Catalans Dragons’ extended pre-season has been something of a blessing in disguise, says Steve McNamara as he prepares his side for the start of the Super League season.
The Dragons fell well short of expectations in 2024, finishing outside the play-off places and failing to build on the run to the Grand Final they had the previous season. As such, after seeing their season come to an end in September, preparations for the new campaign began in earnest in November.
As such, Catalans will have been in training for the best part of three months by the time they get their campaign underway on Friday night against Hull FC and while McNamara would rather be coming off the back of a successful campaign, he believes his side are well-prepared and in a position to respond.
“I think every coach is probably the same,” McNamara told Serious About RL. “Most of us have had decent pre-seasons and we’re ready to play.
“Ours has been a particularly long pre-season. We’ve been to a couple of Grand Finals and a lot of the French boys played in the World Cup, so we’ve limited pre-seasons in recent years.
“To have the 10 or 11 weeks we’ve had, although we didn’t want it because we would have liked to have continued further last season, it’s been a godsend for us as a club. It’s exactly what we’ve needed and as far as that’s concerned we’re happy.
“We made errors as a club [last season]. We went to a Grand Final in 2023 and all our eyes were fixed on winning that that year. Of course we did preparation for ’24 but clearly not enough.
“The season started well but we didn’t give ourselves the opportunity to sustain that throughout the whole year through our preparations. We weren’t going to make that mistake again and thankfully we’ve had the time to get ready for this year.
“We needed change all across the park with new players. Numerous new players have come in and we’ve brought some outstanding leaders in and new energy and freshness.”
Catalans have made six new signings ahead of the new season, with the Dragons bringing in experience and heaps of talent from both hemispheres. Luke Keary, Tevita Pangai Junior, Elliott Whitehead and Nick Cotric have all made the switch from the NRL, while Tommy Makinson and Ollie Partington have joined from St Helens and Salford Red Devils respectively.
The addition of Keary is one that Super League fans are particularly excited about given the extensive career he has had down under and McNamara can’t wait to see him action.
“He’s probably one of the most intelligent players,” McNamara added. “We’ve not seen him play yet in a competitive game but his knowledge of the game is second to none and in terms of the people I’ve worked with in the past he’s a real general for us.”
Keary’s addition comes as a welcome boost but it seems Catalans Dragons could well be on the verge of losing one of their most prized assets in Arthur Mourgue. The Frenchman has been strongly linked with a move to Hull KR in 2026, with a change in rules allowing clubs to speak to players from December 1.
“I’m aware of the whole situation, as all coaches are,” McNamara added when asked about Mourgue and the rule changes. “It does seem extremely early at this stage before a ball has been kicked to start signing but it is what it is and we’re comfortable with that situation.”
𝑻𝒓𝒚 𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝟏𝟎𝟓 🏉
Bien servi par Nick Cotric, @fouadyaha s’est offert son 105ème essai sous le maillot catalan ! pic.twitter.com/nqLO4ugefY— Dragons Catalans (@DragonsOfficiel) February 10, 2025
