CATALAN DRAGONS

[Kris]

I have just watched the dragons on sky - recorded - and there are four very obvious issues

1. fitness - they don't have any - atrocious at SL level - look what Wigan achieve on a simple game plan with very good fitness - same with Hull and Cas - speed and strength = power = top game - otherwise its a very simple game - they need a complete b^%$£ard in for next season to get them fit if they survive otherwise its middle 8's again

2. Walsh - world beater till he broke his leg at Saints - never recovered - seems to be a poor communicator and doesn't motivate those around him to respond to his game - needs to be told to get a grip and lead or bin him - I don't think he has it in him anyway, speed is poor and he just lies on in tackles - see point 1 - hes not a Liam Finn and doesn't have a partner to make up for his lack of speed of hand and thought

3. Game plan - you can see they are reverting to a simple plan - very McNamara - do that, improve the D and then you have a platform - problem is he doesn't have the players capable of doing that quickly, too much change too fast - they aren't fit enough to take that amount of D and don't respond when they have opportunities

4. Discipline - nuff said

The Fev match is an indicator - part timers and less fit (should be as part timers) holding their own against a lot of unfit SL standard players with no game plan and no general - confidence should not come into this, they are professionals and need to work to get out of that hole - i'm not seeing the work ethic required from most of those players - they seem to think they are the victims of every call instead of getting on with it and it creates a very negative mindset = no confidence its not fair etc

I think they might scrape back in if they can avoid the million pound game - otherwise the raise in intensity that brings with it will kill them

Mac is a club builder and as a director of rugby i'd have him any time - structures, recruitment etc - but as a coach hes lamentable  -he needs help next season wherever they are - he cant think outside his own constructed box

Whatever happens they need to clear the decks and look at their non French recruitment and strength and conditioning staff - and get the players into the club more and off the bloody beach and the Barbie culture

Socialising is all well and good but the club should be the culture not the social life outside it

 

I truly hope they survive and grow next year, and Gigot gets to play again

 

 

 

 

[barnyia]

The fitness coach is rodney Howe, they've been overtrained from the beginning of the year, 

He replaced fred marcerou who looking at the teams from last year to this year did a great job! 

Fred wasn't respected by the super star foreign players just as fraysinous wasn't! 

Howe was the assistant a few years ago at Catalans then did a few years in second division union, 

[barnyia]

It goes to show the impact a fitness coach has on a team, injuries are usually his fault too, you can have the best players and the best game plan but if the players can't keep up with it you have a season like this one! 

[barnyia]

In March or April The toulouse defense coach gave a group talk with defense highlights of the Catalans v toulouse friendly, he said during the game they thought toulouse did really well on defense and that they where superb, then he said after analysing the video the Catalans could have scored 50 easily if they had adapted their game plan, he said there was openings all over the field for them but they just played 5 drives and a kick! Exactly as they have all this season  season! 

A few weeks later  monaghan explained they played heads up rugby and with little structure and numbers made the difference on which side they attacked, tough hit ups to win the ruck then attack the side with inferior numbers! Pity he didn't tell the players! 

[Jim from Oz]

22 hours ago, barnyia said:

The fitness coach is rodney Howe, they've been overtrained from the beginning of the year, 

He replaced fred marcerou who looking at the teams from last year to this year did a great job! 

Fred wasn't respected by the super star foreign players just as fraysinous wasn't! 

Howe was the assistant a few years ago at Catalans then did a few years in second division union, 

Rodney Howe?? What, the drug cheat Rodney Howe???

[barnyia]

Not sure about that but yes the old prop carpenter 

[Hvy wg]

44 minutes ago, barnyia said:

Not sure about that but yes the old prop carpenter 

He is a drug cheat. Got caught using Winstrol.

[DoubleD]

23 hours ago, barnyia said:

The fitness coach is rodney Howe, they've been overtrained from the beginning of the year, 

He replaced fred marcerou who looking at the teams from last year to this year did a great job! 

Fred wasn't respected by the super star foreign players just as fraysinous wasn't! 

Howe was the assistant a few years ago at Catalans then did a few years in second division union, 

I don't think it was any surprised that the Dragons were at their best under Trent Robinson, when Keegan Smith was their strength and conditioning coach. Since Keegan left, they have really gone downhill, no more so than this year. Marcerou was Keegan Smith's understudy at the Dragons.

[Hvy wg]

2 minutes ago, DoubleD said:

I don't think it was any surprised that the Dragons were at their best under Trent Robinson, when Keegan Smith was their strength and conditioning coach. Since Keegan left, they have really gone downhill, no more so than this year. Marcerou was Keegan Smith's understudy at the Dragons.

Marcerou is very competent. He was axed because the Aussie stars did not listen to him IIRC. Not his fault at all. 

He's now coaching for Bordeaux in Union. 

Rodney Howe somehow didn't get that overtraining a squad of 23 players would lead to problems.

[DoubleD]

1 minute ago, Hvy wg said:

Marcerou is very competent. He was axed because the Aussie stars did not listen to him IIRC. Not his fault at all. 

He's now coaching for Bordeaux in Union. 

Rodney Howe somehow didn't get that overtraining a squad of 23 players would lead to problems.

Shame if that's true, because Keegan Smith rated Marcerou......

They seem to have gone from being overtrained to being overfed

[Hvy wg]

3 minutes ago, DoubleD said:

Shame if that's true, because Keegan Smith rated Marcerou......

They seem to have gone from being overtrained to being overfed

Marcerou is a no ###### guy. Stronger than most players too. At one point he squatted heavy 3 times a day.

He was committed and competent thats for sure.

[barnyia]

He'd set a few programs, new idea stuff that was from Smith or normal stuff for non believers, he'd train with the players in the gym, he'd turn around and the so called stars would be just doing bicep curls and nothing else ! 

Howe was assistant with Smith as well I believe 

[Hvy wg]

1 hour ago, barnyia said:

He'd set a few programs, new idea stuff that was from Smith or normal stuff for non believers, he'd train with the players in the gym, he'd turn around and the so called stars would be just doing bicep curls and nothing else !

Coach/president should have punished those players.