Where has the Jamie Coward Fanclub gone?

[Guest]

That's true, but he just hasn't looked the same this year without his partner in crime Archer.....the Dragons have missed him badly this season.

+ 1

[Guest]

http://www.foxsports.com.au/league/n...-1226115715571

Jamie Soward's immediate future in the St George Illawarra team is hanging by a thread - and there is a genuine chance the NSW five-eighth will be dumped ahead of Friday night's crucial showdown with Melbourne Storm.

Talked up by King Wally Lewis as the player who should claim Darren Lockyer's No.6 Kangaroos jumper before Origin III this year, Soward's form has plummeted to the point where he is basically a liability to his club side.

The St George Illawarra playmaker performed like a passenger against Sydney Roosters on Sunday and was clearly hampered by a back injury - despite assuring coach Wayne Bennett that he was fit to play.

Bennett pulled no punches in his post-match comments when he basically said Soward needed to take ownership of his poor performance and not use injury as an excuse.

False promises won't be tolerated again when Bennett talks to him ahead of naming his team this afternoon.

So the question is: what sort of assurances can Soward give the coach to convince him he won't let the team down again in a blockbuster the Dragons simply cannot afford to lose?

Some disturbing statistics prove Soward's impact on games since State of Origin this year have nose-dived.

Fox Sports Stats show that since round 12, Soward's line breaks, tackle busts and try assists have more than halved as the misfiring Dragons tumbled from the top of the NRL table to seven losses and just three wins during that same period.

If they lose this weekend, the Dragons are likely to drop to as low as seventh on the ladder behind the Warriors and the Tigers, who should win their respective games against Penrith and Parramatta.

Soward isn't the only Dragons player whose form has disappeared since State of Origin. But because of his crucial position, his efforts have had a dramatic impact on the team's success.

The statistics don't lie.

And after injuring his back in the loss to Wests Tigers - where he put his hand up to be replaced, only to be told to tough it out - Soward hit rock bottom against the Roosters.

Astonishingly, on Sunday he made only three runs for 24m, only eight kicks for 256m, missed two tackles (one led to a try), threw an intercept pass and refused to take a bomb.

Put simply, he was awful.

"He was asked on a number of occasions whether he was fit to play," Bennett said after Sunday's loss.

"He did a full training session with us (on Saturday). He said he was right to play. There was no pressure from the club for him to play, so you've got to assume he was fit."

Given the Dragons are on a four-game losing streak and facing the toughest road trip in the NRL, Bennett can't afford to gamble on him again.

If Soward is stood down, it is most likely Nathan Fien will shift to five-eighth. But Kyle Stanley, who played in the centres on the weekend, is an option at No. 6 with Gasnier's likely return. If Fien is moved, Mitch Rein would come back in at hooker.

But the other concern is what lasting effect dumping Soward would have on his confidence in the countdown to the finals.

While he doesn't deserve to be in first grade on form, without him firing come finals time the Dragons would have little hope of winning back-to-back titles.

[Chook Norris]

watch tonights game guys.. having a belter he is

not

[me_wantee]

Getting belted more like. WWE style

[ROC181]

He's there, we're here!