Coach's savage move after 'diabolical' Dragons flop

After a performance branded "diabolical" by Andrew Johns, stand-in St George Illawarra head coach Ryan Carr delivered his first spray in the role.

The Dragons' interim answer to the axing of Anthony Griffin pointed to the door as he led a review of the club's 48-18 thrashing at the hands of the Warriors last Friday night.

Anyone not on board should use the door, Carr told his troops.

READ MORE: Players on edge after 'confronting' pitch protest

READ MORE: English great torches 'shambolic' bowling efforts

READ MORE: Every wicket from Australia v England second Test

"That's what I believe in, that's the way I coach," Carr said in an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald.

"It was nothing new from me to them; I'm honest with them. They know that. There's real clarity about what our standards are and what our accountability is towards our job. We didn't meet that.

"I was just calling out what is what. It's not about reacting and going over the top and going outside of what we believe in.

"I'm not a big ranter and raver — gone are the days of that.

"I was a bit disappointed in letting our standards go and putting out something we weren't proud of.

"It's about being honest.

"I take the good with the good, the bad with the bad. I'm never really high or really low, it is what it is."

The Dragons' showing against the Warriors was a reflection of their shambolic season off the field.

Griffin was sacked after round 11, Jason Ryles rejected the Dragons after appearing certain to take the vacant coaching job, and the tension that's long divided the board at the joint venture has spiked dramatically.

Joey believes DCE's future holds key to Brooks move: Freddy & the Eighth - EP17

The club has also been rocked by skipper and champion halfback Ben Hunt, who requested a release with two-and-a-half years remaining on his contract. The Dragons stood firm, rejecting Hunt's request.

The Queensland State of Origin playmaker will remain captain despite no longer wanting to don the famous Red V.

Stream the NRL premiership 2023 live and free on 9Now

"The Dragons last week against the Warriors — after a while they just turned their toes up," Johns said on Wide World of Sports' Freddy and The Eighth.

"Some of the missed tackles last week were diabolical."

The eighth Immortal also described the Dragons' season as a "soap opera".

"The whole mood around Ben Hunt's huge," Brad Fittler added.

"I think going in last week if you're a player all you're thinking about is, 'Well, he doesn't want to be here'. There was a lot of paper talk about him not wanting to be there. I think it's obvious he wants to be somewhere else next year."

Shane Flanagan will take over from Carr on a three-year deal from 2024.

St George Illawarra will meet Cronulla at Shark Park on Thursday night, as Beanie for Brain Cancer Round

For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply