Dragons Season Thread - 2019/20 aka Year 1 of the new 5 Year Plan

[Stone Motif]

First topic message reminder :

A good win for Dragons. Wonder if George North might get banned this week for more shethousery. Guy is turning into a dirty get down there.

Wasn’t too convinced by the subs we made, but they turned out to be wise choices. That includes Tovey steadying the ship and kicking the winner and surprisingly Suter being solid in the scrum.

It's an amazing win given the Ospreys dominance. If they'd have made the right calls our luck would have run out I think.

[RiscaGame]

Should be a good contest between Sam Lewis and Ollie Griffiths though. I quite like watching Weir too, so him v Davies will be pretty good hopefully.

[mikey_dragon]

Yeah there were certainly a few names in last week's Wuss lineup that I was unfamiliar with. I think in those instances a red card would help galvanise a team, so we weren't good enough. The halfbacks kicking and game control wasn't all that good at Sixways either.

[mikey_dragon]

SHOCKING refereeing at the scrum, all game.

[mikey_dragon]

Wuss get a red card, but closer to the end of the game. Ironic eh. Brok Harris puts in another 80 minute performance.

[Guest]

Good win! I wasn’t there though. How did we play?

[RiscaGame]

Good win that. I feel like they spoiled everything and had the ref for the majority of the game. Wasn’t a great performance, but weather and spoiling will dictate that. Fantastic start mind.

Told you all Sam Davies was a good enough kicker

[mikey_dragon]

Yeah poor weather and poor performance from the ref at scrum time. Wuss were collapsing and driving early but we were getting penalised for it. Our scrum was clearly better though, that's an area we've improved in with Dean, but I guess we still carry the reputation of being very poor there so crap ref's will continue to punish us.

[RiscaGame]

I didn’t understand the Harris yellow. It’s hard to tell about their red too, although at least theirs was late on, when they had pretty much lost control of the game.

3/4 Dragons games where poor refs are being exposed, as they can’t get bailed out by a TMO.

[Stone Motif]

That's an excellent win - they came fully loaded and had the conditions. Da iawn.

[mikey_dragon]

The intent in defence was where it needed to be. They scored when we were a man down.

[mikey_dragon]

I was thinking that if we're going to take a punt on a lowly NWQ then Sam Matavesi might be a good bet. Good abrasive style of play. This style of play is something I recently noticed in Filo Paulo, as well as both the Scarlets PI locks. It's an area where we need to improve. I have no doubt we'd be a tougher force if Nansen were more available for us. Brok Harris should get another year, for me.

[RiscaGame]

Hasn’t Matavesi just been signed by somebody? I’m sure I saw it, because of the Navy Rugby tweets.

[mikey_dragon]

He was formerly of Cornish Pirates. Northampton signed him up. I thought it was only until the end of this season, but I could be wrong. More of an example of the sorta players we should be looking out for anyway, rather than the guff that keeps finding its way here somehow.

[Stone Motif]

He was formerly of Cornish Pirates. Northampton signed him up. I thought it was only until the end of this season, but I could be wrong. More of an example of the sorta players we should be looking out for anyway, rather than the guff that keeps finding its way here somehow.

No somehow about it. Worst funded pro team in Europe.

[mikey_dragon]

Well hopefully that changes.

[RiscaGame]

Be interesting to see how Ryan lines us up for this weekend, with Moriarty back available. I suspect our pack might be this.

Harris, Dee, Brown, Hill, Screech, Wainwright, Griffiths, Basham,

Reynolds, Hibbard, Jarvis, Davies, Moriarty.

I kind of feel like it would be wrong to bring Moriarty straight back in, as we should reward what the backrow have been doing in his absence. As he will probably be a bit rusty at first too, I think an eager Moriarty off the bench would be a huge plus for us.

[Stone Motif]

Be interesting to see how Ryan lines us up for this weekend, with Moriarty back available. I suspect our pack might be this.

Harris, Dee, Brown, Hill, Screech, Wainwright, Griffiths, Basham,

Reynolds, Hibbard, Jarvis, Davies, Moriarty.

I kind of feel like it would be wrong to bring Moriarty straight back in, as we should reward what the backrow have been doing in his absence. As he will probably be a bit rusty at first too, I think an eager Moriarty off the bench would be a huge plus for us.

As much as the salary cost per minute of impact sub Moriarty galls me, I agree. Can't decide if him coming off the bench later on increases or decreases the likelihood of cardage mind

[RiscaGame]

Well, yeah I guess a lot would rather him earn his £450k where possible, but not for me this game. Fair point about being too eager though

[Stone Motif]

Well, yeah I guess a lot would rather him earn his £450k where possible, but not for me this game. Fair point about being too eager though

Nice to be able to pick from a full deck pretty much. If the half backs stay fit anything less than one win is a major disappointment

[mikey_dragon]

Looks like the lads went for their Christmas part in Breeze recently.

[RiscaGame]

Looks like the lads went for their Christmas part in Breeze recently.

I saw five on the train back from Bristol on Sat. Hibbard, Lawrence, Jarvis, Cudd and Rhodri Williams. Rhys Lawrence was entertaining, singing

[RiscaGame]

Well, yeah I guess a lot would rather him earn his £450k where possible, but not for me this game. Fair point about being too eager though

Nice to be able to pick from a full deck pretty much. If the half backs stay fit anything less than one win is a major disappointment

I would be disappointed to not do well in our home games, although obviously derbies are usually that nip and tuck, that expectations soon go out of the window.

[Luckless Pedestrian]

Imagine if Sam Davies needs to kick a late penalty to win the game against the Ospreys, after the one he missed for them last season.

[LordDowlais]

I have had a quick skim through the past few pages, and nobody is talking about the appointment of Dan Baugh for Dragons.

He could teach your back rowers a thing or two.

Good or bad appointment ?

[RiscaGame]

Imagine if Sam Davies needs to kick a late penalty to win the game against the Ospreys, after the one he missed for them last season.

Brilliant.

[RiscaGame]

I have had a quick skim through the past few pages, and nobody is talking about the appointment of Dan Baugh for Dragons.

He could teach your back rowers a thing or two.

Good or bad appointment ?

It has only just been announced.

I noticed that Chris Kirwan had to clarify that his appointment is to work alongside our conditioning team.

Contrary to reports, former flanker Baugh will not be heading up the Dragons’ fitness team but will work alongside current head of strength and conditioning Ryan Harris next season.

[mikey_dragon]

I have had a quick skim through the past few pages, and nobody is talking about the appointment of Dan Baugh for Dragons.

He could teach your back rowers a thing or two.

Good or bad appointment ?

Why; are Griffiths, Wainwright, Moriarty and Basham crap?

I didn't know about it, and it's only been on the BBC Wales Rugby page for 14 minutes. I think it might be a good appointment when you consider his experience.

[RiscaGame]

Has some pedigree clearly. I think our conditioning staff do some pretty good work already though, but if we have somebody who has been in the Wales environment, then it can only be positive.

[Stone Motif]

If his remit is purely 'fitness' I don't get this appointment at all. Must be the easiest thing to 'coach' on the S&C continuum, and simultaneously the thing most players need to work on least in-season.

[RiscaGame]

Great news with Ollie Griffiths re-signing for another two years. More work being done with other players too, so I expect we will get more announcements in the next couple of weeks.

Have to laugh at Dragons trying to build suspense and the Argus beating them to the punch in releasing the story though

[Luckless Pedestrian]

I don't know why we've bothered re-signing him. He's only the seventh-best openside in Wales (or whatever it was).

[Guest]

I don't know why we've bothered re-signing him. He's only the seventh-best openside in Wales (or whatever it was).

Yes something like that!

[RiscaGame]

Better to re-sign him now, than have to pay him more when he gets capped (7th best openside or not)

[mikey_dragon]

Nah it was 20th best open-side wasn't it. Wainwright was 19th obviously.

[mikey_dragon]

Better to re-sign him now, than have to pay him more when he gets capped (7th best openside or not)

He is capped, albeit very briefly. I hope he adds more but we do have a lot of depth there. Pivac might like him if he can play 8 well at international level as well as he can play 7, and I think he can as he as an outstanding player. But what do I know, I'm Dragons-bias scum.

I don't mind if it is Griffiths, Wainwright, Tipuric, Navidi, Jenkins or McLeod at 7; just as long as it isn't Davies.

[RiscaGame]

I was posting that bit in jest. I knew he was capped and remember McBryde shafting him with his first cap. Other(s) didn’t know though.

[mikey_dragon]

I was posting that bit in jest. I knew he was capped and remember McBryde shafting him with his first cap. Other(s) didn’t know though.

Fair. I didn't really rate McBryde either.

[Stone Motif]

Hopefully this is the start of the Moriarty offload windfall being sensibly used

[RiscaGame]

I suspect it is.

Not that it affects us now, but I was curious after what happened with Basham. The Worcester player who got red carded, had a three week ban (typical halved ban guff etc).

[Guest]

On the Moriarty thing (and hoping he isn’t reading this!), what would people’s preference be on the spending of the monies he would free up if he left?  Assuming £500k would be freed to spend on players, there are loads of obvious options:

2 x £250k players - what does that get you these days on the banding?  Decent test level players?
Another 1 x £500k marquee top level player - it was a waste with Moriarty so can’t see the point of doing it again.
1 x £350k and 1 x £150k players
3 x Circa £150k players with some change
....... and all the other combinations the maths allows.

Our pack, when all fit, looks tasty on paper.  But an extra lock and props would always be handy.  Probably a decent amount of spend on another lock would be top of my list.  Maybe a prop too?  Or should we go for half of it on another back?

[RiscaGame]

Probably two decent front five players for me. I wouldn’t mind an experienced back three player, but I guess we can’t be too greedy.

[RiscaGame]

https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/sport/18111737.chris-kirwan-warren-contender-solve-wales-midfield-headache/

A good article on Adam Warren here. It's a bit of a shame that some people aren't around to appreciate it. Whilst he is unlikely to make a Wales squad, it explains very nicely why Dragons supporters see him as a key player and might rate him more highly than players like Moriarty or even some other of our players involved with Wales.

[mikey_dragon]

Going forward we need a LH, Hooker, maybe a TH, two locks, maybe a No.8, a 9, a 10, a full-back. We can't have it all though, so probably just a LH and lock forward of a decent standard.

[Stone Motif]

LH and second row the priority for me. Half backs more than good enough for Pro14, centre sorted and we breed back rows like Candida. NWQ, available year round the preference.

[Luckless Pedestrian]

We've got Josh Lewis to come back too, who ended last season really well.

[RiscaGame]

Yes, I feel he will be good for keeping Sam on his toes.

[RiscaGame]

Dragons: W Talbot-Davies, O Jenkins, A Warren, J Dixon, A Hewitt, S Davies, R Williams (captain), B Harris, E Dee, L Brown, J Davies, M Screech, C Hill, T Basham, A Wainwright. Replacements: R Hibbard, A Jarvis, L Fairbrother, B Nansen, R Moriarty, T Knoyle, J Botica, T Morgan.

Scarlets: L Halfpenny, J McNicholl, S Hughes, H Parkes, S Evans, D Jones, G Davies, W Jones, K Owens (captain), S Lee, J Ball, S Lousi, A Shingler, J Macleod, U Cassiem. Replacements: R Elias, P Price, J Sebastian, T Ratuva, B Thomson, K Hardy, R Lamb, C Baldwin.

Referee: Ben Whitehouse (WRU)

[RiscaGame]

So frustrating for Ollie Griffiths to be injured again. Hope he gets the next two in. Good to see Nansen and Moriarty back available.

Ben Whitehouse

[mikey_dragon]

Yeah I was just about to ask if Griffiths was injured, that's terrible luck. Scarlets look strong. Dragons look good on paper, except for the starting locks I guess.

[Luckless Pedestrian]

I've said it before, but I'm worried Ollie Griffiths is just going to be one of those players. If someone's injury-prone, there's only so much you can do about it.

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