Off-contract Dragons prop Aaron Woods admits the pressure is on him and his young St George Illawarra teammates to deliver as they bid to return to the finals in 2023.
The Dragons missed the finals in Woods’ first season in the Red V, making it two years under Anthony Griffin without September footy.
Woods believes the Dragons can’t afford to let opportunities slip in such a close competition if they want to return the proud club to where it belongs.
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“There is a little bit of pressure on us now obviously,” Woods said.
“Where we finished last year is disappointing, but in previous years those points have got you in the top eight.
“It just shows you how the good sides are always getting better and we need to be better as well.
“We had a couple of missed opportunities throughout the year. We lost two games by golden point against the Titans and another one with the Broncos, so we win those and we pretty much make the eight.
“We have got to be better. We can’t let those opportunities slip and they make you pay at the end of the season.”
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Woods believes the time for developing youngsters and building for the future has passed and the onus is on every member of the team to be professional and start producing consistent performances.
“I think it is just about consistency,” Woods said.
“We have got some really good players who have been good for the last few years, but they are first graders now.
“We can’t just say they have got ability. They have got to come out and do it.
“They are first graders now. They are not just kids that are happy to be there. They have got to own that jersey and we want them to dominate games for long periods, not just show us glimpses of what they have got.
“We want them to come out and dictate games and control them for us.”
Woods is entering the final year of his deal at the Dragons and at 31 he is coming to the end of his career, however he feels he can play on for another two seasons beyond 2023.
“I don’t know, I just want to see how I go,” Woods said of a potential retirement date.
“I have been enjoying it the last couple of years. I think I have been off-contract the last two or three years.
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“So as long as I am enjoying it I will keep going. I do a little bit of media work with Triple M and get to call some footy. I would love to do that when I retire.
“But I think I have still got a couple of years left in the legs. But if I get to training and think what am I doing here? And I’m not enjoying it, that will be the time I will hang the boots up.”
Despite links to a return to the Tigers, Woods wants to finish his career at the Dragons and knows that only winning will take the pressure off him and his teammates to ensure their futures at the club.
“100 per cent, I would like to finish my career at the Dragons,” Woods said.
“You don’t want to keep swapping and changing. I have really enjoyed my time here.
“But for us we just need to win. There has been a lot of negative talk about us in the off-season and if we can start off well people will get off our backs and we can enjoy the year.”
The Dragons were in the headlines this week due to a fiery exchange between Zac Lomax and Talatua Amone at training, but Woods sees that fire as a positive for the hungry Dragons squad.
“We got in a little bit of a push and shove last week and it just shows that it means a lot to the boys,” Woods said.
“They are competing really hard every day and that’s what we want.
“We don’t just want to come to training and go through the motions and rock up Round 1 and think it is just going to happen
“We need to be working our backsides off from the get go.”
The Dragons have been an easy target in recent times due to some off-field distractions and their poor performances on it, but Woods has been buoyed by the squad coming together and being united with a common goal.
“In the off-season they (media) are always going to bring up things, but as a group we have had a pretty tough pre-season so far,” Woods said.
“We had a good week down in Ulladulla and we got to bond a little bit and get to know about other players.
“Some boys told a couple of stories and you learn things about blokes that you didn’t know. That extra bit of bonding does help.
“A lot of people are questioning us. Are we a tight-knit group? Obviously it is hard with half our team down in Wollongong and the other half in Sydney, so for us when we are around each other we make the most of it.”
Woods is excited to see the Dragons’ younger brigade step up and reach their potential in 2023 and believes they can be the catalyst for returning the club to the finals.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing young Junior Amone,” Woods said.
“He has had two season now. He has had a really good period with Tonga.
“And even blokes like Jayden Sullivan to push the likes of Ben Hunt and he plays that utility role as well.
“They have been in and around the system for a long period now.
“It is not unusual for them to come into the team, so they need to come in and put a stamp on their spot.”
Another player that has impressed Woods is fiery forward Jack Bird, who has his eyes on a return to the Origin arena in 2023.
“I think he will probably play lock,” Woods said of Bird’s role for the Dragons in 2023.
“He has done most of the pre-season there, but if we do lose a couple of injuries he is one of those guys that can fill in anywhere.
“He can play back row. He can play centre. He can play five-eighth and halfback. I think he has played a bit of fullback as well.
“But I know he has trained at lock and I think he wants to stamp his authority on that No.13 jersey and he has spoken about trying to get back in the Blues side.
“He is one of the guys that has really impressed coming back from pre-season. He hasn’t missed a beat at all.”
Also helping the Dragons quest to return to the finals is new recruit and former Dragons hooker Jacob Liddle, who has impressed Woods since his arrival at the Red V.
“Liddle is a good pick-up for us because we have lost (Andrew) McCullough who was one of our senior players,” Woods said.
“I got to play with Liddle at the Tigers. He is a real good young kid.
“We have got to get the best out of him because he is one of those kids that needs a little bit of confidence at times.
“Sometime he doesn’t back himself, but if we can get out there and give him complete and utter faith in the team and the systems that we have got, I think he is really going to add a lot.
“There is competition for the No.9 spot at the moment. Moses Mbye can fill in there too.
“Liddle is one of those guys if he gets an opportunity, he is one of the quickest at the club so if you get a quick ruck you just have to go and defensively he has been really good.”
