Adam's apples; Knights stars convince Mad Dog to return
- Herald. Jul 22, 2006.
THE blessing of old teammates convinced former Knights, NSW and Australian
wrecking ball Adam MacDougall to come home and finish his career in Newcastle.
The 31-year-old South Sydney centre agreed to terms yesterday on a
largely incentive-based one-year contract with the Knights, with an option
for 2008.
MacDougall, who played in Newcastle's winning grand final teams in
1997 and 2001, knocked back a bigger offer from NRL leaders Melbourne to
return to the Knights and try to win another premiership before he retires.
He had hoped to finish this season with English Super League club Hull,
and Souths were prepared to release him from the rest of his contract to
allow that to happen, but the deal fell through late yesterday. Describing
yesterday as one of the happiest days of his life, the colourful, controversial
former international told The Herald he had more to lose by rejoining Newcastle.
But conversations with former teammates such as Andrew Johns and Danny
Buderus, and 2007 coach Brian Smith, persuaded him that signing with the
Knights was the right thing to do. "I miss playing in the big games, and
it's exciting knowing I'm coming back to a club that's going to be involved
in September football," MacDougall said. "My priority was to go to a club
where they had a good coach, a good seven [Johns], nine [Buderus] and one
[fullback Milton Thaiday], and it had to be a club that could win a competition.
"Newcastle, as far as I'm concerned, filled all three criteria, as
did Melbourne, but I've been successful at Newcastle in the past and it
was a great fit when I played there before. "I played good footy, and the
way the players fought to get me back to the club shows just how much I
was respected by my fellow players, and there's no bigger compliment than
that."
Though he would not divulge details, MacDougall said he could have
earned more money by signing with the Storm but "Newcastle is where my
heart is".
"Money was never an issue for me . . . I must admit, I've done pretty
well out of footy, so I can't complain. But Souths was probably enough
to warn me off playing for money," MacDougall said. "I didn't come to Souths
solely for money. I came here to play with my brother [Luke], but money
was obviously a large attraction.
"But no money in the world can buy you the memories and friendships
and the enjoyment of playing in a side with players like Andrew Johns and
Danny Buderus and some of your best mates. "It didn't come down to a money
thing between Melbourne and Newcastle. It came down to an opportunity to
play at one of two great clubs, but what swayed me to a large extent was
that a lot of players spoke to me about coming back."
MacDougall said Johns, Buderus, Steve Simpson and Clint Newton, and
even former Knights teammate Ben Kennedy, were very convincing. "Walking
off the field with BK after we played Manly last week, he said he heard
I was tossing up between Melbourne and Newcastle, and he said, 'If I was
you, I'd go back to Newcastle; it will be great for you'," he said. "Blokes
like Chief [Paul Harragon] and Matty Johns, blokes I've played with, they
were ringing me up and all that made me feel like it was the right thing
to do, even though there were a lot of positives about going to Melbourne,
too. If I didn't have the right intentions I would have gone somewhere
else. It's not like I didn't have anywhere else to go to, but I'm coming
home for the right reasons."
Doogs set to deliver the goods - Herald. Jul 22,
2006.
ADAM Macdougall knows he has his critics and that the only way to answer
them is with his deeds on the field. The problem is, it is his lack of
time on the paddock that has fuelled criticism of him. Since leaving Newcastle
at the end of 2003, injuries and suspensions have contributed to him playing
just 30 games for Souths, and he will not play against the Knights tonight.
He has played a combined 116 games for Newcastle and Souths in the past
10 seasons. " I came back to Newcastle because I wanted to come back -
it wasn't like I had no other opportunities to go anywhere else - but I
suppose the only way to answer any criticism is by the way I play on the
field," MacDougall said. "The easiest option for me would have been to
go to Melbourne or another club, given the fact I won two premierships
and I've got so much good history at the Knights. "But I've chosen to come
back where I know there's a lot of expectation. There's going to be knockers
there, maybe even a couple of people hoping I don't go well, so it's all
building towards a very interesting fi nal chapter for me."
Knights operations manager Stephen Crowe said MacDougalls return would
help offset the loss of Matt Gidley, who has been released to take up a
two-year deal with English club St Helens. "He's had his ups and downs
throughout his career, but no one can deny his ability to have a huge impact
on a rugby league game." he said.
Adam tells of experiencing an Oscar moment; The
Daily Telegraph. Jul 28, 2006.
OUSTED South Sydney winger Adam MacDougall last night said owner Russell
Crowe had pulled him out of training sessions on match eve to give coaching
advice. MacDougall, axed by the club this week because of "cultural" differences
also claimed there were too many egos at the Rabbitohs. "I'm not going
to lie. I've been at ballwork sessions the day before I've played a game,
he's pulled me out of the session," the former Australian Test winger said
on Channel Nine's Footy Show when asked about actor Crowe's role at the
club. And [he's] told me what lines I should be running, how I should be
playing. Everyone can laugh but I respect the guy. He's been very successful
in life and he's passed a lot of valuable information to the players. Sometimes
it has been hard ... it has been distracting."
McDougall said he had made life-long friends during his three years
at the club and hoped they would be successful. "They just need a strong
person in the club who can come in and contain all their egos," he said.
"That's going to be the big thing. Sometimes people have probably had too
much say in areas where they don't have the expertise. [New assistant coach]
Jason Taylor, I believe, can do a good job there but whether or not he's
got enough power to make the decisions on his own, we'll have to wait and
see."
MacDougall again insisted he had the support of the majority of his
teammates -- despite Souths' claims the players wanted him out of the club.
"I don't expect them to go on strike or something -- they've got to do
what's right for themselves," he said. "The players have spoken to me and
rung me and most of them have said how disappointed they are that I'm not
playing with them."
Doogs feels affinity with new Knights coach - Herald.
Jul 29, 2006.
ADAM MacDougall reckons he and incoming Knights coach Brian Smith have
a lot in common. Both have their detractors, but MacDougall said he was
excited about playing under the long-serving former Parramatta, St George
and Illawarra coach. "I spoke to Timana Tahu and other blokes who he coached
at Parramatta, and no one had a bad word to say about him. Everyone gave
him a big rap," MacDougall said. "I was really impressed with the conversation
I had with him. He said all the right things, and I'm very much looking
forward to playing under him because he's a very good coach. I know he's
had his critics, but how can you be critical of a coach that has got his
side into the finals every year?
"He's a bit like me there, I suppose, but the only way you can answer
your critics is what you do every time you step on the field." MacDougall
said he chose the Knights ahead of the Storm so he would not have to introduce
himself to new teammates or re-invent himself as a footballer. "You go
to a new club like Melbourne, the style of football they play doesn't automatically
mean I'm going to be successful there," he said. "At Newcastle, I've been
successful there, so it's not going to take me too long to fit back into
the dynamics of the team. "Sometimes it takes a while to build combinations
with guys or know how they play or understand the style of football the
club plays. "But at Newcastle I was there for eight seasons from juniors
through to seniors and played with most of the blokes for such a long period
of time. "You inherently know their game inside and out and you just know
you're going to slip back into their style of footy."
Main deals done.
MacDougall to sue over $10,000 fine; RUGBY LEAGUE - Sun
Herald. Jul 30, 2006.
ADAM MacDougall is set to sue South Sydney over the $10,000 fine the
club imposed on him last month as the bitter fallout following his departure
from the NRL cellar-dwellers continues. MacDougall was fined after criticising
his team's performance in their 44-4 thrashing by the Tigers in round 12
in May. The Sun-Herald understands the former international has already
had two $1000 sums deducted from his pay packet, although he is yet to
front the Souths board to show cause why he should not be fined, as NRL
protocol allows. MacDougall is due to meet the Souths board this week,
but after his acrimonious split from the club, it remains to be seen whether
he will attend the scheduled meeting. Souths boss Shane Richardson said
yesterday it was still on. "He is appealing against the fine, and we've
given him the option to do that," he said. "But I can't really say any
more because it is a legal matter."
MacDougall confirmed yesterday the matter was in the hands of his lawyers
but was reluctant to discuss the issue. All he would say was: "I don't
feel like I have to defend myself, I have done nothing wrong."
MacDougall has previously said his relationship with the club soured
after the comments and the decision he and his brother Luke made to sign
with Newcastle and the Dragons respectively for next year. Sources close
to MacDougall say he is resigned to having to cop the fine and, as such,
the matter could end up in court.
After the 40-point loss to the Tigers, MacDougall said: "If I knew
it was going to be like that today I would have just turned the oven on
at home to 500 degrees and jumped in it. You don't have to be a rocket
scientist to work out we had some deficiencies around the ruck and that's
where they got us."
The two-time premiership winner was hit with a $10,000 fine that week.
The case may have implications for what players can say about their and
their team's performances. Souths told MacDougall on Tuesday that his services
were no longer wanted this season because of "cultural reasons".
The club will pay out the rest of the $85,000 he is owed. But that
money is unlikely to be paid in full until October, at which time the matter
could come to a head if both parties decide to take a hardline stance.
I can be better this time - MacDougall tells what he has
to offer; The Daily Telegraph. Nov 8, 2006.
ADAM MacDougall's stats over the past five seasons don't make for good
reading. Since winning his second premiership with the Knights in 2001
and starting 2002 as one of the game's premier wingers, MacDougall has
played just 44 games due to bad luck with injury, suspension and this year's
mid-season sacking by South Sydney. It's why some Knights fans and even
a few club officials queried the wisdom of his return to Newcastle after
three largely unproductive seasons with the Rabbitohs. MacDougall acknowledges
those concerns but in typical fashion is talking up the challenge he faces
in re-establishing his career in 2007.
"I had the choice of coming back here or going to Melbourne," he said.
"In the end, I chose here because I've got history here and it's a good
history. It's where I played my best footy and was a special part of my
life and even though the opportunity to play with my brother Luke was why
I went to Souths, I've always missed playing here. "Melbourne might have
been a safer option with less pressure. But I still have a lot of mates
here and I want to finish my career with them on a high note. I honestly
believe I can be a better footballer this time around than I was the last
time I was here."
MacDougall claims he is no bigger injury risk than any other player.
"I've had some bad luck with a couple of major injuries and missed some
games when I was here last," he said. "But I still feel as if I have a
lot to offer. I'm 30 but haven't played as much footy as I should have
so there is not the same wear and tear. I'm feeling good about what I can
still achieve with the players and coach we have here."
Coach Brian Smith doesn't see MacDougall's signing as a gamble. "I've
had three good chats with Doogs about his expectations and mine," Smith
said. "He feels this is where he played his best footy and is pretty comfortable
about being back here. The opportunity is there for him to establish himself
again. We needed someone with experience with not only Matty Gidley going
but also losing Quinny (Anthony Quinn) and (Brian) Carney. Doogs certainly
gives us that. There will be some adjustments to be made by both of us
in relation to how Doogs is managed but we have spoken about that and are
really comfortable with it."
Mad Dog finds his way home after three long years;
Weekend Australian. Dec 23, 2006.
ADAM MacDOUGALL is home again, not in terms of where he was born and
bred, but certainly in terms of his rugby league career. MacDougall made
his first-grade debut with Easts more than a decade ago, but Newcastle,
with its pristine beaches and passion for the Knights, is where it really
began for the former NSW and Australia winger. It was in Newcastle that
MacDougall won two premierships -- in 1997 and 2001. It was while playing
with the Knights that he made his State of Origin and Test debuts. And
it was in Newcastle that MacDougall developed a reputation as one of the
game's most damaging players.
Little wonder he is relishing his return. MacDougall spoke about being
back in Newcastle, playing alongside former team-mates Andrew Johns and
Danny Buderus, coach Brian Smith, and the future. MacDougall is savouring
every moment in Newcastle, even allowing for the baggage that accompanies
playing rugby league in a city where the fishbowl existence has driven
many players, notably halfback Andrew Johns, to distraction. Eventually
it may become tedious, but MacDougall has no complaints. After three seasons
in Sydney, where he played in relative anonymity with Souths save for the
occasional brush with officialdom, he is enjoying the attention. "It's
nice to come back," he said. "It takes you an hour to walk down the street
because everyone wants to come up and wish you the best. You're playing
for the community. In Sydney you might play for Souths and live in the
St George area. You can fly under the radar a bit. I don't think they love
their football as much as they do in Newcastle. One team, one town -- you
tend to forget how special it is when you're in that environment."
Many of his former team-mates remain with the Knights, chief among
them Johns, hooker Buderus and Test forward Steve Simpson. MacDougall speaks
with genuine enthusiasm about training alongside Johns. It has been three
years since he left the Knights for the Rabbitohs, but his admiration for
the No.7 has not diminished. "It's no secret he will go down as one of
the greatest players to have played the game, if not the greatest," MacDougall
said. "Playing in a club and running off people like him and Danny Buderus.
I am privileged to be playing with those guys again."
MacDougall makes it clear he enjoyed his time with Souths, even allowing
for the disappointing way things finished. The Rabbitohs gave MacDougall
his marching orders in July -- before the end of the season and after he
had signed with Newcastle for 2007 -- claiming he didn't fit in with the
changes to the culture of the club. His season up to that point had been
mixed, his form good enough to warrant a Country Origin call-up but his
year blighted by a one-game suspension and fine for criticising his team-
mates following a heavy loss to Wests Tigers. MacDougall prefers to reflect
on the positives, most notably the opportunity to play alongside his brother,
Luke. "To be honest with you I probably had some of the best years of my
life in Sydney," he said. "The opportunity to play with my brother was
something I will never forget. It was awesome. The only time I didn't enjoy
my footy was when I was off the field not playing. The way we parted, that
was out of my hands.
I have no regrets or bad memories of my time at Souths. I had a great
time there, it was good fun."
He has already studied next year's draw to establish when Newcastle
meets St George Illawarra, Luke's new side.
"The game I have pencilled in is round two," MacDougall said. He is
also looking forward to playing under coach Smith, whose appointment to
replace Michael Hagan, who left for Parramatta, prompted diverse reactions.
There were those who questioned Smith's ability to take a side to a premiership,
claiming his intensity can have a negative effect on the players. Then
there are those who regard him as a coach with an eye for detail and an
analytical mind, a man who lives and breathes the game. MacDougall hails
his appointment as a masterstroke. "As I said the other day to a few of
the other blokes, it's been refreshing," he said.
"I have loved every training session. I have been turning up really
excited and enthusiastic. I have achieved nearly everything you can, but
I still think I have a lot to learn. "He's got a lot of experience as a
coach, a lot more than I have. Every training session you have a footy
in your hands. My biggest thing in rugby league is I always make my own
opinion of people. There's a lot of false truths out there. I can see from
the way he operates why he's been successful. He's a real footy coach."
The other new face -- to MacDougall anyway -- is Jarrod Mullen. The
19-year-old will enter his third year of first grade with massive wraps,
and MacDougall thinks they are well-deserved. Mullen is expected to start
the season at five-eighth, forcing Kurt Gidley to the centres. "I sat back
last season when I was tossing up going to Newcastle or Melbourne -- he
was the one who grabbed my eye," MacDougall said. "Joey (Johns) is coming
to the end of his career and they have a kid who's starting his career.
I think he's going to be a player to watch this year."
MacDougall believes Mullen has benefited from developing under Johns'
expert tutelage. "He's pretty lucky to have someone like Joey to help him
along," MacDougall said. "I think most halves would give their right arm
to have Andrew Johns working with them every day."
MacDougall has an option in his contract with the Knights for 2008
and at this stage he plans to continue beyond next season. The return to
Newcastle has recharged his batteries and refreshed him mentally, reaffirming
his desire to compete at the highest level. "I think the first thing you
lose is the desire," the 31-year- old winger said. "Look at Damien Martyn
and Ian Thorpe, they have lost that desire. The big thing for me is it
has been a long time since I have got to December and looked forward to
training."
It is not just on the field where MacDougall believes he has plenty
to offer, he feels his experience can be a positive for the Knights. "The
game is geared towards the younger guys. I think experience is very much
a rare commodity," he said. There are those who believe the NRL has seen
the best of Johns. Adam MacDougall, however, is not one of them. MacDougall
maintains Johns' age -- he is 33 in May -- and recent injury woes won't
inhibit him becoming an even better player next season. MacDougall's prediction
will be a source of optimism to Newcastle supporters and concern to the
Knights opposition. "The greatest thing about Andrew Johns isn't his legs,
it's what's between his ears," MacDougall said. "I think with some players,
if they rely on physical attributes, once they wane, so does their career.
I think the more football he plays the smarter and better he's going to
get. The reality is he's a freak because he loves football so much."
MacDougall also downplayed suggestions that next year may be Johns'
last with the Knights. Johns has a contract until the end of 2008 but there
has been speculation the Knights halfback will either retire at the end
of next season or leave the NRL to play with English Super League club
Warrington. MacDougall doesn't believe age will play a role in Johns' decision
and his love for the game will result in him continuing beyond 2007. "I
don't think age is really going to be a factor in his career," he said.
"I have grown to love football more as I get older. I really want to squeeze
out everything and enjoy it. "He genuinely loves football. I don't see
Andrew Johns not playing after next year."
MacDougall the mentor - February 04, 2007
ADAM MacDougall has emerged as a mentor at Newcastle just seven months
after being sacked by Souths for having a ``negative'' impact on his team-mates.
After being discarded by the Rabbitohs last year, MacDougall has linked
with the Knights and is working with the coaching staff, including head
coach Brian Smith.
"There's a culture up here of helping guide the younger guys that stems
back from blokes like Paul Harragon, Matthew Johns, Robbie O'Davis and
Tony Butterfield,'' MacDougall said. "I'm just trying to do the same for
a lot of these younger guys. They don't need to be told a lot, but if there
is something they need help with, you do that. If I notice something and
I can help out, then Brian (Smith) wants me to do so. There's a policy
up here with Brian that if I have something to contribute to a team-mate
or can make someone else better in the side, I'm able to do that. Brian's
very smart and has a great understanding on what it takes to be a successful
football club, so it's refreshing when someone with such knowledge on the
game allows you to be vocal.''
Smith put it bluntly when asked why he valued MacDougall's input. "He's
not a kid, he's an experienced player,'' Smith said. Slammed for his outspoken
views, MacDougall was sacked by Souths chief executive Shane Richardson
six weeks before the end of last season. The last-placed Rabbitohs paid
MacDougall $85,000 to sit on the sidelines after Richardson claimed the
star centre did not fit in with the club's new culture. Part-owner Russell
Crowe supported the release, claiming MacDougall had proven a ``negative''
influence on his team-mates. MacDougall, 31, said this week he was "over''
last season and was now heavily involved in continuing the Knights' proud
history. Smith, who had never previously coached MacDougall, said his presence
was a coup for the club.
"Over the years I've coached lots and lots of different players,''
Smith said. "Some do as they're told and don't ask questions, so I enjoy
coaching players like Adam who know a bit about themselves and what works
best for them. A lot of the time as coaches we think we know best. But,
for me, I feel when you can recognise blokes who have got a fair bit of
knowledge and they have some science behind them, it pays a lot to listen
to them. It's an extremely useful resource for us that Adam is one of the
blokes who likes to think about things and can pass it on to others.''
Smith said MacDougall had the ability to fill an official coaching
position in the future. "I could see him definitely having a role in strength
and conditioning coaching, if he was interested,'' Smith said. MacDougall
spoke passionately about taking his game to new heights with his return
to the Knights this season.
"Personally, I'm just so excited about being back at Newcastle. It's
a move I know can reap dividends, especially under Brian, who I rate highly,''
MacDougall said.
"My main focus is to win a grand final and I think we've got the team
to do it.''
MacDougall failed to reveal if he would be used exclusively as a centre
this year. |