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Previewing the DRAGONS
CLUB PREVIEWS: SEASON 2020 CONTINUED
ST GEORGEILLAWARRA DRAGONS
SYDNEY ROOSTERS
WESTS TIGERS
LAST YEAR: NINTH PLACE HEAD COACH: MICHAEL MAGUIRE CO-CAPTAINS: MOSES MBYE and BENJI MARSHALL HOME GROUNDS: CAMPBELLTOWN SPORTS STADIUM; LEICHHARDT OVAL; ANZ STADIUM WEBSITE: www.weststigers.com.au TICKETS: www.tickets.nrl.com/team/500023 CONTACT: Concord Oval, Loftus Street, Concord, NSW 2137 POSTAL: PO Box 169, North Strathfield, NSW 2137 PHONE: +61 2 8741 3300 TAB ODDS: $26.00 Michael Maguire became the Tigers third coach in four years when he took the reins last season. He guided the team to ninth place, just one point from making the eight. The Tigers last made the playoffs in 2011 and have finished ninth in three out of the last four seasons. They have recruited some good players to add to the squad’s depth in Billy Walters (Storm), Luciano Leilua (Dragons), Joey Leilua (Raiders) and Adam Doueihi (Rabbitohs). LAST YEAR: PREMIERS HEAD COACH: TRENT ROBINSON CO-CAPTAINS: BOYD CORDNER and JAKE FRIEND HOME GROUND: SYDNEY CRICKET GROUND WEBSITE: www.roosters.com.au TICKETS: www.tickets.nrl.com/team/500001 CONTACT: Entertainment Quarter, Lang Rd, Moore Park, NSW 2021 POSTAL: PO Box 693, Paddington, NSW 2021 PHONE: +61 2 8063 3800 TAB ODDS: $4.00 The Sydney Roosters are favourites at the TAB to win their third consecutive Premiership and on paper at least have everything going for them. But as all sports fans know the game is not played on paper. Head coach Trent Robinson is one of the most astute rugby league coaches in the world and has the same excellent co-captains in Boyd Cordner and Jake Friend to drive the team around the park. LAST YEAR: 15TH PLACE HEAD COACH: PAUL McGREGOR CAPTAIN: CAMERON McINNES HOME GROUNDS: JUBILEE OVAL; WIN STADIUM WEBSITE: www.dragons.com.au TICKETS: www.dragons.com.au/game-day/tickets CONTACT: 124 Princes Highway, Kogarah, NSW 2217 POSTAL: Locked Bag 1500, Ramsgate, NSW 2217 PHONE: +61 2 9587 1966 TAB ODDS: $13.00 The mighty dragon that is the famous emblem of St GeorgeIllawarra was well and truly slain in 2019. After a confident end to the 2018 campaign, when they made it through to the Elimination Finals, the fire went out of the Dragons last year as they staggered their way through a forgettable campaign. By the end only the Gold Coast Titans were below them on the ladder. The Dragons managed just eight wins from their 24 regular season games.
Coach Maguire is positive the future looks brighter than it has for many years at the club. “The club has been through plenty but we’ve been able to put that behind us over time and really look forward to what’s ahead. Like every club, we’re chasing that date in October and we want to win comps,” he told weststigers.com.au. “I’m very comfortable with the squad I’ve got and I’m looking forward to heading into the season. It’s competitive and that is making training really enjoyable and that’s how I’ve seen teams grow, which is what we’re trying to build here.” The Tigers have appointed Kiwi Benji Marshall and Moses Mbye as co-captains for the new season. “Moses and Benji are strong leaders who will take this club forward with their influence and the example they set both on and off the field,” Maguire says. “They are widely respected not only by their teammates, coaches and staff at Wests Tigers but also throughout the game of rugby league, and their appointment in this role allows us to strengthen the leadership of this club.” Marshall has just turned 35 and comes off-contract again at the end of this season. “Leadership is a privilege and I certainly don’t take that for granted at a club I love,” he says. “I have learned a lot about leadership throughout my career and feel incredibly proud to join Moses and lead a great group of men and our club to a successful 2020.” And like all great coaches Robinson is looking forward not thinking about being the first team in 25 years to win back-to-back Premierships. “The previous year is done – there’s nothing more you can do with that,” he told NRL.com. “And this is not about grand finals. This is about anything in life – the past is the past. You learn your lessons and then you choose your next path. “Everyone has their own life philosophy but we’re not riding the crest of a wave that will continue. We need to build it again. And we don't want to repeat things and we can do better. The game is evolving, our club is evolving, individual players are evolving so therefore our team needs to evolve. “We are searching to be better again each year that we play the game. All I do is talk present and future. I’ll take lessons from the past – we’re not blocking it out – so I won’t be telling anyone not to talk about it. And I don’t have to tell my players anything. They know it is a continuous search for improvement. That's all it is, that’s all we’re doing.” The loss of Cooper Cronk and Latrell Mitchell will weaken the backline. Robinson’s team has been boosted by Kyle Flanagan joining from the Sharks who will add depth to the halves. In an intriguing move, former Wallabies coach Michael Cheika has joined the Roosters coaching staff as a skills coach. New captain Cameron McInnes takes over from Gareth Widdop, who has joined Super League club Warrington, and has wasted little time in setting down ground rules for the new season. The 25-year-old hooker says he won’t accept any issues away from football as excuses for poor form this year. “That’s the message I try to get across to everybody. It doesn’t matter what’s going on out there, because no one cares,” he told www.dragons.com.au. “Throughout the course of 26 weeks, you’re naive to think that everything's going to be going your way outside footy for the whole year. The sooner you realise that you’ve got to perform under less than ideal circumstances, the better you’re going to be. If guys didn’t learn that last year, they’ve got to learn quick.” McInnes is the second youngest full-time captain of St GeorgeIllawarra. He has promised to give “absolutely everything every game”. “I’ll be demanding that of everyone with me as well, as everyone will demand of each other. All I know is the boys are hungry, hurt by what happened last year and there's a lot of people with a lot to play for.” New faces in the Dragons in 2020 include Tyrell Fuimaono (Panthers), Issac Luke (Warriors), Brayden Wiliame (Catalans) and Trent Merrin (Leeds).
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