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NRL Straight Six: Losing coaches in fans’ sights as form fails

Paul McGregor has until 2021 to turn his team around.

Paul McGregor has until 2021 to turn his team around. Photo: Getty

NRL coaches of underperforming teams always get a hard time at this stage of the season and Dragons boss Paul McGregor is no different, with his club set to miss the finals.

The Red V slumped to its 13th loss of this campaign, losing to Parramatta and the fans are getting restless.

During Sunday’s clash against the Eels a number of signs could be seen in the crowd on the hill calling for McGregor’s head, with the signs reading ‘Fail Mary’ and ‘Step Down McGregor’.

He has been in charge of the joint venture since 2014, but his side have only made the semis twice in the past five years.

In April McGregor was handed a contract extension until the end of the 2021 season.

Stand by for more fireworks if the Dragons’ form does not improve.

Cowboys coach shoots from the hip

North Queensland is also having a poor season and slumped to a 12th defeat for the year with a 28-4 loss to the much-improved West Tigers – and coach Paul Green doesn’t think the referees are helping his cause.

The Cowboys conceded five tries and scored just one. But after the game Green took aim, not at his players, but the referees.

“Early there were a couple of decisions that went against us, which I don’t necessarily agree with,” Green said.

“We’ve got to move on from those. You can’t discount it either.

“It makes a huge difference in the context of the game. We had two tries taken off us in the first half, which were questionable in my opinion.

That forward pass and that obstruction, that does eat away at your confidence when you’re close but not quite there yet.”

Blaming the officials was poor form from Green when most observers could again see that it was his side that was not up to scratch.

Veterans call it quits

West Tigers hooker Robbie Farah and St George Illawarra prop Jeremy Latimore have announced they will retire at the end of this season.

Farah has had a marvellous career that has included grand final glory and representation for NSW, Australia and Lebanon.

A sometimes polarising figure, the 35-year-old won a title with the Tigers in 2015, 16 games for the Blues in State of Origin, and eight caps for the Kangaroos.

Robbie Farah (R) of the Tigers has called it quits. Photo: Getty 

Latimore may have not hit the same heights, but remains a popular figure in the NRL and with his teammates.

The journeyman front-rower has had spells with the Eels, Warriors, Dragons, Penrith and Cronulla in his 177-game career.

The Port Macquarie product also represented the Prime Minister’s XIII in 2015.

Kearney’s spray goes viral

New Zealand Warriors coach Stephen Kearney made the headlines with an epic half-time spray shown on television during his team’s 46-12 defeat to Canberra.

The Warriors were behind 30-0 at half-time after a dreadful display and Kearney let rip.

Video of the coach yelling at his players, punching his fist into his hand and kicking a towel became a sensation as he lost the plot for all to see.

Coaches bollocking their players is a rare occurrence these days, but Kearney didn’t hold back in a massive outburst.

New Titans coach named

It’s official, Justin Holbrook has been given the tough task of rebuilding the Gold Coast Titans.

An Australian coach who has impressed in England with St Helens, Holbrook will take over at the Titans for the 2020 season.

The 43-year-old, who had a brief playing career from 1999 to 2002 with Newcastle, Penrith and the Roosters, has a big job on his hands in south-east Queensland.

But after coaching at the lower grades at the Bulldogs, Dragons and Eels, leading the Junior Kangaroos and serving as an assistant to Trent Robinson at the Chooks, as well as starring in Super League, Holbrook has had a decent apprenticeship.

Hopefully he can turn around the ailing Titans.

Ramien released, Knights struggle

Newcastle took the surprising move to release centre Jesse Ramien mid-week, with player power reportedly behind the move.

Ramien’s attitude was believed to be the reason that the Knights dumped the outside back immediately.

Newcastle’s season has from bad to great and back to dire, as it has has lost the past five matches.

Sitting in 11th spot, the Knights need to turn around their faltering season now.

If not, coach Nathan Brown could get the axe.

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