NRL 2020: Paul McGregor opens up on reason for Dragons departure
Facing the brunt of criticism for his team’s losses, Paul McGregor went to the Dragons chief executive with a request. The answer he got was not the one he wanted.
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An emotional Paul McGregor fought back tears as he told St George Illawarra players and staff the reason why he was walking out of the club after 25 years.
From inside the gym beneath the same WIN Stadium grandstand that his parents would sit and watch him play for Illawarra in the early 1990s, McGregor took the floor just after 10am on Thursday morning to explain that without total control of his team, he had lost all control as head coach.
Ultimately, it was McGregor who, despite being under immense pressure to survive, fast-tracked his departure with six games remaining by going to the club’s board with an ultimatum last weekend.
He wanted the club’s controversial team selection panel — which included assistant coaches Dean Young, Shane Flanagan and himself — blown up.
The board had set up the panel so that McGregor could potentially be outvoted on selections.
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It was a kick in the guts for the head coach and it’s understood Young and Flanagan were just as uncomfortable with the process.
The call to shift $1 million halfback Ben Hunt to hooker, scrapping a pre-season plan to play Zac Lomax at fullback after just one game, dropping Corey Norman for only one match and an original vote to overlook in-form fullback Matt Dufty from the position earlier this year, were all major decisions made by the panel.
“I understand that the board put in place shared responsibility in and around the other coaches but as a head coach you need to select your team,” McGregor said.
“(Dragons CEO) Ryan (Webb) took that to the board and that came back that that wasn’t going to change so that’s very hard to do when you’re owning your result but not picking your team that you want.”
McGregor also wanted autonomy over recruitment for 2021 — which has long been headed by Ian Millward — and he also wanted answers for his high-performance staff who were unsigned for next season.
It is understood Millward’s job is safe next season but the club are considering giving football manager Ben Haran an expanded role which could lead to Haran becoming the club’s head of football.
“The question for a lot of people was are we replacing anyone in the squad because there’s players that have left and I wanted to know where I was going in deciding recruitment and retention going forward and we just got into a conversation,” McGregor said.
“I thought the board were very supportive at the time and I’ve got nothing but great things to say about this club but at the time the idea of a selection panel, you know, worked I suppose for a period, but when it gets to the stage where you can’t pick a player in the position you feel he’s right to play, it’s probably not the right thing to coach.”
The one clear answer the Dragons hierarchy could give the 52-year-old was that after seven years as head coach, it was time to end their relationship.
On Monday McGregor received the call that led to him understanding that his 152nd and final game as coach of the Red V would be against Parramatta at Bankwest Stadium on Friday night.
Young and Haran were told to keep news that “Mary” was in the last days of his career at Saints quiet, with Young also aware that he would take over from McGregor following the clash with the Eels.
McGregor said he understood that with just four wins this season and one finals appearance in seven years that the results weren’t good enough and he told the players that he hoped a fresh voice could aid their own fortunes and desire to succeed.
Young is the early favourite to coach the Dragons long-term. His dad Craig, a former player and coach, has temporarily stood down from the Dragons board while his son takes charge.
Wayne Bennett is considered long odds to return to the club he won the premiership at in 2010, while former players Jason Ryles and Craig Fitzgibbon have already ruled themselves out. Flanagan is unlikely to be approved by the NRL to coach in 2021.
“They’ve got a very good one here,’’ McGregor replied when asked who the club should next appoint as head coach. “Dean is as hard a worker as anyone that I’ve had on my staff.
“He’s loyal to the club, he’s bled for the club, he’ll only do things for the club and he’s a very smart coach.’’
McGregor is adamant that whoever the next full time coach is, they should be given the final say he didn’t have.
“1000%. I do think the conversation of a selection panel is outstanding, I think it’s really, really powerful and it’s really good to have,” he said.
“But I felt the coach should get the final say on who’s selected in the team.
“That’s how I feel because you’ve got good coaches around and you need to lean on them and that’s what should happen and you should have really good open conversations and some hard conversations around that but the coach should pick the team.”
AT LEAST I GET TO SEE MY DAD NOW
Julian Linden
Only once did Paul McGregor’s emotions betray him as he tried to reconcile his pending departure from the Dragons.
As an old school footballer, McGregor kept a stiff upper lip every time he spoke to the media about the pain he was feeling at leaving the club that has been his life for a quarter of a century,
It was only when he got quizzed about what he’s going to do next that his voice cracked and he fought back to tears.
“My father’s seriously ill,” he said.
“He’s been in hospital for quite some time so I need to go and see him, that’s the big thing.
“It’s obviously in the back of your mind, obviously family’s everything.”
That’s the one silver lining that McGregor is clinging to as he prepares to sign off from the Dragons after Friday’s clash with the Eels.
Everyone who has been trapped in the NRL bubble has had to make huge personal sacrifices but for McGregor it’s carried an added burden because it’s meant spending months away from his father Frank.
“It was emotional but that’s part of it, isn’t it? When you’re at a club for 25 years, that’s a very long time,” he said. “My next journey? I haven’t stopped yet, I’ll probably freshen up
“The biggest thing is I can go and see Dad on Saturday. We’ve got a cabin down at Berrara. I’ll go down there for a couple of days and just rest up.”
While his sudden exit – sealed on Wednesday night – came quickly, the writing has been on the wall for McGregor for a while.
The 52-year-old club stalwart has copped the brunt of criticism for the team’s poor results over the last year but he’s learnt to ignore the knockers.
“That’s a part of our job, people want to win, and people show emotion when they’re not getting what they want,” he said.
“There’s always going to be distracters out there, that’s part of their job and their life.
“There’s a lot of good people out there that support the red and white just sometimes the loudest voices are heard.”
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Emotionally, McGregor insisted he’s doing OK, though the COVID-19 bubble has made this season like no other in NRL history.
McGregor is the fourth NRL coach to lose his job this season and the blood letting may not be over yet, raising concerns about the wellbeing of coaches.
Again, he said he’s fine and wants to coach again, though with more pressing matters to attend to first, he won’t be looking for his next job in a hurry.
“I‘m good. I’ll go to Bunnings, build a bridge and get over myself pretty quickly,” he said.
“I’m fine, you understand that responsibility when you take the role so the emotional side of me is because I’ve been in the organisation for so long and that’s what it’s a bit raw but professionally I’m fine,
“My mental state’s great. I probably didn’t sleep as well as I have previously this week but another week or two I’ll be fine.”
MIDSEASON COACHING CHANGES IN NRL ERA
2020
Paul McGregor (St George Illawarra) Round 14
Paul Green (North Queensland) Round 11
Dean Pay (Canterbury) Round 10
Stephen Kearney (Warriors) Round 7
2019
Nathan Brown (Newcastle) Round 24
Garth Brennan (Gold Coast) Round 18
2018
Anthony Griffin (Penrith) Round 22
2017
Neil Henry (Gold Coast) Round 25
Andrew Webster (Wests Tigers) Round 6
Jason Taylor (Wests Tigers) Round 4
2015
Rick Stone (Newcastle) Round 21
2014
John Cartwright (Gold Coast) Round 23
Peter Sharp (Cronulla) Round 17
Steve Price (St George Illawarra) Round 12
Matthew Elliott (Warriors) Round 6
2013
David Furner (Canberra) Round 24
Peter Sharp (Cronulla) Round 3
2012
Brian McClennan (Warriors) Round 25
Stephen Kearney (Parramatta) Round 21
2011
Kevin Moore (Canterbury) Round 19
Matthew Elliott (Penrith) Round 16
2010
Ricky Stuart (Cronulla) Round 20
2009
Brian Smith (Newcastle) Round 23
2008
Graham Murray (North Queensland) Round 12
2007
Chris Anderson (Sydney Roosters) Round 18
2006
Brian Smith (Parramatta) Round 11
2004
Paul Langmack (South Sydney) Round 14
Daniel Anderson (Warriors) Round 13
2002
Murray Hurst (North Queensland) Round 4
2001
Tim Sheens (North Queensland) Round 12
Chris Anderson (Melbourne) Round 8
2000
David Waite (St George Illawarra) Round 21
1999
Peter Louis (North Sydney) Round 19
Bob Fulton (Manly) Round 8
1998
Steve Martin (South Sydney) Round 19
Rod Reddy (Adelaide) Round 9
Originally published as NRL 2020: Paul McGregor opens up on reason for Dragons departure