Re: Dragons Season Thread 21/22

by Guest Thu 26 Aug 2021, 5:43 pm

First topic message reminder :

James Benjamin has been turned into a hooker! We do have too many back rowers so this might be good for him from a personal point of view in terms of getting game time, but will be interesting to see if he's able to become a top level player in that position.

https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/19540310.james-benjamin-moves-flanker-hooker-dragons/

by Guest Sat 21 May 2022, 8:21 am

The Oracle wrote:Here’s an article about the 20 players leaving us, from the Beeb:

“Centre Adam Warren is among 16 players set to be released by the Dragons at the end of the 2021-22 season.

Forwards Dan Baker, Greg Bateman, Mesake Doge, Harry Fry, Joe Maksymiw and Max Williams also leave the region.

Half-backs Dan Babos, Evan Lloyd and Josh Lewis, centre Tom Griffiths, wings Jonah Holmes and Owen Jenkins and full-back Will Talbot-Davies complete the list of contracted players leaving.

Hooker Taylor Davies and full-back Jordan Olowofela depart after loans.

The 16 departing players join Richard Hibbard, Aaron Jarvis, Tavis Knoyle and Jamie Roberts who all left Rodney Parade earlier in the campaign.“

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/61527424

That’s a big number going. The article talks about 9 players incoming. Plus we’re reducing squad size.

I’m mostly unhappy about Doge as I like him. And Holmes as he is good but don’t blame him for wanting to try something else. Warren was solid and would be happy if he’d stayed, but Sio Tompkison coming in should be some upgrade. Somewhat surprised and disappointed about Max Williams as I thought he would be the next big thing a few seasons back. Joe Maksymiw barely fired a shot so although I could see his potential he didn’t really show much. Perhaps not given much of a shot? Taylor Davies I thought was decent at hooker. Wouldn’t have minded him staying. Greg Bateman never really showed himself. The rest are pretty meh for me so not bothered that they’re cleared out.

Just realised that it’s actually a whole team!

Bateman
Taylor Davies
Doge
Maksymiw
Max Williams
6.
7.
Dan Baker

Babos
Josh Lewis
Jonah Holmes
Adam Warren
Tom Griffiths
Owen Jenkins
Will Talbot-Davies

Plus some subs in Hibbard, Fry, Jarvis, Knoyle, Evan Lloyd, Olowofela.

Not a good team, admittedly, but a whole team (nearly) nonetheless! Only back row that we’re not getting rid of much, and that’s the area where we’re most stocked already.

by mikey_dragon Sat 21 May 2022, 2:39 pm

10 incoming and 20 gone in total I think. I hope we are thinking of bringing in another TH at least, maybe we can buy one of the Bulls that took it to the strongest (at least up front) Welsh team last night Wink

.

If there’s no Holmes or WTD, I think we probably need another full-back at least. Someone a bit taller than JW.

Just remembered, I think we have Ioan Davies on a permanent deal. I’m a bit skeptical on this one.

by mikey_dragon Sat 21 May 2022, 6:35 pm

Jeez, a shame we couldn’t have all those new players before the game today… Josh Lewis and Lewis Jones are shocking mind.

by **RiscaGame** Sun 22 May 2022, 8:33 am

I’m sure Blufftress and Ryan will be full on with the jam tomorrow output, this week.

by Guest Sun 22 May 2022, 9:26 am

I was there for the final game of the season…….and we were gash. Again. Lions were nothing special but enough to beat a really poor Dragons side. Depressing.

by Old Man Sun 22 May 2022, 10:53 am

Lions are their own worst enemies, they would do well next season if they managed ball security better and manage their risk vs reward better

by mikey_dragon Sun 22 May 2022, 12:34 pm

A lot of our players just look very dopey on the field. Clumsiness left, right and centre. It doesn't look like a pro team at all. I know we're losing a few and bringing in new ones, but yeah you do need to question the coaching there.

by mikey_dragon Tue 24 May 2022, 7:29 pm

“We have some world class players & people at Dragons, & I believe if we raise our confidence levels & build on some early successes next season we can really move forward as a group."

Huw Taylor on his re-signing for Dragons…

by Welshmushroom Mon 20 Jun 2022, 2:06 pm

I think Dean needs more time. Keep in mind we have been the poorer relations of Welsh Rugby for quite some time.

He clearly is a astute manager because he managed to strengthen some of our weaker areas. Loosehead prop was a big concern but now we are looking at Evans and Jones going head to head there.

Another big area of weakness was in our backline. Granted nobody knows what Tomkinson and Clark will bring to our game but what they do have is plenty of experience. Our centres this season have not been quite good enough. Owen probably still will be a great player in a couple of seasons but I don't think he is quite there yet. The rest of our centres did a sterling job but if we are being brutally honest are just outmatched by other clubs 12/13 options. O'Brien has looked great at full back for the Scarlets so I hope we use him as our first choice 15 next year. Our wings are pretty good and I am comfortable with both Rosser and Dyer there.

Where he has been smart is to start developing Reed and bringing Hanrahan. That gives Davies plenty of competition and with the backline they have going into next year we should do some damage ball in hand.

The only issue I have going into next year is at 6 and 8. Moriarty at 6 is a great defender but I still have question marks on his ball carrying. Wainwright to me is just a bit to small as a 8. He always tried hard but what the league has shown us most teams are putting 8's out the park close to 18 stone and all of them carry well. Most of the Irish and S.African sides are also doing this at blindside as well giving them that extra ball carrier.

The only other area where I would have loved seeing changes are at 9. We have some great looking academy 9's coming through. But I don't think Williams, Bertranou and Jones are the answer. I would have loved for us to get someone like Blacker in who clearly is not getting enough game time at the Scarlets and looks like he has plenty of gas and a good passing game.

by **RiscaGame** Wed 22 Jun 2022, 12:16 pm

Anybody going to the Q&A tonight? I was hoping to go, but I’ll be driving home whilst it is on.

I have heard a little rumour that there might have been a decision on the rebrand. Name hardly changes (apparently becoming a RFC type name), just another change of badge and colours similar to the kit we had in this season.

https://images.app.goo.gl/we1uT78guU4HN9ng9

Would love to ask Boris’ mate this, amongst other things Wink

by **RiscaGame** Thu 23 Jun 2022, 11:01 am

Ok, so the kit isn’t right. It isn’t blue and black Wink

Announcement Monday on the rebrand. Q&A sounded pretty positive, including takeover stuff.

by Guest Thu 23 Jun 2022, 11:23 am

I always quite liked that Monmouthshire (later Gwent) colour scheme of Blue and Black, although agree that it is the colours of our biggest rivals!

Here's the Monmouthshire flag that I assume it comes from:

Dragons Season Thread 21/22 - Page 10 Mon10

by **RiscaGame** Thu 23 Jun 2022, 12:54 pm

The Oracle wrote:I always quite liked that Monmouthshire (later Gwent) colour scheme of Blue and Black, although agree that it is the colours of our biggest rivals!

Here's the Monmouthshire flag that I assume it comes from:

That’s what I thought it was going to copy, like the change top did in 13 or so. It’s the badge that apparently takes influence from that

by Guest Fri 24 Jun 2022, 10:31 pm

What do people think of the Dai Flanagan signing as head coach? I saw Mikey comment on the Welsh Regions thread about it being another example of just a below par/not proven/up n coming coach being promoted too early, and I tend to agree. I posted a few things a while back myself about the quality of coach (or lack of) under Ryan, and this has done nothing to help that opinion. I don’t want to be negative before the guy has even started, but he’s now got one of only 16 top pro head coach roles out of all of the URC nations, or one of only 4 pro head coach roles in the whole of Wales, or whatever way you want to look at it, yet his coaching credentials this far are hardly stellar. I know he was Dragons academy head coach and based at Newport High School and various coaching roles at Scarlets for a number of years. Is that enough to head up a pro team?

Just wondering if this is another example of the regions taking the cheap option? Or good promotion from within the WRU? Or even, perhaps he’s excellent and I’m being overly harsh?!

On another note, they talk of Dean Ryan moving upstairs to DoR. For some reason I thought he was already DoR to be honest! Was he not then? Just head coach?

by **RiscaGame** Sat 25 Jun 2022, 7:39 am

There seems to be conflicting messages about it. So initially I thought that Flanagan would have more of a say, but then the press talk seemed to be that Ryan would still have overall say. Then apparently the Q and A suggested that Ryan would be taking over a few more back room matters instead of coaching.

I hope the roles don’t get confused.

In my opinion, something had to be done. I don’t think Flanagan has overly worked wonders at Scarlets, but I’ll give him a chance. It can’t be any worse than what Ryan produced, last season.

Up the RFC.

by mikey_dragon Sat 25 Jun 2022, 4:28 pm

RFC just doesn't sound right, yet. The badge looks alright.

by mikey_dragon Sat 25 Jun 2022, 4:36 pm

The Oracle wrote:What do people think of the Dai Flanagan signing as head coach? I saw Mikey comment on the Welsh Regions thread about it being another example of just a below par/not proven/up n coming coach being promoted too early, and I tend to agree. I posted a few things a while back myself about the quality of coach (or lack of) under Ryan, and this has done nothing to help that opinion. I don’t want to be negative before the guy has even started, but he’s now got one of only 16 top pro head coach roles out of all of the URC nations, or one of only 4 pro head coach roles in the whole of Wales, or whatever way you want to look at it, yet his coaching credentials this far are hardly stellar. I know he was Dragons academy head coach and based at Newport High School and various coaching roles at Scarlets for a number of years. Is that enough to head up a pro team?

Just wondering if this is another example of the regions taking the cheap option? Or good promotion from within the WRU? Or even, perhaps he’s excellent and I’m being overly harsh?!

On another note, they talk of Dean Ryan moving upstairs to DoR. For some reason I thought he was already DoR to be honest! Was he not then? Just head coach?

If there isn't an improvement this year then there's no excuse, it's totally different starting team, then the entire coaching team should go (again). I don't see why the Regions aren't looking elsewhere for better coaches.

by Guest Sat 25 Jun 2022, 5:22 pm

mikey_dragon wrote:RFC just doesn't sound right, yet. The badge looks alright.

Yes, I’m guessing the idea by adding in ‘RFC’ is to try to make the Dragons seem and feel more like a club than a ‘region’, without taking the nuclear option of calling them Newport RFC (which would not be possible really given that Newport RFC is another business entity, and all the issues it would understandably cause elsewhere)? Maybe they feel that culturally and historically in Wales people have bought into clubs more? Not sure it will make a huge amount of difference but I quite like it actually.

by mikey_dragon Wed 29 Jun 2022, 5:47 pm

Cardiff have only gone and signed Joe Peard...

by formerly known as Sam Wed 29 Jun 2022, 7:03 pm

Former Dragon Ed Scragg has signed with LI for next season.

by mikey_dragon Wed 29 Jun 2022, 7:55 pm

formerly known as Sam wrote:Former Dragon Ed Scragg has signed with LI for next season.

That I heard about too. Watch both him and Peard become amazing now.

by formerly known as Sam Wed 29 Jun 2022, 9:45 pm

You never know height go well enough at LI to get capped by Wales and then you can force him home to keep his international career. Might get a year or two of him and Rowlands in the row for you.

by **RiscaGame** Thu 30 Jun 2022, 8:31 am

mikey_dragon wrote:Cardiff have only gone and signed Joe Peard...

They're making a big deal of his size etc, I noted.

I wasn't too impressed with him in the U20 Six Nations, tbh. Good luck to him though.

by mikey_dragon Thu 30 Jun 2022, 9:31 am

Somehow he's grown an inch as well... I get what Dai is saying but I remember the reports of him in the U20s 6N not being positive. I think he is still eligible now but he's been left out.

by mikey_dragon Mon 04 Jul 2022, 2:08 pm

Was Jordan Crane still with us? I just read that he's been appointed as defence coach for Bristol.

by Guest Mon 04 Jul 2022, 4:10 pm

mikey_dragon wrote:Was Jordan Crane still with us? I just read that he's been appointed as defence coach for Bristol.

Didn't see him listed on our list of coaches when I was doing some research (and arguing Smile

) over on the Welsh Regions thread. Didn't show many coaches on the Dragons site. Just Dean Ryan, Mefin Davies (forwards), Cross (defence) and Ross (attack), from memory. Oh, and a skills coach bit forget his name. Sure there's lots of others perhaps just not in a full time capacity perhaps.

Think I read about Gorden Ross leaving too?

Also, we have a new season thread up and running Wink

https://www.606v2.com/t70739-dragons-rfc-new-name-new-season-2022-23

by mikey_dragon Mon 04 Jul 2022, 7:24 pm

I’m sure he was with us in some capacity.

by Guest Mon 04 Jul 2022, 8:50 pm

Not Luke Narraway? He’s there as forward coach apparently.

by mikey_dragon Mon 04 Jul 2022, 9:02 pm

Ah yeah think I’m getting them both mixed up.

by Guest Mon 04 Jul 2022, 9:11 pm

Around the same era those 2, on the fringe of the England squad back around 2009.

by Welshmushroom Tue 05 Jul 2022, 3:24 pm

mikey_dragon wrote:Cardiff have only gone and signed Joe Peard...

I'm gutted he left for Cardiff. I don't even see it as a sensible move for him. With less games in the URC I'm not exactly sure when the kid will get any game time given the Locks they have on their books already. Would have thought he would have had a better chance of breaking through with us. Plus add in the fact Dai Young doesn't have the best track record with developing players. He practically ruined one of the brightest talents in Morgan.

I really hope Lloyd and Che get some game time at 9 for us over the next couple of seasons. Both look like really promising players.

by mikey_dragon Wed 06 Jul 2022, 1:11 pm

Yes you and I were calling for him to be given a shot. If you've got the size then you're already halfway there in senior rugby. I know he wasn't amazing but we could have at least given him a shot. Just look at the other locks us and others have brought through in the past, we could have done much worse...

He'll get some game time at Cardiff, probably at the expense of Thornton.

I haven't seen anything of Che. Morgan Lloyd yes, such a good pass on him.

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