Coach Dean Young torches Dragons after humiliating loss to Newcastle Knights
Dragons coach Dean Young didn’t hold back when assessing his side’s disastrous performance against a finals-bound Newcastle, while, in Canberra, Ricky Stuart was also fired up.
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Dean Young was as proud as any player who ever wore a St George Illawarra jumper.
But after watching the team he now coaches collapse to a humiliating 42-18 defeat to a finals-bound Newcastle, Young declared that the Dragons “wouldn’t have beaten Dapto”.
And considering Young’s junior club the Dapto Canaries finished stone motherless last in their local seniors comp this year, it tells you where this side that has already seen off Paul McGregor this year is now at.
On an afternoon when the Knights took the box seat to secure the club’s first home final since 2006, the disastrous Dragons produced one of the most pathetic performances in the joint venture’s history.
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From the opening whistle they fumbled and bumbled their way to an embarrassing seven-tries-to-three loss that left one of the club’s gutsiest and toughest-ever players looking completely humiliated.
“We wouldn’t have beaten Dapto today the way we played that first half,” Young said of a scoreline that read 30-6 at the break. “It was just under 8s stuff.
“In the end they made 260-something tackles and we made 410. So you are going to get some poor defensive stuff and some fundamental errors.
“(But) that is not an excuse.
“We are much better than that and the players know that. When you let in soft tries it is sort of a reflection of what the game means to you.”
For the Dragons Zac Lomax and Matt Dufty couldn’t have tried harder while young winger Cody Ramsay can hold his head up.
But as for the most of the senior players that are paid good money to be professional footballers, they should be ashamed.
Asked if the players had been guilty of playing like they were already on holidays, Young said: “That might be a question for them.
“It was a disappointing performance that’s for sure.
“I didn’t see it coming.
“I honestly thought we could win today.
“The players are probably lacking a bit of belief and probably don’t believe they can win at the moment.”
“ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM”
It was a welcome win for the Knights on their annual Old Boys Day, with a crowd of 6,659 lapping it up.
The Knights totally dominated in the forwards which opened up the game for the likes of Kalyn Ponga and Mitch Pearce to pick the Dragons apart.
Ponga again was a class above and it’s exciting to think what it is going to be like to see him on the finals stage in the weeks to come.
But the Knights had no shortage of worthy performers in the forwards with Daniel Saifiti (172m), David Klemmer (152m), Herman Ese’ese (132m) and Mitch Barnett (120m) all cracking 100m plus.
Newcastle hasn’t played finals football since 2013 under Wayne Bennett but the win jumped them back into sixth spot.
The Knights now take on the Titans on the Gold Coast on Friday, knowing victory will secure them a home final against South Sydney.
The Rabbitohs play the Sydney Roosters on Friday, needing to win and Newcastle to lose to get the home ground advantage.
After some lean years, it would be huge for the Knights to host a home final.
The last time they did Michael Hagan was the coach and Andrew Johns captain.
Adam O’Brien has done a great job so far in his first season.
But with last round’s loss to the Roosters still fresh in his memory, he wasn’t ready to get carried away after taking down a side that just didn’t aim up to NRL standard.
“The elephant in the room is the up and down nature of our performances so we certainly need to address that,” O’Brien said. “It is a mental thing for us.
“I’d like to think we have taken some steps forward in addressing that but in five days’ time I will be able to answer that a little bit better.”
STUART LOSES IT ON DAY OF DRAMA
By Martin Gabor
An irate Ricky Stuart has blasted inconsistent officiating after the Raiders kept their top four hopes alive having survived one of the craziest first halves of the season to eventually claim a 26-14 win over the Warriors.
The teams combined for five tries in the first 40, with Stuart throwing a bottle of water out of the coach’s box after five-eighth Jack Wighton was sent to the sin bin for repeated infringements.
The Canberra coach was furious with the 7-1 penalty count at the time, questioning why his side did not receive similar calls when they had the ball. He likened the stop-start affair to a game of rugby union before turning his attention to NRL Head of Football, Graham Annesley, who will deliver his weekly briefing on Monday.
“I wasn’t happy with too much. It was a shocking game of football,” he said.
“Would that have been the same decision if it was a semi-final? I hope not because he (Wighton) wasn’t off-side. You can’t make that error.
“Graham Annesley is a really nice man. He’s been in the game a long time, but in regards to rugby league, we are planets apart. Thank God COVID is in because we won’t get any more than 6000 (fans) to these games.
“I’ll be doing my review, they’ll do their review and then go into hiding with their results and it’ll be game on next week.”
Tensions were already high following some niggle between John Bateman and Isaiah Papali’i, while Josh Papalii was penalised for a scrum scuffle and then for pulling Tohu Harris’ hair in a fiery opening to the game.
A couple of Peta Hiku tries had the Warriors dreaming of a stunning upset, but the game turned on a Semi Valemei long-range intercept and then a piece of Elliott Whitehead magic to set up Hudson Young just before halftime.
With George Williams off the field after failing an HIA, his fellow Englishman produced two perfect kicks to set up Young and then conjured another four-pointer with an interception early in the second half.
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Stuart spent the second half closer to the action and would have liked the improved effort. He may not have found his Mount Franklin, but he’ll be hoping his troops can bottle his passion when the big games roll around.
COSTLY WIN
Any hopes of a soft run to the finals were quashed inside the opening minutes, and the Raiders could feel the effects of Sunday’s clash in the coming weeks. Williams lasted just eight minutes before he was ruled out due to a head knock, Valemei was forced off late after being hit high, while Jarrod Croker was also forced off for an HIA but returned.
Papalii needed strapping on a thigh and will most likely face some scrutiny for his hair pull, while Bateman bravely played on after hyperextending his right elbow after some friendly fire from teammate Jordan Rapana. Stuart may have been angry but Whitehead was spewing after he was belted in the ribs late in the game.
Concern by video for medial elbow ligament sprain, possible subluxation (minor dislocation) for John Bateman with forced hyperextension. Was able to finish the game, but will get more painful as it cools down. Unless significant instability/fracture should be able to play through pic.twitter.com/HyoGfY4bzg
— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) September 20, 2020
THE WARRIOR WAY
This was a game the Warriors could have lost by 50. Playing for nothing but pride after last week’s heartbreaking loss to the Sharks, there were fears they would simply go through the motions in the nation’s capital. But that’s the Warriors of old. Interim coach Todd Payten lightened the mood at training during the week and they played with the same intensity that has turned around their fortunes in 2020.
“Our consistent message is about representing everyone back home,” Payten said.
“I’m really proud of this group of men. They’ve changed my life and I owe them a whole debt of gratitude.”
Sadly, inspirational captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck’s season is over after coming off with a hamstring injury.
“I’d like to put him on a plane, but it’s just not going to happen. I know he’s counting down the days…his wife was relieved we got beaten (last week).”
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck’s 2020 season comes to an end a week early after suffering a hamstring strain. Usual non-contact sprinting mechanism, but interesting change of direction rather than more common straight line running. Even minor strain would rule him out next week pic.twitter.com/dr58yeTGDi
— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) September 20, 2020
TOP FOUR ON THE CARDS
Sunday’s win sets up an intriguing super Saturday next week, with fourth spot still up for grabs. Canberra get first opportunity at 5.30pm when they host the undermanned Sharks. It’ll be a moot point if they lose, with the sides set to square off again the following week in an elimination final.
But a win would put the pressure on the Eels who are clinging onto fourth and take on the Wests Tigers at Bankwest Stadium later that night. The blue and gold army have the wobbly boots on and will face a determined Tigers side keen to farewell legends Benji Marshall and Chris Lawrence with a win. Should they lose, they will slip to fifth due to their inferior points differential.