It seems that the 2020 NRL season for the St George Illawarra Dragons can’t get any lower.
After the extended break because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Dragons have failed to register a try in back-to-back games, doing it against the Warriors and Bulldogs.
When a club falls in to a state of embarrassment, where seemingly all of their practices come into question, the axe immediately starts to fall on the head coach. It is not surprising, however, in recent times to become cliched and overplayed.
With the Dragons still winless from their four starts this year, their board conducted an emergency meeting on Tuesday afternoon when it was decided that coach Paul ‘Mary’ McGregor’s time would continue.
It was a shock to many in the rugby league world, particularly after the coach’s dishevelled and often depressing state of mind after Monday’s loss to the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
It was coincidentally after this loss that many called for McGregor’s head. And with a 46 per cent winning rate in seven years with the club, many were left dumbfounded why he was kept on.
However, even though you can blame McGregor for the side’s woeful attacking shapes or the constant changing of the spine, what you can’t fault is his spirit. Even after looking dejected and physically ill on Monday, he even showed up and answered the critics on NRL 360, where he was berated by a panel that was more interested in his employment future than his side’s recent loss. And even in the face of turmoil these last two weeks, McGregor has always turned up.
Unlike his players.
It has become all too easy to shift blame to a coach once a team starts to slide. Fans and members alike quickly turn their pitchforks on the head coach and blast him on Twitter, all without once questioning the form of the 17 on the park. I’m not saying all fans haven’t criticised the Dragons players, but it certainly hasn’t reached the level of disdain for McGregor.
In the four games the Dragons have played this year, they have only scored 44 points and conceded 96. That’s an average of 11 points a game, or fewer than two tries. That’s a team with two State of Origin representative halves, and a forward pack that can match any in the competition.
In the 17 players that played the Bulldogs on Monday afternoon, ten of them had played representative footy at either the state or national level. Excluding games such as City versus Country and the Prime Minister’s XIII, the Dragons’ representative tally is 164 games. For a club sitting in outright last on the table, this is farcical.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
Ben Hunt looks a shell of himself, while Corey Norman seems more interested in his latest haircut then actually playing footy. Tyson Frizell puts in effort yet it looks like he’s got one eye on 2021 with the Knights rather than focusing on his side’s struggles. And while James Graham admirably tries his best, his 400-odd games between the Super League and NRL are starting to catch up with him.
Michael Ennis recently summed it up perfectly on Fox League when he said the Dragons team resembled a bunch of strangers. This was after the New Zealand Warriors – who had to relocate to another country to train – completed 46 out of 48 sets in a match and kept the Dragons scoreless.
Yet the head coach should be sacked?
In the next two weeks the Dragons face both the Sharks and Titans – sides with only one win apiece. If they are to lose these games, McGregor’s role must certainly come under question. He will probably be sacked and Saints fans will presumably rejoice and hope for the future.
Yet what happens when McGregor is gone and they continue to lose. Who will they blame then?
Andrew
Roar Pro
I never understood why the board was in such a rush to resign Mary back in April 2019. His record is mediocre at best & I can’t imagine there would have been other clubs circling to force the board to jump so early. Now to find out the massive cash overs he’s being paid is the final insult. Lets face it the club can’t afford to pay him out early so we’re stuck with the loser until at least mid 2021. I heard Josh Kerr is also looking for the door, makes me think the cost of keeping him will be higher than axing him.
Arcturus
Roar Rookie
That's an interesting comment, because I always thought the coach had a lot of say in roster management. Recruitment has certainly focussed on getting a decent forward pack to go with the halves, with little money spent on the backs. For the backs I gather the strategy has been to use the juniors coming through, except McGregor doesn't give the juniors much of a go.
Zenn
Roar Rookie
The players don't pick themselves.
HENRIK
Guest
Personally I think McGregor can coach however the whole problem for the Dragons seems to be around their roster management. Hunt wasn't a bad purchase but the players they recruited besides him have been very ordinary except for Gareth Widdop who seems to be the one they are really missing. Corey Norman was a bad idea from the get go. He did nothing at the Eels or the Broncos and really doesn't add anything to the team that I can see. For example if they still had the Morris Twins and Damien cook at the club I think they would be going a lot better.
JGK
Roar Guru
Yep. No team can afford to have 20% of their salary cap tied up in two duds.
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
Excellent point James and TB. One just needs to look at all the ex-Dragons playing firsts quite well at other clubs.
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
thrown out????
The Barry
Roar Guru
How many coaches have lasted seven years with a record like McGregor’s? He deserves every bit of the scrutiny
Zavjalova
Roar Rookie
Norman is also an overrated big money flop
Zavjalova
Roar Rookie
Benny hunt might be the biggest big dollar flop in history. He cops it and sometimes i feel sorry for him but if you wanna accept the big bucks you gotta put in the big performaces and quite frankly he hasnt.
Paul
Roar Guru
hi Thomas, in recent times, both Trent Barrett & Des Hasler had at least as much scrutiny when they were coaching at Manly & Canterbury. Des in particular had heaps of attention, not only because of the poor run the Doggies were going through but because of the back-ended contracts which hurt them so badly. In the Dragons case, I think the guys you named did stand up last year, which is why some were named in rep squads, including SOO, but after a while, getting beaten every week obviously gets to players, especially when the only changes are to the playing personnel. It’s hard to look enthusiastic, let alone play that way, when you’re heart’s not in it, again because you’re doing exactly the same thing with a different bunch of guys. Yes the senior players should stand up and maybe they have, but if so, it seems no-one’s listening, which might explain why good players want out and lots of talent’s being either wasted or is seemingly going backwards career-wise. I agree there are plenty of guys underperforming, but they are past being able to spark themselves. They need someone to kick them into action, be it a new coach, an ex-player, someone to get them working together and playing a better brand of football.
Thomas Costigan
Roar Pro
Hey Paul - countless clubs in the past have had bad coaches where there whole game-plan has come under question. But I still don't think those coaches have come under as much scrutiny as McGregor. Yes, the Dragons attacking flaws should fall back to the Coach, but when you have Norman, Hunt, Frizell, Sims - surely that's when players stand up? If a game plan isn't working, shouldn't these rep players stand up and demand something more? Shouldn't they show some effort, some desire and actually look like they want to win? Do I think McGregor is a good coach? No. But do I think some players have fallen under the radar? Definitely.
Paul
Roar Guru
hi Thomas, I curious to know exactly what you think the players should be blamed for? What have they done wrong that has caused you to write this piece, bearing in mind the issue is not about the recent 4 games the Dragons have lost, but about the way the team has gone since about round 5 last year? They don't decide the game plan, they don't decide the attacking and defensive structures, they don't decide which guys play for the Club, they have no say in who will be chosen on a week to week basis, they didn't create the JdeB distraction, they don't choose the coach or the support staff who have to help get them fit or ready and they don't have any say in the direction the Club is heading through the Dragons board. If all of these factors are out of their hands, what is left to blame them for? They can't be blamed for losing games if they followed the game plan, but that was not good enough. They can't be blamed if they're not fit enough because that comes down to coaching & selections. They can't be blamed if they don't have the skills needed to win games, that's either a selection or skills coaching issue and I don't know how they can be blamed for losing 20 plus games since Round 5 last year with all the chopping and changing they've had to the team every week bar this one. I guess they can be blamed for not playing with passion, desire and confidence, but I defy anyone to front up, week after week and play with these qualities, knowing that the Dragons machine is broken and those mostly responsible for fixing it, either can't ( because they've run out of ideas) or won't.
JOHN ALLAN
Guest
When a side is struggling even just to score points, the coach has 2 basic choices. Either make minimum changes to demonstrate he has confidence in them turning it around or make changes & hope it works. if the Dragons & Broncos bow to their fans calls to drop highly paid players who are not performing, there are no second tier competitions for them to regain form & press for reselection. Leaves coaches in a quandary as it is the coach who lives or dies by his teams' results. Ex players who obtain a position in the media are on safer ground. They can be critical of everybody & everything, not have a solution yet their job is safe.
Albo
Roar Rookie
Great minds think alike, kk !
jamesb
Roar Guru
Barry Your last line sums it up well. Whenever the expansion topic comes up, people will always say "there's not enough quality players for expansion". And yet not many say, "is there enough quality coaches"?. The other day I saw on Twitter a Manly side that came 15th under Barrett. That side only had three or four different changes to the current one where Hasler has Manly in contention for the comp. And I know it's early days, but Adam O'Brien is showing promise at Newcastle. When fans say "the coach doesn't have the cattle" is a cop out excuse. A big indication of a coaches ability is how his side attacks in the opposition 20.
The Barry
Roar Guru
McGregor’s not solely to blame but if you’ve got a talented group of representative players who are chronically underperforming, can’t score, can’t defend, appear unmotivated, have terrible shapes in attack and play like complete strangers (all points you’ve raised in your article), then that’s all in the coach’s wheelhouse to come up with a strategy to fix If an individual player is appearing unmotivated or underperforming then yeah, the individual is responsible. When your whole side looks like that, it’s fair enough to look to the coach That’s before we get to the way that very few players have progressed under his coaching, the many that have gone backwards, the poor retention decisions, the inconsistent seasons, the <50% win rate, etc They have looked lIke a poorly coached side for years
kk
Roar Pro
Sorry Albo, I typed my reply unaware of yours above.
kk
Roar Pro
Hi TC, The 'FARFETCH' advertisement accompanies your article. What an appropriate word to describe the current position and contribution(s) from the playing list. A return to the W.L.D basis of remuneration may make for a different scoreboard. Perhaps things may improve in eleven days time when some direction is commenced in the JdB matter. W.L.D. This unresolved case lies at the root of their current form.
jamesb
Roar Guru
It’s a bigger issue than just the players. The way the club has been run should come under scrutiny. If the club sacked Mary, it’s a million dollar payout. I mean how on earth is Mary worth a reported $750,000 a year? That is mind boggling for someone who has only won one final in six years as head coach. And with the players, the club can prematurely off load them to other clubs before their contracts expire. However, the other clubs would want the Dragons to foot the bill of a good portion of those contracts. So paying players whilst playing for other clubs is extremely messy. Now sure, the players should be putting in more of an effort on the field. But the constant changing of the spine and terrible structures in attack doesn’t help either. Mary should’ve got the sack a couple of days ago, but he is still coach due to financial reasons, and it’s the board who were responsible for the premature extension of the contract last year. If anything, the board should be held more accountable than anyone at the club. That’s where the problems begin.