Shocking mistake by St George Illawarra Dragons bosses made players ‘give up’ on the NRL club
‘Dirty’ St George players ‘give up’ on club after top brass made huge mistake before coach Anthony Griffin’s sacking
- Dragons players said they were ‘nasty’ in club management
- Follows no-show at feature for big player Ben Hunt
- CEO Ryan Webb and Chairman Andrew Lancaster did not act
- Hunt scored 300 NRL appearances last Saturday
- Dragons fired head coach Anthony Griffin on Tuesday
Even before Anthony Griffin was sacked after a board meeting on Tuesday, a number of St George Illawarra players had reportedly ‘given up’ the club due to poor leadership.
Six consecutive defeats sealed the head coach’s fate – but it can now be revealed that many of the Red V’s stars were already ‘nasty’ after a number of prominent club officials failed to attend an event celebrating Ben Hunt’s 300th game in the NRL last week .
The team was on the Gold Coast preparing for their post-Magic Round game with the Cowboys – and was in disbelief after Dragons CEO Ryan Webb and Chairman Andrew Lancaster failed to show up for the event at the Royal Pines resort.
In addition, no members of the Dragons board bothered to fly or drive from Sydney to personally toast Hunt’s career milestone.
Brisbane coach Kevin Walters, on the other hand, attended the function with some Broncos players who are close to Hunt after his time at Red Hill between 2009 and 2017.
Another example of poor leadership, Dragons chief executive Ryan Webb and chairman Andrew Lancaster failed to show up to a function on the Gold Coast last week to celebrate Ben Hunt’s 300 career games in the NRL.
The playing group was in disbelief at the club management’s lack of respect for Hunt (photo, utility Jayden Sullivan)
Dragons players pose for a team photo to acknowledge Ben Hunt’s 300 games in the NRL
“You know the respect the Ben Hunt has not only at the club, but in the game,” veteran News Corp journalist Phil Rothfield said on NRL360.
‘I find it horrible. There’s no excuse [for Dragons board members to skip the function].
“I heard from one of the players that they were filthy that no official attended that function. They were filthy.’
The playing group is also said to be baffled by the lack of clarity regarding Griffin’s coaching future.
The saga dragged on relentlessly for six weeks, before ‘Hook’ was finally sacked on Tuesday as the club languished in 16th place on the NRL ladder with just two wins this season.
And following a number of incidents on and off the field, questions have also been raised about the club culture at the Dragons.
In December, Talatau Amone and Zac Lomax were involved in a brawl on the training ground during a three-day camp in Mollymook, on the NSW south coast.
The pair had to be separated after Amone was pushed off target by Lomax, leading to a melee.
Center Zac Lomax was involved in a fight on the training field with teammate Talatau Amone late last year
Dragon striker Jack de Belin told reporters he felt ‘sad’ after Griffin was moved by the club
A month later, Amone was withdrawn by the Dragons after the club pushed through its no-fault notice following his alleged hammer attack on a trader before finally being cleared by the NRL in March.
In February, Mikaele Ravalawa and Zane Musgrove reportedly had to be separated after a ‘heated argument’ sparked by alcohol outside the team’s hotel in Mudgee at 6am following a Charity Shield loss to the Rabbitohs.
The Dragons are ranked 16th on the NRL ladder and are true wooden spoon contenders.
On Friday, they tackle the Roosters at Kogarah in southern Sydney in a must-win game.