Where to start with this season eh?
I am trying to be positive and look on the bright side. But 2019 tested my patience and that of a number of supporters thanks to some pathetic performances and heavy defeats. All played out against the back drop of some very un-Dragons like boring rugby league.
We went into the campaign remember, as holders of the Challenge Cup and with a number of international quality recruits, headlined by Sam Tomkins.
It didn't take too long into the season for that optimism to be shattered and for the realisation to set in that this team was going backwards and at a rapid rate of knots.
Steve McNamara had been one game from the sack last season before the cup run gave him, what the owner described as, a job for life. Lest we forget that run started after a narrow win at League 1 side (at the time) York City Knights.
How that "3 games to save your job" scenario managed to be avoided until the end of the summer this year remains a mystery. For me there is massive confusion of what is going on behind the scenes at the club.
Bernard Guasch has repeatedly said he will stick by his coach, even venturing to publicly offer him a two year contract extension to be tagged on to the year remaining on the current deal. However a shaky mobile phone film has emerged (and is on this website) appearing to show Guasch losing his rag totally with the players having burst in the changing rooms following a home defeat to London.
McNamara was sat there, inanimate as this tirade unfolded.
We know historically of tales of Bernard waving his meat cleaver at the players when they don't perform, but it feels like since McNamara arrived at the club he has been taking more of a back seat and being an owner as opposed to trying to coach.
This video was widely shared in the RL media, with many pundits using phrases such as "lame duck" with others speculating that the video had been deliberately leaked to further undermine a struggling coach.
Yet having said all that, the period of the season following the rumoured 3 games to save his job ultimatum saw the best play and results of the Catalans campaign.
So do the senior players want McNamara or not?
That remains to be seen in 2020, but whatever happens we need a clean and decisive piece of action from the boardroom should some of the nonsense we have have to put up with this year rear its head again.
On a week by week basis we started OK with an expected defeat as Castleford back up by some close games with Wakefield and Warrington. This was all before the home match with Salford which came to define our campaign.
The shock waves of a side (at that time) tipped for relegation putting over 40 points on one of the title favourites at their own ground were massive. Dragons committed two cardinal sins in this match and they never learned from them throughout the year.
They started badly and chucked it in.
This was rather than showing a modicum of spirit. Once the game looked like it was gone they stopped playing and just looked like they wanted to be anywhere other than on the pitch.
It was abject.
Bizarrely they went on to win their next two matches in tight circumstances before getting hammered at Wigan who at the time were struggling.
Easter was more positive with a win at London and at home to Castleford. Things were looking up for the Catalans with Sam Kasiano arriving to add influence up front, along with a filthy offload game.
A tight Magic Weekend win over Wakefield followed the seasons high watermark, a Camp Nou battering of Wigan in a thrilling match that saw the Dragons look like they were playing themselves into a bit of form.
But then it all went south. And in some style.
A 50 point beating ended their Challenge Cup defence at Hull and from that moment on the knives were out.
No club defending the trophy had shown such poor form in appearing to completely give up.
June then saw hammerings at Warrington, at home to London, at home to Hull (who got 50 again to prove it was no fluke), and relegation haunted Leeds.
None of these performances and scorelines were a surprise by this time. It was just a case of thankfully having had a good enough run in March and April to keep relegation threats at bay.
July saw the "three games to save your job" cry from the owner and the team responded by hammering Wakefield and winning a tight game at Huddersfield. Two wins off the bat was enough to see the backing return for McNamara.
They did collapse at Salford, but followed that up with their last win of the season at home to Warrington in early August. That in a game marred by off the pitch crowd violence.
After that the team downed tools again losing heavily at Leeds, at home to London, at home to Hull KR before another battering at Wigan.
The final day saw a bit of pride return with a narrow defeat at Huddersfield.
When you go back through these fixtures and results, it brings home just how bad this season has been.
There has been no building on the Challenge Cup win of 2018 and any momentum from that has been lost.
Key players like Tony Gigot and Kenny Edwards who looked part of a bright future for the club on that sunny day at Wembley have been poor and moved on.
We will move into talking about 2020 and whether James Maloney can be the catalyst for change in the coming weeks, but for now we want to put 2019 to bed and hope for improvement next season.
Thanks for supporting the website and keep reading, contributing and sharing. :)
James
I am trying to be positive and look on the bright side. But 2019 tested my patience and that of a number of supporters thanks to some pathetic performances and heavy defeats. All played out against the back drop of some very un-Dragons like boring rugby league.
We went into the campaign remember, as holders of the Challenge Cup and with a number of international quality recruits, headlined by Sam Tomkins.
It didn't take too long into the season for that optimism to be shattered and for the realisation to set in that this team was going backwards and at a rapid rate of knots.
Steve McNamara had been one game from the sack last season before the cup run gave him, what the owner described as, a job for life. Lest we forget that run started after a narrow win at League 1 side (at the time) York City Knights.
How that "3 games to save your job" scenario managed to be avoided until the end of the summer this year remains a mystery. For me there is massive confusion of what is going on behind the scenes at the club.
Bernard Guasch has repeatedly said he will stick by his coach, even venturing to publicly offer him a two year contract extension to be tagged on to the year remaining on the current deal. However a shaky mobile phone film has emerged (and is on this website) appearing to show Guasch losing his rag totally with the players having burst in the changing rooms following a home defeat to London.
McNamara was sat there, inanimate as this tirade unfolded.
We know historically of tales of Bernard waving his meat cleaver at the players when they don't perform, but it feels like since McNamara arrived at the club he has been taking more of a back seat and being an owner as opposed to trying to coach.
This video was widely shared in the RL media, with many pundits using phrases such as "lame duck" with others speculating that the video had been deliberately leaked to further undermine a struggling coach.
Yet having said all that, the period of the season following the rumoured 3 games to save his job ultimatum saw the best play and results of the Catalans campaign.
So do the senior players want McNamara or not?
That remains to be seen in 2020, but whatever happens we need a clean and decisive piece of action from the boardroom should some of the nonsense we have have to put up with this year rear its head again.
On a week by week basis we started OK with an expected defeat as Castleford back up by some close games with Wakefield and Warrington. This was all before the home match with Salford which came to define our campaign.
The shock waves of a side (at that time) tipped for relegation putting over 40 points on one of the title favourites at their own ground were massive. Dragons committed two cardinal sins in this match and they never learned from them throughout the year.
They started badly and chucked it in.
This was rather than showing a modicum of spirit. Once the game looked like it was gone they stopped playing and just looked like they wanted to be anywhere other than on the pitch.
It was abject.
Bizarrely they went on to win their next two matches in tight circumstances before getting hammered at Wigan who at the time were struggling.
Easter was more positive with a win at London and at home to Castleford. Things were looking up for the Catalans with Sam Kasiano arriving to add influence up front, along with a filthy offload game.
A tight Magic Weekend win over Wakefield followed the seasons high watermark, a Camp Nou battering of Wigan in a thrilling match that saw the Dragons look like they were playing themselves into a bit of form.
But then it all went south. And in some style.
A 50 point beating ended their Challenge Cup defence at Hull and from that moment on the knives were out.
No club defending the trophy had shown such poor form in appearing to completely give up.
June then saw hammerings at Warrington, at home to London, at home to Hull (who got 50 again to prove it was no fluke), and relegation haunted Leeds.
None of these performances and scorelines were a surprise by this time. It was just a case of thankfully having had a good enough run in March and April to keep relegation threats at bay.
July saw the "three games to save your job" cry from the owner and the team responded by hammering Wakefield and winning a tight game at Huddersfield. Two wins off the bat was enough to see the backing return for McNamara.
They did collapse at Salford, but followed that up with their last win of the season at home to Warrington in early August. That in a game marred by off the pitch crowd violence.
After that the team downed tools again losing heavily at Leeds, at home to London, at home to Hull KR before another battering at Wigan.
The final day saw a bit of pride return with a narrow defeat at Huddersfield.
When you go back through these fixtures and results, it brings home just how bad this season has been.
There has been no building on the Challenge Cup win of 2018 and any momentum from that has been lost.
Key players like Tony Gigot and Kenny Edwards who looked part of a bright future for the club on that sunny day at Wembley have been poor and moved on.
We will move into talking about 2020 and whether James Maloney can be the catalyst for change in the coming weeks, but for now we want to put 2019 to bed and hope for improvement next season.
Thanks for supporting the website and keep reading, contributing and sharing. :)
James
