League Record
Regular Season:
Played: 23 Won: 13 Draw: 0 Lost: 10 For: 593 Against: 505 Points: 26
Super 8s
Played: 7 Won: 2 Draw: 0 Lost: 5 For: 130 Against: 211 Points: 4
League Position
After the regular season: 5th
After Super 8s: 6th
Player of the Year
Julian Bousquet
Bousquet was one of the players who went under the radar for the Dragons this season making thirty Super League appearances. With huge signings of Mason, Taylor and Stewart in the forwards, it allowed him to run at the opposition without any expectations. He’s cleaned up his act slightly but is still an aggressive tackler.
Season Summary
Injuries played a huge part of the Dragons’ 2016 season. They started off their campaign well but when the injuries hit mid-season, they were unable to recover. Losing to Hull FC in the Challenge Cup seemed to be the turning point to their season. They lacked consistency in the halves with Carney and Myler playing few games together and the big name forwards didn’t always perform to their NRL standards.
Talking Points
The 10-year anniversary
Can you believe it’s been ten years since Catalans joined Super League? It’s incredible to see how far they’ve come. Yes, they still have a lot of work to do but they have created a strong fan base and an academy set-up that matches their Super League counterparts. Having every home game on both British and French TV has helped to build their profile and now they definitely are an asset to Super League.
Broughton finally finds a home
Jodie Broughton has always been one of those players whose never quite been able to reach his potential. With Pat Richards retiring during the season, it was the perfect chance for him to seize the opportunity on the wing and he took it, scoring an impressive 19 tries in 26 Super League appearances.
NRL stars vs homegrown talent
Previously, Catalan have featured more French players in the starting line-up than foreigners but with their huge NRL signings, this number started to diminish. Getting the balance has been difficult for the Dragons in 2016 and will continue to be in 2017 with the addition of Greg Bird, Sam Moa and Luke Walsh.
2017 Ins and Outs
INS
Greg Bird, Luke Burgess, Ben Garcia, Sam Moa, Mickael Simon, Iain Thornley, Luke Walsh, Brayden Wiliame
Outs
Morgan Escare, Antoni Maria, Willie Mason, Gregory Mounis, Romain Navarrete, Eloi Pelissier, Pat Richards, Glenn Stewart
