HARD-NOSED Dragons forward Mike Cooper has launched a passionate defence of his side as criticism of their on and off-field performance intensifies this week.
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Three straight losses and a dismal for and against (-158) has put the Dragons at risk of missing the finals for the fourth time in five seasons prompting frustration from fans.
Cooper has been one of the club’s most consistent performers since arriving in Wollongong prior to the 2014 season and said the heavy criticism, that has intensified this week, is over the top.
“What I’ve learned being part of this club is that you’re under a lot of pressure. Coming from the UK this is a different kettle of fish completely,” Cooper said.
“There’s a lot of teams below us in the league who aren’t getting anywhere near this heat. It’s a shame really where we’ve got a sport that everyone seems to love but are very very quick to shine the light on the negative side of things.
“There’s a lot of players here that do a lot of work for charity and do a lot of things for other people that doesn’t get mentioned. There’s so many negatives which is a shame.
“Obviously we’re a proud club and all the people involved in this club are putting in as much effort as possible to go forward. If people are questioning the effort or the desire for us to win, from the top down the kit man, is absolutely ridiculous.
“The people who are saying that don’t know sport. That’s the disappointing thing that some people think people aren’t putting that effort in when we’re probably over-trying.”