Its A Simple Game

[supercoach]

I have watched the Dragons go through their paces the last few weeks and Iam convinced keep your game plan simple,dont take risks,complete your sets and pick a team of athletic forwards who can tackle and you will beat a team full of flashy players every day. Okay this game plan may fail in the big matches at the end of the season,but it will get you to the big games!!!

Okay take a deep breath we are one from two and you would be a fool to right them off yet, but what I saw on Sunday is what I have seen for the past few years, nothing has changed, their is no authority in the forwards and no obvious defensive pattern right across the team. I see a team who think they can out score any team so why bother tackling.

I hope this might serve as a gee up, but really it gets down to recruitment and retention and in 2010 we have gone down the same path as previous years and targeted a couple of depth outside backs rather than try and put some real grunt in the engine room. I hope I end up with egg on my face, but if you cant defend your chances of a good season are next to none

 

[tiger_one]

supercoach, again you give a constructive observation about the team.

But!
I reckon that it's way too early to worry about the past repeating itself.
Like we had 2 untried ex Toyota Cup players making their debuts plus Flanagan playing just his 2nd game in the NRL.

We were missing experienced forwards Gibbs, Payton, Fulton; lost our 1/2 (Lui) due to injury which forced a backline shuffle with Moltz to 1/2 and Fitzy to the back….....

KIds just can't win at NRL level if they're forwards - they need experienced toughnuts to guide them.......

We do have a pretty new look team this year
Comps are never won in March - I think this team will find its feet at the right end of the season.

 

[Geo]

Fair Point..supercoach….good arguement...

Who has changed Clubs in the front row that you would have gone after instead of Cayless and Moors?

Or kept instead of letting go?

The forward pack nucleas is the same Galloway, Farah ,Gibbs ,Payten, Heighington, Ellis....and the backs have strengthend once Tui comes back.....

The bench has changed....

A lot of investment in youth as always....this crop will have to step up....

From what I've seen so far...I think they will...

Early days as you say....

 

[G_Strombolli]

You are right, Supercoach, but you are more or less pinpointing the fundamentals of modern sport.

Most modern sports are about minimising error. A large portion of the best sportspeople and teams' games are founded on this - tennis is the perfect example. Of course, only reducing errors will not make you a champion - the best still make it to the top but discipline is still the key.

If you can minimise your errors as a team, you're ahead already. Obviously error and unpredictability is what makes sport exciting to more than the biased fan, but the simple fact is getting the basics right - or more right than your opposition - will put you ahead, and usually come at the expense of excitement.

As for the Tigers, I agree that we're playing in much the same way as we have for the past few years. And while I'd prefer us to win every week, and be there at the end of the year, I like our unpredicatble play. I would settle for some middle ground, but I don't know what I'd do if we played an error-free snooze-fest like Melbourne.