Greg Bird - Hall of Fame Entry

 Greg Bird is a controversial but welcome entry to our Hall of Fame.

He enjoyed 2 spells with the club making close to 100 appearances having arrived from Australia under a cloud in the first instance. 

After a year he went back redeemed and played for Gold Coast before heading back the Northern Hemisphere in 2017. 

(Data sourced from - https://stats.rugbyleaguerecords.com/teamdirectory.php?tselect=83 )

His first season whetted the appetite despite us having to wait 8 years to get him back. 

2017 wasn't his best season but in 2018 he scored 5 tries in 27 appearances, all starts and none from the bench. 

He did appear less and more off the bench in his farewell 2019 campaign but by this stage his legacy was clear. 

This wasn't the Greg Bird who had caused so much trouble and heartache in the NRL. This was Greg the entertainer and good bloke who caused chaos on the pitch and had time to speak to the fans. 

Could he be seen as the wrong sort of person to glamourise in a Hall of Fame? Maybe. But then I hope his behaviour from early in his career wasnt repeated later on and that he was more mature as a result. 

One thing is for sure, he would make most peoples Catalans all time thirteen and rightly so. 

Welcome to the Hall of Fame Greg! 

Scott Dureau

News arrives this morning that former scrum-half and sang-et-or Hall Of Famer Scott Dureau is to undergo chemotherapy to treat cancer.

His current employers, Newcastle Knights, put out the following statement.

We can't really say much more than that, except to add that we know Scott's fighting spirit and that we wish him and his family all the very best in what could be a very tough period.

Devastated by this news. Scott is one of the nicest blokes in RL.

Stay strong Scotty, we’re all thinking of you mate. 🤞🏾 https://t.co/x7tEga1Of0

— Leon Pryce (@leonpryce6) February 1, 2019

Hall Of Fame: Louis Anderson

By the time Louis Anderson made his Super League bow, he was 23 yet seemed to have been around for a long time already having played three seasons with the NZ Warriors. Perhaps that is down to his brother Vinnie, five years his senior, already having played three years with St Helens by the time Warrington signed him up.

After 104 games for the Wire - and 104 points quite poetically - in four years, he made the switch to Perpignan. It wasn't perhaps the most marquee of signings, with the very greatest of respect, but he quickly settled into the club.

An initial three-year deal turned into a seven-season spell with the club and there never seemed any threat of him leaving the Gilbert Brutus in that time. Bar one season in the number 8 jersey, he quickly became a mainstay in the back row and a unit around which the Dragons pack could be built.

Rarely flashy but always dependable, his win percentage stats are remarkable. Basically, if he played, the more likely were the Dragons to win.

The true test of a player is how they are regarded by their peers. Here, note Alex Chan and Giants prop Suaia Matagi giving Louis the farewell haka after his final Dragons appearance before retirement.

Le haka pour Louis Anderson pic.twitter.com/ytUHSXhlH4

— Dragons Catalans 🏆 (@DragonsOfficiel) September 29, 2018

He'll be tough to replace alright.

Thomas Bosc - Hall of Fame Entry

The word legend gets bandied about way too much in modern life nowadays.

Someone who gets through a reality show and then releases a couple of moderately successful albums can become a “legend” of the music industry, and that’s not right.

In sport you only need to be a handsomely paid footballer and bag a league title amongst a group of world class players to be judged as integral which for me doesn’t sit quite right.

Fortunately we take all of these factors into account before opening the door to the Sang-et-Or hall of Fame and this inductee deserves a statue at the Stade Gilbert Brutus, such has been his impact to this day and hopefully beyond.

Thomas Bosc in stats

Source Wikipedia

Thomas Bosc has been a one club man and was there at the very start of the unified Catalans club.

Bosc has played several positions including the wing, full back and scrum half. His creative play led to an impressive 1 try in every 4 matches across his career and over 1300 points thanks to his kicking.

But Bosc was more than that. He was a player who dug in when the going got tough, and would often be seen playing on covered in bandages and head dressings. He loved playing in our derby with London and scored one of the Dragons greatest ever try’s with a left foot, right foot dink over defenders before gathering to dive under the sticks.

It was an Easter treat that I will never forget.

Inevitably as time caught up with the great man he was preserved and played less frequently, but when his club needed him, he was ready and willing to play.

I remember some wing cameos as the end of his career drew near. These I will cherish as I knew we wouldn’t be seeing him for much longer.

When his retirement came, the Dragons were wise enough to keep him in and around the club. He took on coaching for the domestic league side (U23s) but after a terrible start to 2018 Steve McNamara soon promoted him to join him in the first team dugout.

And that’s the image of Bosc we see most regularly now. Headphones on, prowling the touchline or jogging on to offer some tactical tweak when a stoppage in play allows.

The guy is an absolute legend (a proper one) and epitomises the creative flair and flamboyance that our club is renowned for. I hope he stays with us forever such is the reverence Thomas is held in.

Scott Dureau - Hall of Fame Entry

Apr. 10, 2018

Season	Appearance	Tries	Goals	F/G	Points
2011 Catalan Dragons	27	12	97	5	247
2012 Catalan Dragons	32	12	131	3	313
2013 Catalan Dragons	10	3	13	1	39
2014 Catalan Dragons	1	0	1	0	2
2015 Catalan Dragons	27	3	98	2	210
Total	97	30	340	11	811

What a player and legend Scott Dureau has been for the Catalans Dragons club.

He was that rarest of overseas signings in so far as being a player who slotted in straight away taking on the creative role in the halves along with goal kicking… but more of that anon.

“Biscuit” was backed up by a wonderful and supportive family unit and bought into the Dragons ethos. I absolutely loved the guy and aside from that moment I have another that I want to share.
After his terrible eye tumour he battled back to be in the Dragons line up before a comeback try against London at Magic Weekend. It was from close range and a dab down so not one that took much scoring, however it was a key moment in his rehabilitation and one that brought a massive smile to this correspondents face.

His presence behind such legendary Dragons forwards as Ferriol and Elima saw him gain time and space to make a pass or a kick usually with Damian Blanch on the end getting four points.

There is one moment which of course will remain top of mind for any Dragons fan. That moment at Langtree Park when Daryl Millard finished off that ad hoc play on the 5^th tackle and beyond the full time hooter.

The try was quite something, the kick even more so as plenty of time elapsed between the pandemonium of the touch down and Dureau lining up the kick.

His deep breaths and rolling of the shoulders as he lined it up had me quaking in my seat.
But he nailed it, of course he nailed it.

Despite not being the same player after his eye surgery, and who would be?, his final stats saw him score north of 800 points for the club and score tries at a rate of almost one in every three matches.
Adding this guy to the hall of fame is a total no brainer. A legend and someone who was part of the most flamboyant and exciting Dragons sides in their history.

Damian Blanch - Hall of Fame Entry

Damien Blanch is the latest former Dragon to be added to the Sang et Or Hall of Fame.
Blanch was not considered for inclusion until he retired from playing, something he confirmed on social media recently after leaving Thirroul Butchers.

The winger arrived at Gilbert Brutus from Wakefield in the winter of 2010 and set about replacing look a like Steve Bell in the Dracs fans affections.

His inclusion in the hall of fame is based on some amazing aerial tries and the sheer consistency of his stats.

In 75 appearance for Catalan Dragons he scored 46 tries. To put that into context he crossed the whitewash on average 0.6 times per game.

Many of those scores came from about a metre in the air and tight int the corner. He always seemed to score dramatic scores against Hull KR for some reason and will be forever revered as being part of the build up to that Daryl Millard try and Langtree Park.

Well done Damien, a worthy inclusion, you are still missed.