Limoux 37 - 24 St Esteve

Limoux (10) 37

T : Santo, Maurel 2, Torres, L.Vergniol, Flovie, Garrouste

G : Torreilles 4

DG : Torreilles

St Estève XIII Catalan (18) 24

T : Cozza, Le Cam, Franco 2

G : Marty 4

DG :

It was raining points as the Grizzlies put the Baby Dracs to the sword in this opening round of Elite 1 matches. 

Despite being up at the break, the visitors couldn't make that advantage count conceding points in the second half to the lose the match. 

https://treizemondial.fr/

Journée 1

SAMEDI 16 OCTOBRE 2021

ALBI RUGBY LEAGUE 31 – 22 TOULOUSE OLYMPIQUE

DIMANCHE 17 OCTOBRE 2021

SO AVIGNON XIII 18 – 25 CARCASSONNE XIII

FC LEZIGNAN XIII 72 – 16 RC ST GAUDENS XIII

XIII LIMOUXIN 37 – 24 ST ESTEVE XIII CATALAN

Dragons announce Macron deal

As expected, Catalans have announced a new multi year partnership with Italian kit company Macron

You can read all about it here. 

Dragons end partnership with O'Neills

The clubs official website has confirmed the end of the three year partnership with O'Neills supplying kit to both the Superleague and Elite 1 sides at the club. 

The shop will be closed ahead of rebranding and the launch of new product shortly. 

Despite a number of suppliers being linked, talk on the official Facebook page is that Italian giants Macron, who have made some real share gains in union and soccer, will be taking over. 

We look forward to seeing their efforts. 

In the meantime St Esteve appeared yesterday in O'Neills shirts and Neo Logik training kit. 

Neo Logik are a sportswear company with connections to Jason Baitieri and are the Macron fulfillment provider in and around Perpignan. 

Elite 1 Week 1 Fixtures

Journée 1

SAMEDI 16 OCTOBRE 2021

ALBI RUGBY LEAGUE 19H00 TOULOUSE OLYMPIQUE

DIMANCHE 17 OCTOBRE 2021

SO AVIGNON XIII 15H30 CARCASSONNE XIII

FC LEZIGNAN XIII 15H30 RC ST GAUDENS XIII

XIII LIMOUXIN 15H30 ST ESTEVE XIII CATALAN

Catalans Dragons 10-12 St Helens

Dragons Catalans (4) 10

T : Mike McMeeken

G : James Maloney 3

St Helens (6) 12

T : Kevin Naiqama 2

G : Lachlan Coote 2

Dragons : S. Tomkins, Davies, Whare, Landi, Yaha, Maloney, Drinkwater, Dudson, McIlorum, Bousquet, Whitley, McMeeken, Garcia

Subs : Mourgue, Goudemand, J. Tomkins, Kasiano

St Helens : Coote, Makinson, Naiqama, Percival, Grace, Lomax, Dodd, Walmsley, Roby, Lees, Mata’utia, Batchelor, Knowles

Subs : McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Amor, Paasi, Welsby

Stadium : Old Trafford

Referee : Liam Moore

Attendance :45 177

Catalans Dragons came up narrowly short in their quest to win the Superleague Grand Final.

After surviving early pressure from the defending champions, St Helens, the Catalan side struck first through a Jimmy Maloney penalty. 

Some juggling in goal from Kevin Naiqama saw us behind at the break before Mike McMeeken gave us a narrow lead which we defending until late on when the Fijian crossed again. He was injured in the act of scoring. 

There was a couple of controversial moments. Fouad Yaha looked like scoring before being taken out by Tommy Makinson and in our last attack Sam Tomkins was penalised for an incorrect play the ball. Harsh when you consider he was in a head lock at the time. 

It could and maybe should have been a 2 point chance for Maloney and who knows where extra time would have taken us?

When the dust settles we will review the season in detail. 

But for now we have the terrible prospect of LMS gloating in his column! You don't like us Louie and we don't like you ! 

 

My over-riding emotion...

...from the Grand Final is one of pride in my team. 

However.

And this is a big rant coming. 

The utter nonsense posted on the internet since the game has left me feeling like my love of this game is hanging by a thread, and a thin one at that. 

To expect Catalans fans to sell out half of Old Trafford with a weeks notice is ridiculous. Throw in Covid protocols, increased fares due to fuel costs and a whole host of other reasons that would have impacted the crowd from so-called heartlands clubs and you have borderline xenophobia going on here. 

I have said it before but it bears repeating. 

I am born and raised in the south of England and got into the game through my Father-in-Law owning a home near the Stade Gilbert Brutus. I try and extoll the virtues of the game at every opportunity playing touch in my home area and pushing a Catalans agenda whenever and wherever I can. 

Do I feel part of the wider rugby league family? 

Sometimes. 

But not at the moment. I feel like the likes of me and my club are not welcome in the UK and that the Superleague owners and fans would much prefer both Dracs and Toulouse to do a Toronto and vanish without trace. 

The sport is fantastic. Make no mistake about that. 

 The governance and some of the attitudes around it are not first class, nowhere near. 

There are things in the game that were Dragons fault. Signing Israel Folau for example. Bernard throwing his toys out of the pram about officials regularly (including this weekend), and some of the teams poor performances away to the likes of Leeds, Warrington and especially Wigan over the years. 

But I found myself typing on Facebook in response to a troll that I was more looking forward to the domestic Elite 1 competition (coming this weekend) more than the Grand Final based on the abuse I knew that was coming our way. 

That is a scandalous position to find myself in. This should have been the pinnacle of my Dragons watching career. 

Notice I have deliberately not mentioned officials. In the past I subscribed to the theory that we would get reffed out of the big tournament finals but having "let" us get to Old Trafford there was no point in rigging the game then. 

The Hull KR match would have been nobbled were that to be the case. 

For me the officials have a difficult job and make mistakes from time to time. So do players and so do club officials. So no blame from here there. 

So where do I go from here? 

I am going to spend the winter following St Esteve and hope that the lack of UK based internet crowd experts offering their stuffy self centred opinions might calm me down and get my love of the game back where it should be. 

Dragons clean up at MoS awards

Steve McNamara has been named as the coach of the year at the Superleague awards. 

Sam Tomkins won the players award, the Steve Prescott Man of Steel. 

Congratulations to both. 

Catalans Dragons 28 - 10 Hull KR

 Catalans Dragons (12) 28

T : Benjamin Garcia, Josh Drinkwater, Arthur Mourgue, Fouad Yaha, Joe Chan

G : James Maloney 4

Hull KR (4) 10

T : Shaun Kenny-Dowall, Ryan Hall

G : Jordan Abdull

Team sheet

Dragons : Mourgue, Davies, Whare, Landi, Yaha, Maloney, Drinkwater, J.Tomkins, McIlorum, Bousquet, Whitley, McMeeken, Garcia

Subs: Dudson, Goudemand, Chan, Kasiano

Hull KR : Dagger, Crooks, Takairangi, Kenny-Dowall, Hall, Lewis, Abdull, King, Litten, Maher, Johnson, Linnett, Storton

Subs: Vete, Mustapha, Tate, Keinhorst 

Stadium : Stade Gilbert Brutus

Referee: James Child

Attendance: 11 530

Man of the match : James Maloney

Catalans Dragons are in their first Super League Grand final after beating Hull KR in a thrilling semi final at a packed Stade Gilbert Brutus. 

The game breaker was the second try scored by Josh Drinkwater who took us from defending our final third to over the oppositions line with a turn of speed I never knew he possessed ! 

I suppose you find another gear against you old club perhaps. 

Hull were brilliant on the night, refusing to give up hope and kept us honest until the hooter. 

But the Dracs will make their first visit to Old Trafford to face St Helens who beat Leeds in the other match. 

Hull based company produce legends jersey

 

Order here from Lammy Sports* 

*Please note this is their independent unofficial product and isn't officially endorsed. 

Gone partying...

 ...back soon :)