More new deals, this time for the French spine

Benjamin Julien

Alrix Da Costa

Paul Seguier 

Arthur Romano

All of the above have signed new deals of varying length with the club. 

We would like to thank them for their continued service with Catalans Dragons. 

Joel Tomkins to leave

Joel Tomkins is leaving the club at the end of the season. 

With one or two disciplinary issues on his CV (and not just at our club), it seems a good idea to move him on. 

We would like to put on record our thanks to Joel for his efforts at the club and wish him well. 

Dragons match with the Wire postponed

Sadly last weekends match with Warrington was postponed due to a Covid outbreak in the Dragons camp. 

We hope all get well soon. 

Maloney to retire from professional Rugby League

Former NSW State of Origin player James Maloney will quit the gamee at the end of the season when his contract with Catalans Dragons expires. 

We would like to place on record our thanks to Maloney for his incredible efforts in the sang-et-or and hope retirement treats him well. 

Elite 1 to have 9 teams

Recently we posted about the voluntary relegation of Palau Broncos, and as a result of that and the pandemic going on the Elite 1 season will startin October with just 9 teams. 

You can get more details on this from Loverugbyleague.com by clicking here. 

Here is the fixture matrix from the French Rugby League website. 

Click to enlarge

We will cover all St Esteve matches again on the website as before. 

We have no idea whats happening with the Dragons kit and Oneills, but they have expanded their St Esteve range online so it might be worth snapping up some kit ahead of the season. 

Click here for the online store of St Esteve

Kasiano gets another year

With the Dragons going along nicely at the top of Superleague this season, there has already been a raft of new contracts announced. 

The like of Josh Drinkwater and Tom Davies are already signed up for additional seasons in Perpignan along with a number of the local talent starting to emerge and push for places in the team. 

In recent weeks it had been rumoured that, due to the large amount of salary cap space he was commanding, Sam Kasiano would be moving to an English based club. 

Warrington (of course) and Leeds (of course) had been mentioned on socials as possible destinations for the player affectionately known as Big Sam. But the club has today announced he will be with us until the end of 2022 putting all that speculation to bed. 

Unless of course one of those clubs wants to stump up an absolute fortune, which is doubtful in the times of Covid. 

Catalans Dragons 31-16 Hull FC

 The Dragons have won the McNamara derby with a nervy win over plucky Hull FC over the weekend. 

After defeat at St Helens, this one was important to win ahead of a trip to bogey side Warrington. 

Despite throwing an interception, Sam Tomkins was instrumental in our finishing the game strongly. 

With a reduced pre-season involving less contact being highlighted as a possible cause of fitness dropping off during the season, its so far so good for the conditioners and coaching team. 

The over-riding image of the match will be of Dad Steve consoling son Ben after the final hooter. 

Dragons Catalans (10) 31

T : Tom Davies 2, Fouad Yaha, Sam Tomkins, Julian Bousquet 

G : James Maloney 5

DG : James Maloney

Hull FC (14) 16

T : Carlos Tuimavave, Bureta Faraimo

G : Ben McNamara 4

Dragons : S.Tomkins, Davies, Whare, Langi, Yaha, Maloney, Drinkwater, Dudson, McIlorum, Bousquet, Le Cam, McMeeken, Goudemand

Subs : Mourgue, Chan, Kasiano, Dezaria

Hull FC : Swift, Faraimo, Walker, Tuimavave, Scott, Reynolds, McNamara, Fash, Houghton, Sao, Ma’u, Lane, Cator

Subs : Taylor, Brown, Bowden, Hookem

Stadium : Gilbert Brutus

Referee : James Child

Intendance : 7122

Man of the Match : Mickael Goudemand

Solving the international puzzle

 We were all looking forward to the World Cup. Particularly, the Greece v France game - The Forbidden Derby - in the group stages and what promised to be a great fun event at Leeds when Ireland faced Jamaica.

But as we know now, it ain't happening. Well, not any time soon, and if things haven't changed much in twelve months we'll be back in the same position again. Given how little has changed in the last 18 months, we're not holding out huge confidence in the same issues rearing their heads again.

The big problem was of course the NRL. With Australian quarantine rules, any player coming over would end up missing a chunk of their pre-season, a situation that simply cannot be abided despite the obvious benefits to the global game. If it's not NRL, it's not their problem, and therefore can be treated with contempt, even if the players were up for it.

It's clear that the Australian game doesn't have the best interests of the international game at heart. How many times have the Kangaroos even played since the last World Cup? It's not very many. And indeed, they trampled on a mid-season international break some years ago so even sides willing to play one another would struggle to raise competitive sides.

There's only one solution to the impasse.

Disband the Kangaroos.

Seems a bit extreme, obviously, but if they're not even going to play games, would they even be missed? Let them have their Origin and let the rest of us get on with it. Let James Tedesco play for Italy, Tom Trbojevic for Serbia, Ryan Papenhuyzen for the Netherlands. Let's see teams who want to get it on do so, without that permanent feeling that any second-generation player for an emerging nation will soon be in green and gold. Let's have fun, fun that the presence of the Kangaroos invariably destroys, or at least disrupts.

Bin 'em off, the rest of us get on with it and maybe, just maybe, when they see we're having fun and progressing without them, they might actually get it.

St Helens 34 - 12 Catalans Dragons

 The run is over, but what a time it has been to follow this club and its fortunes. 

My hope is that we don't look back on this mid part of 2021 and identify it as the highlight. There is still much to play for and we have to continue to go for it. 

Don't leave it in the stands and on the touchline, leave it all on the park. 

Of course injuries are starting to bite, but its the same for all so we still have a chance. 

St Helens (20) 34

T : Tommy Makinson, Lewis Dodd, Regan Grace, Joe Batchelor, Lachlan Coote

G : Lachlan Coote 7

Dragons Catalans (6) 12

T : Matthieu Laguerre, Mickael Goudemand

G : James Maloney 2

Dragons : Mourgue, Franco, Whare, Laguerre, Yaha, Maloney, Rougé, Dudson, Da Costa, Goudemand, Jullien, McMeeken, J.Tomkins

Subs : Séguier, Le Cam, Chan, Dezaria

Saints : Coote, Makinson, Naiqama, Percival, Grace, Lomax, Dodd, Walmsley, Roby, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Thompson, Batchelor, Knowles

Subs : Mata’utia, Amor, Paasi, Welsby

Stadium : Totally Wicked Stadium

Referee : Liam Moore

Yellow card : Joe Chan, Sione Mata’utia

Ex-Drac theme continues at nearby Palau

Thanks to our ongoing love of Oliver Elima we have always held a candle for Palau Broncos. 

Their voluntary relegation down to the Ligue National is a sad thing for us. 

Benoit Albert left the club at the end of the season having replaced Olivier Elima midway through the stop-start 2020/2021 campaign. 

The club had thrown a bit more money into the campaign so to end up going down the leagues will have been galling. 

However a ray of light has come with the annoucement of their head coach for next season. 

Rodney Howe is a name that needs no introduction to Catalans fans having working in S&C at Stade Gilbert Brutus. 

He was always an excitable proposition behind the posts dishing out water when we'd conceded. 

We wish him luck in the job and will be keeping our usual eye on our second favourite teams journey this winter. 

Hull KR 16 - 23 Catalans Dragons

 Hull KR (4) 16

T : Adam Quinlan 2

G : Jordan Abdull 3

DG :

Catalans Dragons (8) 23

T : Romain Franco, Samisoni Langi, Sam Tomkins

G : James Maloney 5

DG : James Maloney

Catalans Dragons produced a strong performance to beat Hull KR and win a twelfth game in a row.

Team sheet

Dragons : S.Tomkins, Franco, Whare, Langi, Yaha, Maloney, Drinkwater, Dudson, Da Costa, Goudemand, Jullien, McMeeken, J.Tomkins

Subs: Mourgue, Séguier, Chan, Kasiano

Hull KR : Quinlan, Crooks, Minikin, Kenny-Dowall, Hall, Takairangi, Abdull, Maher, Parcell, King, Johnson, Linnett, Hadley

Subs: Vete, Litten, Lawler, Storton

Stadium : Hull College Craven Park

Referee: Robert Hicks

Lots of praise for Sam Tomkins as Dragons run continues

 Love Rugby League has a couple of articles talking about Sam Tomkins at the moment. 

One includes a podcast link with George Riley and is well worth a listen. 

So here are the links in case you missed them. 

McNamara says Sam is natural leader > Click here

Tomkins to settle in France post retirement > Click here

We love Samkins and are really enjoying his contribution to the team at the moment. 

Catalans Dragons 40-20 Wakefield Trinity

Catalans Dragons (20) 40

T : Sam Tomkins, Alrix Da Costa, Sam Kasiano, Gil Dudson, Fouad Yaha 2

G : James Maloney 8

Wakefield Trinity (12) 20

T : Yusuf Aydin, David Fifita 2

G : Mason Lino 4

Catalans Dragons secured a 40-20 victory over Wakefield at the Gilbert Brutus Stadium. 

Steve McNamara's side produced another hardworking performance to beat their today's opponents. First season try from Alrix Da Costa and first Super League try from Gil Dudson under the Catalan jersey helped the Dragons to get their 11th consecutive win in Super League this season.

Thanks to this victory, Catalans reinforce their position at the top of the table before travelling to Hull KR next Monday.

Dragons : S.Tomkins, Davies, Whare, Langi, Yaha, Maloney, Drinkwater, Dudson, Da Costa, Bousquet, Whitley, Jullien, J.Tomkins

Subs : Mourgue, Séguier, Goudemand, Kasiano

Wakefield : Jowitt, Senior, Lyne, Arundel, Kay, Miller, Lino, Fifita, Wood, Arona,  Ashurst, Tanginoa, Aydin

Subs : Battye, Green, Walker, Hampshire

Stadium : Gilbert Brutus

Referee : Marcus Griffiths

Attendance : 6 267

Man of the Match : Dean Whare

Catalans Dragons 32-30 Hull KR

Dragons Catalans (12) 32

T : Matt Whitley 2, Sam Tomkins, Mickael Goudemand, Fouad Yaha

G : Arthur Mourgue 6

Hull KR (26) 30

T : Jordan Abdull 2, Shaun Kenny-Dowall, Greg Minikin, Adam Quinlan

G : Jordan Abdull 5

Catalans Dragons secured a 10th Super League win a row as they have beaten 32-30 Hull KR at Brutus.

After a disappointing first half, Steve McNamara's side found the way to come back, once again, to get the victory on the edge.

Tries from Matt Whitley, Sam Tomkins, Mickael Goudemand and Fouad Yaha helped the Dragons to strenghten their position at the top of the Super League table thanks to 13 wins in 14 games

Dragons : S.Tomkins, Davies, Whare, Langi, Yaha, Mourgue, Drinkwater, Dudson, Da Costa, Bousquet, Whitley, McMeeken, Garcia

Subs : Jullien, Séguier, Goudemand, Kasiano

Hull KR : Quinlan, Crooks, Minikin, Kenny-Dowall, Hall, Takairangi, Abdull, Lawler, Litten, Maher, Johnson, Linnett, Hadley

Subs : Vete, Parcell, Sims, King

Stadium : Stade Gilbert Brutus