Dragons lose another star under Mary

If the brains trust at the club aren’t careful McGregor’s only legacy will be the dumpster fire he leaves behind in 2022. Giving Flanagan greater control these past 5 weeks has shown signs of improvement but it’s only a bandaid solution given Flanagan’s NRL ban until 2022. Interesting comparison is Paul Green, he’s also contracted to end 2021 but the Cows sacked him despite 2 GF’s & a Premiership. If the Cows have the courage to pull the trigger why is McGregor treated like an endangered species? Like you I was pretty shattered that Frizell decided to leave & given JdB’s ongoing legal troubles we are looking skinny in the backrow for 2021. Probably another inditement for McGregor is that the club hasn’t been able to find a replacement for Frizell, they should have thrown the cheque book at John Bateman or Corey Harawira-Naera but yet we missed out.

Fanning article... nailed it. He should been fired the day he caught drink driving on Anzac Day, the morning of the biggest game of the season. What a joke

Frankly, I don't think the Dragons will lose another game all year.

Well i think you are wrong about Aiken, i think he could be a really good player given the right chances. He has never been given any help from Lafai who i think is the worst centre playing football he has no skills whatsoever or a football brain. He throws stupid passes, runs sideways, hardly ever passes a ball and if he does it's a suicide pass. Lomax and Aiken should be the centres and i am afraid that Mary has to go and go now wouldn't know a good player f he jumped up and bit him on the backside, and his tactics and game plans are the worst i've ever seen from a coach always wanting to buy old has been player's instead of good young player's with a future.

Pretty fair article . Great players don't always make great coaches . Doing and teaching are very much different pursuits . I get the feeling that no one in Rugby League gives credit to an opinion unless you have played the game and the better you played , the more revered your opinion is . The boys club mentality of rugby league often appears to be holding the game back on multiple levels , from administration right through to commentary . Would it be safe to say 800K a season is a pie in the sky figure at this point in time ? I think a necessary re calibration of player payments and the NRL administration was coming anyway with the next media deal . I can't believe how hand to mouth the NRL still is . After 100 years , 20 since the war , the NRL as a game hasn't developed any of it's own wealth or assets . As a business model is appears pretty flawed and in need of some fresh ideas and long term strategies .

I remember Mary recently stated that if he did not have the support of senior players, he would not stay on as coach. Tyson is a SENIOR player and obviously has no confidence in Mary. Are you ready to walk yet Mary????

I'm trying to find something positive to counter what your saying ( apart from "I'm sure he's a really nice guy"), but I simply can't get past a 25% win rate over the last 20 games. As a coach, he simply isn't what the mughty Dragons need.

Dragons had a champion lamb But Mary shot it dead And now it goes to games with him Between two lumps of bread

Really!! McGregor has to shoulder the blame to an extent, but when you look at the decisions made on the senior teams for the past 20 years one thing is clear, the Wollongong based players have always had to work twice as hard as the Sydney based players to get a crack from the junior ranks. That's a board decision. The same as less games and the choice of games played at WIN ( generally teams that bring less fans that travel) so the Jubilee games get propped up the teams that do travel. It has been a one sided merge from the start with preference to the young guys who have links to Renown, Mascot and the like. Majority of this is on the board who made sure from the very start it was slighted for the "mighty Red V" and us fans from the South were reminded of it everytime we wore our old Steelers jerseys to the games. I hope the Gordon family do have plans I personally hope they don't include the Red V, then I may show back up to watch a live game.

Dufty is similar to Brett Stewart in speed and size DP, but I'd bet anything that Stewart would be a star if he was in the current Saints team despite the coach. Thurston was a star at the Cows under different coaches. The Turbo brothers were stars under Barrett in good and bad years. Jai Arrow furthered his reputation in a dodgy Titans outfit. The evidence at the moment points to Dufty lacking the characteristics of these players but I'll stand corrected if he comes good. The top players like Tedesco do well at struggling clubs and get poached usually. If Dufty was being held back by the coach he should have played as well as he could and moved to the Cows or the Storm.

Perhaps the board at st George don’t care about winning or are just plain dumb.

I think it is just a simple answer. They can’t afford to pay Mary out that’s all. We heading that the Gordon’s have $$millions but that doesn’t mean they want to waste it on the team, they already spent $10million bailing them out.

No other club would have renewed his contract, we are have replaced the Eels. Terribly managed, coached and players who have lost direction and motivation. Who could blame Friz for leaving, obviously any option is better than being at the Dragons.

I've said it before, Mary has spin and political nous of the highest order. Mind you, Covid -19 will save him this year.

Valid point and good general rule. I'd say it would apply to all bar Manly. They seem to do better with their own.

Dragons need something different. Get the Walker Brothers. I don't think real highly of the chooks or their coach, but as I understand the stats, they have had equal worst error rate and one of the worst in possession retention. So besides defence (and a few other reasons I won't bring up here) winning 2 GF's - they are up the top for going to the line, so they take attacking risks. Walker Bros are entertaining winners, always playing to be in the hunt, get them.

The thing that gets me is that apt of dragons fans are calling for “super coach” Bennett but along the lines of what you’ve said he’s been less than impressive with some promising teams. Because he lead us to our last premiership he’s the one! It really shuts me though, he is NOT our answer!!

Depends on the coach 40/20. I'd bet anything that Dufty would kill it under someone like the Walker Brothers.

I have been a disappointed Dragons fan like many over the last few seasons but I was always hopeful that this season would be different with Shane Flanagans presence adding valued coaching to the team. Mary has been criticised for player selections but he made a ballsy call to bring Dufty back believing his attitude had changed and after the Penrith game it may have been the right call. Although Lomax needs to be in the centres as he is a player that likes to be closer to the ball. I thought the game against Penrith was a shining light going forward except for Frizell falling over. If Frizell didn’t have Newcastle on his mind I dare say he wouldn’t have fallen over and Dragons win the game and we would all be talking differently.