roosters.
The Dragons will look to avoid becoming the second team in three years (and just the second in the history of Australian rugby league) to be held scoreless in three consecutive matches.
On that occasion, in 2014 the Sharks’ hat-trick of ducks came across a five-week period, with two byes in between, meaning they went through more than a month without scoring a single point.
They could face a Titans side missing Greg Bird, pending his challenge at the NRL tribunal for a careless high tackle on James Maloney for which he is disputing the grading of the charge.
If Bird is successful, then he will be free to face the Dragons, otherwise he will miss the match which looms as an equally important one for the ninth-placed Titans.
Given what has been a tough start to the season owing to their eighth-place finish last season, coach Paul McGregor has targeted that the Dragons be equal on wins and losses by the halfway point of the season.
But the trip to the Gold Coast this weekend will not be their last outside of New South Wales for the season. On the other side of their Anzac Day clash with the Roosters, they must also trek across the ditch for a clash with the Warriors.
After that, they will stay in the state for the remainder of the season, only having to make one more long road trip in Round 16 to face the Nathan Brown-coached Newcastle Knights at Hunter Stadium.
Thus, the club must target to win at least one or two of their next three matches if they are to get their season back on track, otherwise it could start slipping away sooner rather than later.
And after the representative weekend, the Dragons will never have to board a plane again for the rest of the season, and so there will be no excuses if they cannot get their season up and running again by then.
Renegade
Roar Guru
After all that you suggest Dugan as captain...
AndrewF
Guest
Thanks so much for that little story but your little attempted embellishment of the Dragons CRL standard 5/8 and captain who is ruining the team, it suggests you are somehow related. If it isn't you yourself, Gareth. If so, you need start earning your massively inflated salary and get to the training paddock and learn how to: tackle, kick and run. You don't need to practice catching and immediately passing because that's all you ever do that doesn't end in a mistake. Yes, I remember Ben Rogers and yes, from what I have seen he is better than Widdop. And yes, now isn't the time to get Hutchinson the 5/8 jersey. Marshall to 5/8, McCrone to 1/2 and Duges to captain.
Squidward
Roar Rookie
I'm throwing my iPhone in the leak near the park after this day! What is a commutative anyway haha
Ken
Guest
His wife? Are wives supposed to stand up for blokes on this sort of thing? Whenever I come home from playing a footy game my wife always gives me that sarcastic eye-roll at whatever limb I'm favouring and muses whether I've realised I'm too old for this yet... In serious answer to your question, no I don't think he's the worst player of the last 20 years - you know Ben Rogers played for us right? And yes, I think his form and confidence is down - he's second-guessing himself with the ball, his kicking game is off and he's generally not offering as much as he should. But with Marshall and McCrone swapping in and out of the halfback role I don't think it's the right time to give Hutchinson a go at 5/8th.
Ken
Guest
Is that a thing now, do we call them 'The Tits'? Because I can't believe I've been missing out on that one.
Ken
Guest
Thanks for the mock, put the weeks pay on Widdop!
Ken
Guest
Mediocre, pretty fair - they certainly hadn't done anything that suggests they are a top 4 team. 4 decent opponents - 2 losses, 2 wins. It was OK but nothing to get excited about. My point was their last 2 games was probably the toughest conditions any club will face all year: the 2 best teams, away, with a 5 day turnaround. Without any question they melted under the pressure. I see this game against the Titans as a good indicator of whether that's going to define the rest of their season or if they are going to re-emerge as a competitive fringe-8 team.
JohnnoMcJohnno
Roar Rookie
He said fan, not fans.
Ken
Guest
Pre-season it wouldn't have been. Today though, the bookies consider the Titans pretty warm favourites at 1.55 based on current form and home ground so it would have to qualify.
The Barry
Roar Guru
If they get Coote...(and they will have to pay massive overs) it leaves the Dragons paying elite fullback money to two players instead of one. Maybe they can pick Mann at fullback, Coote at five-eighth and Dugan in the centres and strengthen three positions...hahahahaha The players will be really worried this week. Perform like absolute busteds again and Mary will drop the other winger....oooooooo You're 100% correct though Charles... "McGregor must try to find someone to take his spot so as to strengthen the Dragons for the future" Only problem is, who would want to coach the Dragons?
The Barry
Roar Guru
McGregor's one change is a winger ! Yeah - that's the problem Mary...hahahahaha. He has no clue. Is there a Dragons player that has improved during McGregor's tenure? Maybe Aitken? Widdop had one of the worst individual performances I've ever seen last week. It was awful. Steve Mavin in 89 springs to mind. I'm to young to remember Langlands and his white boots. Justin Hodges' origin debut? He needs a spell in the reggies to get his composure and timing back. Having said all that, the Dragons will probably win now withe Widdop man of the match.
The Barry
Roar Guru
...and a mediocre month before that.
Fairdinkum
Roar Rookie
Because it was obviously all mata'utia's fault that they have no attacking structure except one out running & backs running from dummy half when in their own end.Marketo is probably to blame too for last week as the score was only 14 nil when he came onto the field. Seriously though i am ok with these changes & there wasn't much more he could do as far as team selection goes when the problem lies with mary's lack of coaching nous.Don't forget he was the attacking coach under price & there has been no sign of improvement then or now.No wonder he was part of the blues coaching team as they can't score enough points to beat qld as well.
John
Guest
I don't know if a win against a team which was widely written off by everyone pre-season qualifies as an upset.
Ken
Guest
This week will be a better indicator of where the Dragons lie than the last two weeks. They were poor and clearly outclassed facing the 2 form teams in the comp away with a tiny turnaround, most teams in the comp would probably have come away from that 5 days with their tail between their legs though. Remember that in the 2 weeks before that they knocked off Penrith and Souths, 2 teams with genuine finals aspirations. Facing a Titans team in good form will give a much better indication of whether they truly resemble their horrible stats and belong in the bottom rung, or they are actually a half decent team that just had a bad fortnight.
Scott Pryde
Expert
How does McGregor only make one change after not scoring a point for 2 games? Absolutely ridiculous. Dragons will probably take another shellacking here, based on the way we have been attacking. Just can't see them getting it together. I'll raise my point again though - WHO CREATES THE DRAW? Three weeks in Queensland, then home at Allianz against the Roosters before we travel to New Zealand. Yeah... Fair.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Kurt Mann has fans?
AndrewF
Guest
No but he ruined my first 6 rounds of the season by playing at a level below that of the average CRL 5/8 and in so doing, being instrumental in ruining the rest of the team. "Not in great form" is a nice embellishment. Are you his wife? He has been embarrassing, not merely "not great form"!
Charles NSW
Guest
Coach McGregor is making only change one which is brave when you consider our scorelines. It is no secret the Dragons are after Lachlan Coote as a fullback so where does that put Dugan? They should put him in the centres now and let him make that his own now, especially as they will put him in the centres in SOO McGregor must try to find someone to take his spot so as to strengthen the Dragons for the future. Mary will need to have a big improvement or there will be more to call for his dismissal I think we will see that this time as the players know it will be there last chance to shine
Joe
Roar Rookie
I'm backing the Dragons to cause an upset here especially if Bird gets charged. I think they can only improve from last two weeks performances. Even though the scorelines were big their defence was pretty good. They just kept giving up too much cheap possession and in the end the defence just tired. I think Benji will help lift the load of Widdop who is trying too hard out there and also Faifailoa might have a point to prove against his former team. They also have had a decent break compared to the Titans.