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Warrick Nicolson | 07/02/08
VIDEO - Talking pre-season training and girly drinks with the Dragons
STATE OF PLAY
All that Dragons fans want to know heading into 2008, is if Mark Gasnier is fit and healthy.
Without him for the majority of 2007 the Dragons plummeted in the standings and had won just six games in seventeen matches before Gasnier returned.
When he was a free agent, Willie Mason was right not to head to the Dragons as they fit the bill of a team rebuilding - something he said he didn’t want to be a part of.
But undertaking a rebuilding process doesn’t necessarily mean the Dragons won’t be competitive.
Last 3 Finishes:
2005: 4th
2006: 4th
2007: 13th
ROSTER ROUND-UP
Newly appointed skipper Gasnier will be on deck for the start of the season, which is a huge bonus for the team.
However, arguably the only other class player on the roster is Jason Ryles – a far cry from the days when the likes of Timmins, Bailey and Barrett also wore the red and white.
Mid-season pickup Jamie Soward has been given a vote of confidence as the incumbent choice at halfback, when the club allowed Mathew Head to sign with the Wests Tigers.
Despite only adding the likes of Kirk Reynoldson, Jon Green, Jarrod Saffy and Stuart Webb, players which fail to strike fear into the hearts of opponents, they are solid acquisitions for what is a very young club.
If the Dragons struggle it will be due to the lack of starting depth in the forwards.
Outside of Ryles, Ben Creagh, Justin Poore and a (fingers crossed) fully fit Dean Young, the pack doesn’t have much quality to draw on.
Second rower Beau Scott developed as the season progressed but has handling issues, Reynoldson’s best days appear behind him and the next generation of Dan Hunt, Lagi Setu and Ricky Thorby are quite raw.
Saffy has been learning the game under Tim Sheens at the Tigers for a few seasons and may be a find if he has a strong pre-season, while the club has big plans for backrower Matt Mundine, a local junior.
St.George-Illawarra does have, however, a lot of weapons in their backline.
Gasnier may even have to move back to five-eighth alongside Soward to accommodate Kiwi sensation Chase Stanley in the centres. Matt Cooper has his spot sewn up at centre and the Morris brothers – Brett and Josh – will man the wings.
Ben Hornby should remain at fullback, where he plays his best football instead of flirting with the halves as he did at the start of 2007.
Simon Woolford begins his final season in the NRL as the starting hooker but Rangi Chase, Tony Caine and tackle-junkie Ben Ellis are breathing down his neck.
STRONGEST LINE-UP
1. HORNBY, Ben
2. MORRIS, Brett
3. STANLEY, Chase
4. COOPER, Matt
5. MORRIS, Josh
6. GASNIER, Mark
7. SOWARD, Jamie
8. POORE, Justin
9. WOOLFORD, Simon
10. RYLES, Jason
11. SCOTT, Beau
12. CREAGH, Ben
13. YOUNG, Dean
14. HUNT, Dan
15. REYNOLDSON, Kirk
16. SETU, Lagi
17. CHASE, Rangi
FEARLESS FORECAST
Gasnier can only do so much on his own and Ryles will do the hard yards up front, but two players, Dean Young and Ben Creagh need to make a difference.
Both have been on the brink of helping the Dragons to premiership glory for a few years now in supporting roles, but 2008 shapes as the season they need to take their contributions to the next level.
If they do the team can make a run at the Finals.
The relative success of 2005 and 2006 can no longer be expected as the roster is weaker now, but there is a reason to dream, as the Morris brothers are the most exciting siblings to come into the game since the Johns boys in the 1990s.
PREDICTED RECORD: 8-16
PREDICTED FINISH: 14th
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