Gwent Dragons 2013/14 thread

[Guest]

First topic message reminder :

A place for general Dragons chat, etc.

After renewing my season ticket recently, and with Lyn Jones being unveiled as the new DoR (yeah I know, some people thinks he's gash, but whatever), plus the training facilities at Ystrad Mynach, I feel a bit of a buzz and optimism around the Dragons. Saying that I do generally get a feeling of optimism pre season every year which usually goes by about mid October!

Just watched the Wales U20's get to the final of the Jnr World Championships and a couple of lads looked really good - Jack Dixon a rock in midfield, Hallam Amos an elusive runner at FB/wing and Ieuan Jones looking like a very good prospect at 8. Will be good to see how the go next season for the Dragons. I think their regional appearances have certainly helped them in this Jnr cup in terms of experience. Looking forward to seeing them play with the likes of Faletau, Coombes, Talei, T Rhys Thomas, etc. next season.

Anyone want to make a stab at our strongest matchday 15/23 for next season? Will have a stab myself after a bit of thought.

[Cardiff Dave]

The blues have only signed paulo, jenkins and rees but it would be better if we played them whilst the six nations is on so they dont have halfpenny cuthbert etc but even if blues and dragons had there full teams out i think we have a very good chance of beating them. Plus they will probably be looking to sign a 10 cause they only have patchell i heard hook maybe going there

Both sides at full strength is best.

[Luckless Pedestrian]

That's a point, does anyone know when the fixture list is announced for next season?

[dragon4life]

Who have we got pre season? I know one is Bath

[Luckless Pedestrian]

That's the only home friendly we've got. I don't know about any away ones.

[dragon4life]

I heard one might be Agen away not sure

[munkian]

I heard is Agen. Bath should be good, go a mate whose a Bath fan, will show him the delights of the port

I'm optimistic too, worring...

[dragon4life]

I hope montella comes and maybe an experienced centre then i think we could be very competative

[Coleman]

Be really good if you played the Gwent Select XV again. I'd like it if we played Ponty every year as a warm up.

[dragon4life]

How many season tickets have been sold?

[Luckless Pedestrian]

Be really good if you played the Gwent Select XV again. I'd like it if we played Ponty every year as a warm up.

I can't decide whether Ponty would a) jump at the chance of putting one over the Blues, or b) turn down the fixture point blank. My guess is the latter, even though they'd actually love to have a go at them.

[dragon4life]

I would like to see us play Gwent XV at pandy park or up ponty

[GavinDragon]

the blues did play ponty in a pre season friendly the season before last at Sardis, with the Blues coming out 40 odd to something and i remember a certain A Cuthbert being on the team sheet for the first time (or the first time i saw him) must say although i thought he looked big i didnt think hed be in the lions squad 2 years later!

[Luckless Pedestrian]

I thought Cuthbert was rubbish the first few times I saw him. Quick in a straight line, but poor overall. In fairness to him, he was relatively new to the game (he's still relatively new to it) and although he's still not great defensively, he knows where the tryline is.

[dragon4life]

I think we need 1 or 2 more fixtures for pre-season and they need to be challenging tosee how good we are e.g exeter and perpingan

[Guest]

Apparantly we are playing Gwent XV at Pandy, but then I suspect we might have heard about that by now. Be nice to have the Agen one announced too, so people can plan trips.

[dragon4life]

They should announce the pre season matches soon because they ve only announced Bath

[dragon4life]

Players to watch next season?

[dragon4life]

Sonny Parker to us?

[GavinDragon]

I hope not

[Luckless Pedestrian]

I'd be underwhelmed if we signed Sonny Parker.

[dragon999]

me too!!

[dragon4life]

New pitch looks good

[Guest]

Any ideas what they've done to it exactly? Don't think they went for under soil heating so it may just be drainage improvements???

[dragon999]

no undersoil heating, new drainage, sprinkler system & levelling - premiership football quality apparently,same company that do Aston Villa pitch have done it.

[Luckless Pedestrian]

no undersoil heating, new drainage, sprinkler system & levelling - premiership football quality apparently,same company that do Aston Villa pitch have done it.

That worries me a bit. I don't know if Premiership football pitches would be able to cope with two rugby teams playing on them as well. And in any case, the priority has to be that it's a good surface for playing rugby - the football should be secondary.

[Guest]

Isn't there some silly rule by the FA that all sides in the football league HAVE to have 'primacy of tenure'. Although it's rugby owned and run, could the FA have insisted on this to allow County to play at RP? If so, maybe the priority has become the football side which would be daft (because it is a rugby ground first and foremost) but understandable. Maybe the football brings in a good wage for RP?

I also heard that the pitch was done through an FA grant. If this is the case then the rugby side of things is getting a freebie so maybe just have to put up with it?

[Luckless Pedestrian]

Hopefully they've factored in the fact that the Dragons and Newport RFC will be playing on it too. If they haven't, it'll be a mess for the football, never mind for the rugby.

[ScarletSpiderman]

Isn't there some silly rule by the FA that all sides in the football league HAVE to have 'primacy of tenure'.  Although it's rugby owned and run, could the FA have insisted on this to allow County to play at RP?  If so, maybe the priority has become the football side which would be daft (because it is a rugby ground first and foremost) but understandable.  Maybe the football brings in a good wage for RP?  

I also heard that the pitch was done through an FA grant.  If this is the case then the rugby side of things is getting a freebie so maybe just have to put up with it?

All Premiership sides have to, but not lower down, and also should County ever reach those hights it shouldn't effec the Dragons, as existing deals are not an issue (hence Ospreys not being evicted, yet).

[Guest]

Ah OK, cheers SS. Thought it was lower down too - there were definitely rumblings about it affecting County and the Drags pre move in, but maybe it people got the wrong end of the stick.

[ScarletSpiderman]

Griff, I may be wrong but I am pretty sure that it was just the prem it effected like that. Although I am sure there will be other issues that will be caused by having a league football team playing in the same stadium.

[Guest]

Thinking about it SS I think we're talking about different things - I think you're referring to sole occupancy which has been mooted as a requirement of premier league football, unless you were sharing promotion (like Swansea and Cardiff, but as flaunted by Reading, etc).

Primacy of tenure is where the football club gets first say in stuff such as fixtures over those it's sharing with, gets the other teams to move fixtures if need be, gets first dibs on changes, etc. This is one of the stipulations of the football league I think. I was suggesting that if this is in force at RP then maybe the football rules stipulated that they have a playing surface for football, rather than us having one suitable for rugby first and foremost - i.e. the football takes precedence?

[ScarletSpiderman]

Yeah I think you may be right, which would be bizzare to say the least with the Dragons being the more likely to be televised etc.

[doctornickolas]

So will Newport rfc be charging the football team a bigger rent now they have been promoted. I hope they didn't do a silly long term deal and not factor that in. The football team may end up better off than the owners of the ground.

[GavinDragon]

as a county fan i can confirm that they (county) do have primacy, although tbh with the way our (dragons) fixtures have been bounced around in the last few seasons i dont see this as a problem, especially when you consider the rent that Rodney Parade Ltd will be earning from them and the use of the hazell stand for commercial purposes, i dont think it is a coincidence that following one year of newport county occupancy we are starting to splash some cash....

[GavinDragon]

as a county fan i can confirm that they (county) do have primacy, although tbh with the way our (dragons) fixtures have been bounced around in the last few seasons i dont see this as a problem, especially when you consider the rent that Rodney Parade Ltd will be earning from them and the use of the hazell stand for commercial purposes, i dont think it is a coincidence that following one year of newport county occupancy we are starting to splash some cash....

[GavinDragon]

and the pitch was part funded by an FA grant

[dragon4life]

Ian Gough?

[dragon4life]

According to someone on dragged up we have signed sonny parker

[dragon999]

According to someone on dragged up we have signed sonny parker

The same person also said we've signed Gareth Delve which you didn't mention - pinch (large) of salt needed - sincerely hope we haven't signed Parker

[dragon4life]

Me to dragon999 he would be a waste of money

[dragon4life]

seems like we didn't get franck montallea

[Luckless Pedestrian]

2013/14 kit unveiled on the 31st - any thoughts / hopes?

[Guest]

My favourite kit was the 'Rastafarian' kit, circa 2004? The top had mainly white with black sleeves and yellow, red and green stripes across the front and down the the sleeves (to represent the early feeder clubs of Newport, Pontypridd and Ebbw Vale I suppose).

Loved those colours, bought a top and still wear it to the gym. Why we changed I don't know? Haven't really liked the black ones of late, especially not the one with a dragons tale on the back and scales - looks like fancy dress! White one was OK.

[ScarletSpiderman]

It would be interesting to see what the away shirt is like. I know that sounds daft, but the home colours tend to be more or less set in stone, it will be Black, maybe with some added colour. But the away shirt is where the management can pretty much pick what they want, and then justify it how they see fit. I think a Green away shirt with red and whipe piping might be cool.

[Luckless Pedestrian]

I liked that one too, Griff. A mainly if not all-black shirt doesn't really mean anything and it isn't distinctive either. At first glance, the only difference between last year's shirt and the Ospreys' one is that ours had a c0ck on the front*.

* Whereas theirs had a c0ck wearing it.

[Guest]

 

Made me laugh that, Luckless!

[Guest]

This is the top I was on about, as modeled by the legend that is...... Craig Warlow!  Good kit, different from the rest, colours were not favouring anyone in  particular but did represent the feeder teams at the time.

Spoiler:

[dragon4life]

Ive seen the new kit design black and blue, black on the left and its a dark blue on the right

[Guest]

Really Dragon? Are you pulling our legs?! Cardiff colours - surely not???

[dragon4life]

Its true im afraid

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