Will EvansNRL 2009 - the run home / Dragons
July 1st 2009 06:16
With just ten rounds remaining and the representative schedule all but out the way, the whips are really about to start cracking as the top-8 begins to take shape. Just three teams - Dragons, Storm, Sea Eagles - that made the finals in 2008 are sitting in the top half of the competition after Round 16, while '08 top-4 sides Cronulla and Sydney find themselves in the bottom-3. Pre-season favourites Brisbane and New Zealand are currently outside the eight, but just three wins seperates first and ninth, and a mad scramble for positions is about to unfold. Statistically, every team in the NRL is still a finals contender, with critics so far only prepared to book the Roosters in for their post-season holiday in September.
The following is a club-by-club breakdown on why each team is where they are now, and where they will end up:
ST. GEORGE-ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
Much was said before the 2009 NRL kicked off regarding new Dragons’ coach Wayne Bennett’s ability to handle the increased media glare in Sydney, after 21 seasons with the Broncos. But he hasn’t had to – purely because his club has been winning, and deservedly sit with premiership favouritism on their shoulders going into the turn. Bennett has instilled a self-belief into the Saints’ squad, turning previously inconsistent first graders and middle-of-the-road performers such as Jamie Soward, Michael Weyman and Beau Scott into world-beaters. The best indicator in the attitude change at the club is the miserly 200 points the Dragons have conceded after 15 matches – just 12.5 points per match and best in the NRL.
Best performance: Plenty to choose from, and the 29-0 Anzac Day shutout of the Roosters springs to mind for ruthlessness, but it’s hard to go past Bennett’s triumphant return to Suncorp. The Dragons blew the star-studded and in-form Broncos off the park 25-12, with Soward, Scott and Wendell Sailor causing chaos.
Worst performance: Slim pickings here, and probably their most disappointing hitout was a scrappy 10-6 win in Round 3 against the Sharks, who were on the cusp of a ten-match losing streak.
Stars: Jamie Soward has been arguably the NRL’s dominant half, finally finding the week in-week out confidence that has eluded him throughout his first grade career. While question marks remain over his defence, Soward’s kicking game has been exceptional, and he has shown more than once that he is capable of running the length of the field if he finds himself in space. Ben Creagh has been at his damaging best all year to claim a belated NSW jersey, while the powerhouse front-row combination of Justin Poore and Mick Weyman has laid the foundation for most of the Dragons’ success in ’09 – and consequently earned themselves Origin call-ups as well. Brett Morris and Wendell Sailor have been among the competitions best on the flanks, and Darius Boyd is proving himself as a top-shelf outside back.
Disappointments: Very difficult to find any from a playing roster perspective – although Chase Stanley is still trying to find the form that earned him a NZ Test call-up as an 18-year old in 2007.
Suprise packets: Beau Scott’s stunning burst of form saw him break into rep footy with Country Origin, while forwards Matt Prior and Jarrod Saffy - both 2008 debutants – have given the Dragons wonderful value in 2009.
Recruits: On the whole, superb. Boyd and Weyman have transformed into rep stars, while Neville Costigan is on the verge of Queensland selection and has shown his versatility by filling in at centre. Luke Priddis’ impact as an interchange hooker has been limited however, and much-hyped Storm signing Jeremy Smith has spent most of the season injured. The impending mid-season arrival of Warriors' discard Nathan Fien will have an impact on the make-up of the first-choice 17.
Rookies: The Dragons’ super form and relatively lucky run with injury has seen only one player debut in the Red V this year – front-rower Trent Merrin, an excellent prospect who will sense an opportunity with Justin Poore departing to Parramatta next year.
Injury impact: St. George-Illawarra have gone through relatively unscathed, with Smith the only high-profile casualty thus far, but a six-week stint on the sidelines for forward pack anchor Weyman will test the Dragons’ mettle.
Prospects: With a bye in hand, great points differential and a fairly comfortable draw, the Dragons are top-4 certainties. A lack of big-game finals experience for much of the squad is a potential concern. Bennett is a big chance to deliver St. George-Illawarra’s first premiership in his first tilt, and the first for a Dragons side for 30 years. Coaching immortality awaits.
The following is a club-by-club breakdown on why each team is where they are now, and where they will end up:
ST. GEORGE-ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
Much was said before the 2009 NRL kicked off regarding new Dragons’ coach Wayne Bennett’s ability to handle the increased media glare in Sydney, after 21 seasons with the Broncos. But he hasn’t had to – purely because his club has been winning, and deservedly sit with premiership favouritism on their shoulders going into the turn. Bennett has instilled a self-belief into the Saints’ squad, turning previously inconsistent first graders and middle-of-the-road performers such as Jamie Soward, Michael Weyman and Beau Scott into world-beaters. The best indicator in the attitude change at the club is the miserly 200 points the Dragons have conceded after 15 matches – just 12.5 points per match and best in the NRL.
Best performance: Plenty to choose from, and the 29-0 Anzac Day shutout of the Roosters springs to mind for ruthlessness, but it’s hard to go past Bennett’s triumphant return to Suncorp. The Dragons blew the star-studded and in-form Broncos off the park 25-12, with Soward, Scott and Wendell Sailor causing chaos.
Worst performance: Slim pickings here, and probably their most disappointing hitout was a scrappy 10-6 win in Round 3 against the Sharks, who were on the cusp of a ten-match losing streak.
Stars: Jamie Soward has been arguably the NRL’s dominant half, finally finding the week in-week out confidence that has eluded him throughout his first grade career. While question marks remain over his defence, Soward’s kicking game has been exceptional, and he has shown more than once that he is capable of running the length of the field if he finds himself in space. Ben Creagh has been at his damaging best all year to claim a belated NSW jersey, while the powerhouse front-row combination of Justin Poore and Mick Weyman has laid the foundation for most of the Dragons’ success in ’09 – and consequently earned themselves Origin call-ups as well. Brett Morris and Wendell Sailor have been among the competitions best on the flanks, and Darius Boyd is proving himself as a top-shelf outside back.
Disappointments: Very difficult to find any from a playing roster perspective – although Chase Stanley is still trying to find the form that earned him a NZ Test call-up as an 18-year old in 2007.
Suprise packets: Beau Scott’s stunning burst of form saw him break into rep footy with Country Origin, while forwards Matt Prior and Jarrod Saffy - both 2008 debutants – have given the Dragons wonderful value in 2009.
Recruits: On the whole, superb. Boyd and Weyman have transformed into rep stars, while Neville Costigan is on the verge of Queensland selection and has shown his versatility by filling in at centre. Luke Priddis’ impact as an interchange hooker has been limited however, and much-hyped Storm signing Jeremy Smith has spent most of the season injured. The impending mid-season arrival of Warriors' discard Nathan Fien will have an impact on the make-up of the first-choice 17.
Rookies: The Dragons’ super form and relatively lucky run with injury has seen only one player debut in the Red V this year – front-rower Trent Merrin, an excellent prospect who will sense an opportunity with Justin Poore departing to Parramatta next year.
Injury impact: St. George-Illawarra have gone through relatively unscathed, with Smith the only high-profile casualty thus far, but a six-week stint on the sidelines for forward pack anchor Weyman will test the Dragons’ mettle.
Prospects: With a bye in hand, great points differential and a fairly comfortable draw, the Dragons are top-4 certainties. A lack of big-game finals experience for much of the squad is a potential concern. Bennett is a big chance to deliver St. George-Illawarra’s first premiership in his first tilt, and the first for a Dragons side for 30 years. Coaching immortality awaits.
| 66 |
| Vote |
