Dragons coach says he’s not panicking
Dragons coach Anthony Griffin has rejected claims he has “lost the plot” or “panicked” after axing marquee centre Zac Lomax alongside two other players, while also confirming chief playmaker and captain Ben Hunt would move to hooker.
In the wake of another turbulent week for the besieged Red-v, Griffin confirmed Jack Bird would take over the goalkicking from Lomax while admitting he is yet to speak to the centre about why he was left out of the Magic Round side to face the Wests Tigers on Sunday.
With the Dragons under an intense spotlight due to the board’s lack of direction surrounding who will coach the club in 2024, Griffin stopped short of firing a broadside at his bosses when asked if he felt like he was being “hung out to dry” by management.
“Obviously there is a lot of speculation, but my job is to be part of a team. The players need you every week. That is what I am concentrating on,’’ Griffin said.
Griffin wouldn’t go public with the reasons why Lomax was dropped, adding that the centre won’t play NSW Cup after being given “a week off to clear his head.’’
“We dropped Zac and Jacob Liddle and (Toby) Couchman,’’ Griffin said.
“For Zac there are some things he needs to work on in his game. I’m not going to publicly talk about that, but for me as a coach that comes down to what I think is best for the team and for Zac long term.
“I just want him to clear his head and have a week off. And then we’ll move forward from there.’’
Asked if it were correct that he had yet to explain to Lomax why he had been axed, Griffin replied: “That’s true — no detailed feedback for that reason (Lomax taking a week off).
“My job as a coach is to care for him, particularly at times like this. For any player who gets dropped, it’s hard.
“I do that with the utmost care on a case-by-case basis.
“I wanted Zac to have a bit of time to process it, and then we will sit down as coach and player and go through it.’’
Griffin couldn’t say when Lomax would be back in the NRL.