St George Illawarra Dragons 2020 NRL season review
While Zac Lomax has emerged as a genuine strike weapon, he’s not the only emerging star that can lift the Dragons out of the doldrums. Another backline ace has ‘really matured as a person and a player.’
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St George Illawarra’s playing squad has been put on notice that poor on-field behaviour will not be tolerated by incoming coach Anthony Griffin.
The club identified a lack of discipline contributed to the Dragons’ stuttering season as unnecessary penalties, suspensions and brain snaps cost them a finals fling.
Having started the year with Jack de Belin suspended indefinitely as he faces rape charges — of which he’s pleaded not guilty — the Dragons lost another five players because of both on-field and off-field incidents.
Tariq Sims (dangerous contact), Paul Vaughan (dangerous contact and COVID-19 breach), Jackson Ford (tripping), Jordan Pereira (careless high tackle and shoulder charge) and Tyrell Fuimaono (dangerous contact) were all suspended as Paul McGregor fought for his coaching career.
“We have had a lot of games missed through suspension and we need to clean that up,” said Ben Haran in his first interview since being appointed the Dragons’ new general manager of football.
“When you add all the suspensions up it really impacts the squad. Those things have not been good enough and will be addressed.”
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THE ROSTER
Unlike Canterbury, Gold Coast and the Wests Tigers, St George Illawarra have few excuses when it comes to their roster.
With five former Kangaroos in their squad and another three players with international honours, the Dragons have more than enough talent to be a top-eight contender.
Only de Belin’s indefinite suspension can be used as an excuse.
“We have never hidden away from the fact we have missed Jack,” Haran said.
“He brings a lot to the club on the field. His unavailability all year has been a challenge. He is not a player that can be replaced.”
With a host of exciting prospects headlined by centre Zac Lomax, depth is not a problem either. Jackson Ford, Cody Ramsay and the Feagai twins, Max and Matt, have all been earmarked as future stars.
While the roster cannot be blamed, the way it has been used can be. McGregor used both Lomax and Corey Norman at fullback before settling on Matt Dufty, and made the controversial call to turn Ben Hunt into a $1 million-a-year back-up hooker.
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“Consistency in positions is very important,” Haran said. “But through both performances and coaching selections we haven’t had as much consistency as we would have liked.”
The Dragons have also been spared from the NRL’s injury crisis with no major long-term outs.
THE COACH
A dead-man walking from the season start, McGregor was finally put out of his misery in heading into round 14 against Parramatta.
Having survived two boardroom votes earlier in the year, McGregor paid the price for another failed year.
Dean Young stepped in on an interim basis before Anthony Griffin was appointed to lead for the next two years, with the club holding an option in its favour for a third season.
THE ANALYSIS
With players like Hunt, Norman, Lomax and Dufty you wouldn’t expect the Dragons to have a problem scoring points – but stats reveal they are almost as bad as the Bulldogs.
The Dragons have the NRL’s second-worst red-zone attack. It takes them an average of 16 tackles to score a try in the attacking 20m.
“At times we have been too lateral,” Haran said.
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The Dragons have also been too conservative. A lack of points combined with a high completion and low error rate suggests a concerning lack of strike power.
“I think it is more that we have been making errors at crucial times in games,” Haran said. “And we are also guilty of having back-to-back tries scored against us and compounding errors with errors.”
THE FIGHT
It hasn’t all been bad. While defeats to the Warriors (18-0), Bulldogs (22-2), Titans (20-8) and Cowboys (23-22) are unacceptable, the Dragons have lost five games by just six points. They would be currently sitting inside the eight had they been able to turn just two of their narrow defeats into wins. The Dragons are also the only club to have three players who have scored 10 or more tries.
“We have been in the fight for most of the year,” Haran said.
“We have gotten into the game against a lot of good teams ... but that isn’t good enough. We are in the business of winning and we need to turn those losses into wins.”
THE GOOD
Lomax is a genuine strike weapon thanks to a breakout season that has confirmed him as an NRL star.
“Zac is an outstanding kid,” Haran said. “He has come through the system as a centre but has the ability to play in other positions. I think most would agree that is ultimately a centre and that he has been in pretty good form all year.”
Dufty has also cemented his spot as the Dragons’ fullback by fixing his highball catching game.
“He has really matured,” Haran said. “As a person and a player.”
THE BAD
Hunt and Norman have failed to prove themselves the matchwinners that the Dragons bought them to be.
Some blame can be placed on McGregor for positional switches, but both players need to accept responsibility for failing to deliver.
THE FUTURE
A controversial appointment following his Penrith exit, the Dragons are certain they have chosen the right man in Anthony Griffin.
“We are going into a whole new era and it is something to get excited about,” Haran said.
“Hook is the new coach and he will bring plenty of new good things with him. A lot of people criticised our process but I think we have gotten it right.”
THE TARGETS
The Dragons have pulled out of the race to sign James Tamou but are still looking to add to marquee forwards to their pack.
With De Belin set to re-sign should he be cleared of his sexual assault charge, the former NSW lock will be joined next year by another two high-quality big men.
The Dragons have at least three spots to spend and an estimated $1.5m.
NewsCorp Australia can reveal the club is planning on using the money to buy two marquee forwards.
Specifically, the Dragons are targeting a line-breaking backrower and also a defensive forward they want to clean up their ruck.
The Dragons missed out on Adam Elliott but are now monitoring rival NRL squads and hoping to pick up a contracted player. Joe Ofahengaue, Christian Welch and Patrick Carrigan have all been mentioned as targets.