Fans turn on Paul McGregor as Dragons set embarrassing club record
Dragons fans are officially fed up with coach Paul McGregor.
Even before Sunday’s dismal 12-4 loss to Parramatta at Kogarah - their fifth in a row - fans were displaying banners reading ‘Fail Mary’ and ‘Step Down McGregor’ on the hill.
It evoked memories of the ‘Oust Doust’ sign that used to frequent Dragons home games, calling for former CEO Peter Doust’s head.
And unfortunately for McGregor it didn’t get any better once the game started.
While the Eels cemented sixth spot to all but confirm they'll play finals football this year, the pressure continues to mount on the Dragons who slumped to a 6-13 record for the year.
It equalled the club's record for least wins in a season through 19 rounds, set in 2013, and killed off whatever small hope they had of making the finals.
The Eels built up a 10-0 halftime lead thanks to tries to Maika Sivo and Dylan Brown and it proved too much for the home side.
It is the Dragons' fifth defeat in a row and they have lost 11 of their past 13 to be in 14th despite their star-studded roster.
The home side clawed back into the match when Gareth Widdop flew high to knock back the ball and Mikaele Ravalawa - an 11th-hour call-up for Zac Lomax (hamstring) - crossed in the corner to make it 10-4 seven minutes after halftime.
But the Eels held on despite not scoring a try in the second half.
McGregor: ‘Everyone wants to attack you’
"It's been tough. Today puts away any thought of playing finals regardless of the results," McGregor said.
"I'm not going to hide the fact that when you're not winning games of footy, everyone wants to know why and the reasons behind it.
“Everyone wants to come at you and attack you.
"As a coach, you just have to make sure you're comfortable being uncomfortable."
At one point, the Dragons had four sets of six attacking the Eels' line but Michael Jennings took an intercept to get his team out of trouble.
Despite having 31 tackles in the Eels' red zone - compared to Parramatta's 22 - the Dragons could manage just one try for the afternoon.
with AAP