Ultimately they didn’t win anything, but the 2020 season has to be viewed as one of steady improvement for Catalans Dragons. They were well beaten by Saints in the playoff semi-final, but just being involved in a knockout game at the end of the season represents progress.
Like everyone, the French side had to deal with an unprecedented level of goalpost moving as the pandemic hit and the structure was tinkered with. The original plan was that four sides would contest the playoffs at the end of a season reduced to 11 teams after Toronto’s withdrawal. There would be a maximum of 20 games following a five-month Covid interlude. In the event nobody managed to squeeze in more than 19. The curtailment saw clubs on the periphery of the top four manage to persuade the game’s hierarchy to expand the playoffs from four teams to six. Not that Catalans needed that intervention. Their fourth placed finish would have been good enough under the terms of the original plan.
The Dragons made headlines from the very beginning, not all of them positive. The signing of controversial homophobe Israel Folau was met with criticism. And not without justification. Rugby league has an odd way of picking up the trash that other sports have long since put out, and of bracing itself for the flak that follows. Bad publicity is better than no publicity is a phrase that rugby league appears to have adopted as its motto. In the end Folau wasn’t worth the aggro, showing only flashes of his undoubted ability before ending the season being utterly monstered by Jack Welsby in that 48-2 semi-final rout at the hands of the back-to-back champions. As the 2021 season looms large Folau is being heavily linked with the exit although a recently mooted switch to the NRL Dragons of St George-Illawarra fell through. Perhaps Hell awaits him and Adrian Lam will be on the phone in due course.
The Dragons other star recruit for 2020 was James Maloney. The 34 year-old halfback was coming to France on the back of a disappointing season with Penrith Panthers but had still been a prominent figure in New South Wales’ 2019 State Of Origin series victory over Queensland. He was still a genuine NRL star. Expectations were high. Unfortunately for Maloney and the Dragons those expectations far outweighed the quality of the performances. In mitigation there were only 14 opportunities to take the field in all competitions for Maloney as the Covid chaos meant the Dragons completed only 13 regular season games. That is six fewer than Wakefield Trinity managed which gives you some idea of how disjointed the campaign became despite everyone’s best efforts. Cohesion was a challenge for everyone, not least a side with an ageing halfback coming into a new culture with a heavy burden on his shoulders. He will and must aim for better in his second term.
Before Covid brought a halt to proceedings in March the Dragons were travelling fairly well. They had lost their opener 32-12 to Huddersfield Giants but then enjoyed successive wins over Castleford Tigers, Hull FC and Salford Red Devils. Leeds’ Rhinos understandable refusal to travel to France as the infection rate grew sparked the chain of events which lead to a period of almost five months of inactivity. Throughout that time there were constant doubts about if, how and when the season would resume. The Dragons, like the season itself, were not quite the same when it did.
Their return to action was a 34-6 thumping at St Helens. It was a foreshadowing of what would happen in the semi-final and illustrated the gulf which existed between the top two and the rest for much of the journey towards the alternative Grand Final venue of Hull. The Dragons responded to that Saints defeat with thumping wins over Castleford and Wakefield before going down 28-12 to eventual Grand Finalists Wigan and 30-16 to perennial bouquet-catchers Warrington Wolves. Steve McNamara’s side then reeled off three wins in a row but were comprehensively whacked 42-24 by Salford in early November. They had been inactive because of postponements for 24 days at the time of that Salford loss. The season was beginning to unravel but the playoffs offered a fresh start. Win three games on the bounce and you’re champions irrespective of all the ups and downs along the way.
Catalans negotiated the first hurdle when they faced Leeds Rhinos down at Warrington. Folau was among the scorers in a 26-14 win before he disappeared into Welsby’s pocket and the journey ended a week later.
The 2021 season is unlikely to be what we would think of as normal but with a vaccine programme in full swing it is hoped that it will be something closer to what we are used to. The Dragons are likely to face more than a 13-game programme on route to a playoff place this time around. With that in mind some of McNamara’s off season business might be a cause for concern. There seems to be more quality and experience going out than coming in.
Should Folau leave he will not be the most significant departure. David Mead has been a less controversial but more consistent presence in the back line over the last few years although injury meant that he managed only seven appearances in 2020 before agreeing a deal to join Brisbane Broncos for 2021. Up front Mikael Simon has retired while longtime talisman Remy Casty has been released. Both Sam Moa and Antoni Maria have joined FC Lezignan. All of which could leave the front row looking a bit light. Gil Dudson is a useful addition there. Deemed not good enough at Wigan Dudson has had something of a renaissance as part of the Salford Red Devils side that reached the Grand Final in 2019 and the Challenge Cup final last term.
Joining him in France is Mike McMeeken who arrives after six seasons at Castleford during which he made two appearances for England. The former London Bronco was a key figure in the Tigers’ League Leaders Shield-winning campaign of 2017. Like much of Daryl Powell’s side McMeeken had been failing to quite hit those heights over the last couple of seasons and he will hope that a new challenge will give him the impetus to return to the international reckoning. He could form an exciting back row partnership with Matt Whitley while Benjamin Julien and Mickael Goudemand offer solid back up there.
Yet it’s hard not to come back to Maloney in trying to assess whether Catalans will be a genuine contender in 2021. He can be a match-winner if he brings his A-game even at his advancing years. His halfback partnership with Josh Drinkwater will be crucial, with perhaps Samisoni Langi and the much decorated Sam Tomkins slotting in there at times. The Tomkins brothers and hooker Mickey McIlorum may all have seen better days but they have that experience of winning and that know-how that should always make them a threat. If the midfield generals can load the bullets the Dragons have wingers who can finish opponents off in the shape of another ex-Wigan man Tom Davies and the bullocking tearaway presence of Fouad Yaha. Lewis Tierney is among those who won’t be around having agreed a two-year deal with Super League newbies Leigh Centurions.
It’s hard to see the Dragons making the step up to becoming champions and adding a Super League title to the 2018 Challenge Cup on their roll of honour. A playoff place is within reach but it still feels like those traditional Catalans flaws of travel sickness and an over reliance on big names who are slightly past their best will scupper them once more.
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