The great Catalans fire sale of 2020 carries on with Remi Casty the latest to depart.
https://www.totalrl.com/casty-quits-catalans/
We knew the club had put it all in to make sure the fixtures were fulfilled, but didn't expect this...
Good luck Papa.
With the potential cash flow issues from finishing this season, costs look like they will need to be cut.
INS
Gil Dudson (Salford)
David Fifita (Rumoured) (Wakefield)
Mike Mc Meeken (Castleford)
OUTS
David Mead (Rumoured)
Mika Simon (Carcassonne)
Sam Moa (Lezignan)
Eamon O'Carroll (Coach)
Lucas Albert (Lezignan)
RETAINED
Israel Folau
Mika Simon and coach Eamon O'Carroll have both left the club.
Simon has been a successful player in 2 spells and joins Carcassonne to play in Elite 1.
With Lucas Albert also joining this will add to the depth of quality in the domestic competition and we wish them both luck (apart from when they play us!).
The second new name clearing their locker is coach Eamon O'Carroll who leaves to head back to the UK.
We would like to thank all of the departing players and staff for their work with the club.
boom boom.
Sam Moa, the man from Samoa has left the club to join Lezignan in Elite 1.
We wish the great man well and thank him for his service at Stade Gilbert Brutus.
Thanks for all the praise but it’s no consolation right now.
Dragons folded when they needed to show a backbone the most.
It was one of those performances that we have consistently shown on the road throughout our history.
Nothing in attack, ill disciplined and weak at the back.
The coach, who has been much criticised on this page over the years looked hurt. Not upset, not angry but hurt.
He had put a team of players many of whom are equal or better than those of St Helens out on the field and they didn’t perform.
We can point to the travel and the rapidly emerging stories about financial issues as potentially mitigating factors, but the cold hard truth is that you can keep replacing the players every year as much as you want but there is something inherent in the clubs DNA that means they don’t consistently have the mental toughness to win matches of this nature.
The odd win here or there is now no longer enough for this team.
It’s not fair on Bernard Guasch who continues to invest money in the team and in managing the logistical challenge of getting to England and back all the time.
And, despite my reservations about his style of play, its not fair on Steve McNamara.
He looks like he has no idea how to solve this issue and my level of respect for the guy rocketed after he refused to bow to the Sky interviewer’s desperation for him to blame the RFL suspension panel for the loss.
My understanding is that in not taking the Toronto route out of the season and trying to keep Superleague honest we might have to try and offload some of the bigger earners at the club to try and make it through 2021 in whatever format the season happens.
It was interesting to see the pundits on TV Friday saying that there should be some form of compensation coming our way to offset a lot of the cost of private jets. I agree that there should be a plan to help Dragons over the winter and I look forward to seeing what Robert Elstone has to offer.
In the meantime, let’s head to the beach and see what happens over the next few weeks. It’s a well-deserved break after this most unusual of seasons.
If you are reading here look for some controversial defence of Joel Tomkins and Micky McIlorum's actions from last week, best click elsewhere.
For me the punishment's fit the crime and these two have let their team mates and coaching staff down with a lack of discipline.
If these were isolated incidents within the clubs playing staff you could move on and put it down to the excitement of having a play off chance.
But it isn't so you cant.
Its a constant thorn in our side and something that can ultimately have an impact on the clubs ability to compete for honours.
I am all for not taking a step back and for being their for your mates. They are core elements of the game of rugby.
But picking up a player whose nose you just smeared over his face to try and make it look like he is play acting is wrong.
This would blow over so much more quickly if the club or the coaches faced the press and said "yeah we crossed a line". But Joel Tomkins defence using his brothers Twitter feed makes me think that they are all taking that "its not our fault" line.
The owner is also said to be furious over the punishments handed down. But you can be sure that if the boot had been on the other foot he would have been advocating the degree of sentence handed down.
Play off time should be exciting and wonderful and we should look forward to the occasions. However we continue our journey from being everyone's 2nd favourite team to one of their most hated.
I don't like that path and want us to show more discipline and control on the pitch whilst not actively recruiting bad boys who can do you no good sat at home because they are banned.
The tough start to the season for Justin Murphy and his Catalan reserve side continues after a narrow defeat to a strong Carcassonne side.
Dragons Catalans (18) 26
T : Tom Davies, Samisoni Langi, Israel Folau, David Mead
G : James Maloney 5
Leeds Rhinos (6) 14
T : Alex Sutcliffe 2, Konrad Hurrell
G : Rhyse Martin
Hooray !!! Catalans have beaten Leeds and managed to find a way to win in the Super League playoffs.
There was plenty to admire in the Dragons performance on Friday night, but this being Catalans we must deal with some other stuff as well.
Micky McIlorum and JoelKins showed a lack of discipline at key points in the match with a high shot followed by lifting the player off the worst offence.
That is on McIlorum's rap sheet, Tomkins was more for a poke (shall we say) at Richie Myler as a tackle was completed.
I didn't mind Myler when he played for us but as the season has gone on he seems to be getting more and more of a moany arse (hahaha see what I did there?!).
Back to the match and we came out of the traps super fast getting 12-0 ahead before Rhinos had really go started.
Of course we switched off and let them in with tries on either side of the half time hooter before Rob Lui gifted a try to David Mead which saw us breath a collective sigh of relief.
The players did too and let Konrad Hurrell score more of less from the restart.
It kept it interesting until Jimmy Maloney walloped a penalty from close to half way which finally put the Yorkshiremen back in their box.
So it's on to St Helens next week and a match we have a better than average record in. So you never know.
A virtually full strength Catalans Dragons side takes on Leeds tomorrow at the HJ Stadium in Warrington.
On paper this will be a good clash but as Sam Williams doesn't play for us anymore (remember him and that game!!) we might need a bit more fortune to get the "W".
Both sides have been up and down this season with consistent performances and results hard to come by.
This could be a cracker or it could be a dud. Expect anything!
The squad
1. David MEAD
3. Samisoni LANGI
4. Israel FOLAU
5. Fouad YAHA
6. James MALONEY
7. Josh DRINKWATER
8. Rémi CASTY
9. Micky McILORUM
10. Sam MOA
11. Matt WHITLEY
12. Joel TOMKINS
13. Benjamin GARCIA
14. Julian BOUSQUET
15. Mickael SIMON
16. Tom DAVIES
19. Mickael GOUDEMAND
21. Paul SEGUIER
24. Jason BAITIERI
25. Arthur MOURGUE
28. Sam KASIANO
29. Sam TOMKINS
