Paul McGregor reportedly has two weeks left to save his job. If his team selections for Round 4 are anything to go by, he might only have the one.
Dragons fans, sick and tired of their side’s inability to perform at the level you’d expect of a squad with a healthy helping of rep footy experience, were none too happy with the squad announced for this weeekend’s clash against the Bulldogs.
Matt Dufty, Korbin Sims and Tyrell Fuimaono are all out of the 17. Dufty is one of the most talented players on the list, but McGregor hasn’t been able to properly harvest his potential. Sims is an honest, hard-working forward who rarely, if ever, lets his side down. Fuimaono has been one of St George Illawarra’s better performers this year.
While that trio has been dumped, Ben Hunt and Corey Norman have both been retained, albeit with positional switches – Hunt from halfback to five-eighth and Norman into fullback (a position he’s complained about playing in in the past).
As Origin playmakers, they are capable of breaking open opposition defences with their individual talent alone. For anyone crying ‘bad coaching’ as an excuse for them, it just doesn’t wash – regardless of McGregor’s direction, those two are out of form and more deserving of being dropped than the three who’ve been told to sit on the sidelines this week.
The Dragons were woeful against the Warriors in their first match back. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
That McGregor has made such a significant change to his side after only one week back doesn’t just indicate how abysmal and directionless a performance they dished up last week to the Warriors, it suggests he doesn’t know how to get the best out of his team, that he doesn’t know what the best line-up is. That wouldn’t come as much of a surprise given how his spine was rotated around at the beginning of last season.
Even if this weekend’s iteration of the Dragons does dish up a more respectable offering, it’s going to take something special to give Mary some respite. Against the Bulldogs, themselves coming off a lacklustre thrashing (admittedly at the hands of a very good Manly side featuring a rampant Tom Trbojevic), a gutsy one-try win won’t do much to placate the critics.
After all, on paper, this is a side which should at least have finals aspirations, if not top-four ones. Barely scraping past a spoon contender won’t do a lot to dispel the notion the Dragons are more likely to pick up wooden cutlery than silverware this year.
Had the side opted to bring in some younger players in addition to new halfback Adam Clune – Tristan Sailor is the obvious one here – then maybe the selections would be more palatable. A hail mary using the emerging talents who could be the future of this club is at least a good story supporters could get behind.
But shifting out-of-form playmakers into unpreferred positions, the same players who couldn’t create so much as a single point against the Warriors? It looks an awful lot like just shuffling the deck chairs.
Illawarra Flame
Roar Rookie
G-H, Mary IS a suburban grade coach.
Andrew
Guest
I agree with the majority of the article. I do think people over value the calibre of the team though. Yep there are a bunch of players who have played rep footy. But all rep footy players are not of the same talent level. When you look more closely at them; Hunt: Has only ever been a fringe Origin player at best. Graham: Hasn't played at the level of an International for about 4 years Frizzell: His best is great but he has always been inconsistent Vaughan: Only just broken into rep footy Then you have; Norman: Another inconsistent player - probably had one 6 week window in his career where he played a consistently high level Dufty: Is basically Bevan French who wound up in the Super League after less than 50 NRL games Cameron McInnes is probably their best player And even he at best is just a good solid club man, capable of playing rep footy, sure, but not a star in rep footy. So who is the star? The game breaker that oppositions fear? The Ponga or Tedesco, Turbo or JT13? It doesn't absolve the fact that they should be doing better (Parra doesn't have any elite "stars" either but they seem to work) and McGregor has not developed any talented young players or has any semblance of a game plan - short or long term. But I just think the expectations for this group are sometimes unrealistic.
Bunney
Roar Rookie
I agree. All signs point to Mary not being a very good coach. Preseason Lomax was billed as the fullback...that lasted one game. In three rounds, there's been very little continuity in team selection, and that belies a lack of faith in the players being chopped and changed: Dufty, Lomax, and Aitken. All young and talented. Yet underperforming senior players keep their spots. Norman, Hunt, Graham etc. What those talented players could do with belief and patience from the coach is the great unknown
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
A few years back it was feasible that by now that a fair number of Saints and Penny Panther players would be playing a lot of rep footy. While it is true the Saints forwards have done so , the backs like Aitken have faded away somehow and I'm not entirely convinced it's all down to the coaching at both clubs. Will Aitken and Dufty for example fire up under a new coach either at Saints or elsewhere? Clubs like the Chickens and Storm would have shuffled both players off a long time ago I suspect because they recognise the problem of having players on the roster going backwards and deal with it swiftly.
Eelsalmighty
Roar Rookie
In the Dragon's case I think this is coming down to the coach (genius aren't I), but In fairness if I was the coach I wouldn't have the (short term at least) solution. From a Parra perspective, having been in a similar situation (more times than we've had hot dinners) Id compare Dufty to French. Both awesome attacking players, at times at least, but it's hard to find a spot in the modern game. Norman, who I rate highly, needs the right halves partner, but the qualities needed from the "right halves partner" vary greatly from game to game, and even intragame from an organising HB to a rookie 5/8. Adding to that Frizell (I think) has signed elsewhere (Knights?) and I think it's looking like (very close at least to) rock bottom. Bottom line, it will likely be a long road back, and a new coach is probably only the first step.
JGK
Roar Guru
Sigh. It really is a dreadfully run club. I wish I was a reclusive billionaire. I’d give them everything they wanted - so long as I had a bit of say:).
Muzz
Guest
The club is on life support.
Succhi
Roar Rookie
I read today a journalist putting the Dragons into the same category as The Titans. Needed to pay overs to attract players. No offence Titans people, but that’s a bold and embarrassing statement for the Dragons.
Don
Roar Rookie
This is the same a when Nathan Brown had a great side but couldn't get them over the line. Wayne Bennett comes along, adds a few like Boyd, Jeremy Smith etc and they win a comp. Give a good coach like Toovey this side and he'll likely punt a few but he will get a result. The Saints keep giving their favourite sons the big job but don't get much in return. Craig Young, Nathan Brown, Paul McGregor...
Don
Roar Rookie
Agree. It is embarrassing. Seriously, doesn’t matter who their halves are. Their forwards didn’t have a dig and they played a game that didn’t take advantage of retreating defence. It was really noticeable that sides understood opportunities which a faster ruck and didn’t do consistent block plays with decoy runners and passing behind the line. The best sides passed in the line and flat putting running pressure on retreating defences. If McGregor just keeps mimicking Melbourne’s style from 2015 he’ll keep getting dusted.
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
LOL.. I thought that was the whole idea of selling to WIN, for the access to funds and some deep pockets.
danwain
Roar Rookie
Agree with this, if we are writinh the season off, which appears likely, at least give some of the young guys a crack to get used to first grade
JGK
Roar Guru
Well yes, 10 for 1 is less than intelligent unless the buck saved now prevents you from becoming insolvent. I have no idea what the finances are like at St George but the gossip is that they are pretty dire unless the Gordon's chuck some money in. So maybe it's the Gordon's who need to take your advice!
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
That's .. less than intelligent to me, but you are correct. I see it in my business dealings, save a buck now and damage business rather than enhance business and save ten bucks over a year or two..
Soda
Roar Rookie
Fair call re: Vaughn. :thumbup:
Adam Bagnall
Roar Guru
I think Paul Vaughn is probably the only player that has improved under Mary. The rest have either plateued like Frizell, or gone backwards like Aitken
Soda
Roar Rookie
Dufty certainly hasn't flourished under Mary's watch. Having said that, I think the fullback is a big part of the problem. When the fullback gets dragged back 10 metres or more on the majority of the ball returns, it's little wonder the halves struggle. Dufty was electric when he first started but it didn't take long for teams to work him out. I'm a bit harsh on Dufty I know and to be fair I can't think of one player that has got better under Mary, so maybe Dufty could do well somewhere else but I would be hard pressed to think of another team that would want him? Super league I guess?
JGK
Roar Guru
When cash is king, long term cost is less relevant.
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
But they can't afford not to. I've listed elsewhere, but the financial damage from his presence ultimately will be more than the cost of paying him out.
Dayer
Roar Rookie
bloody MEDIA