St George Illawarra Dragons call in Phil Gould to fix NRL mess
St George Illawarra have turned to former Penrith Panthers boss Phil Gould to turn around the struggling club following another disappointing year for the Dragons.
Phil Gould says he is not reviewing Paul McGregor coaching future ahead of his interviews with St George Illawarra staff and players next week after Gould agreed to asses the Dragons football operations in the wake of the club’s horrific season.
The two time premiership winning coach has been in secret negotiations for weeks with Dragons boss Brian Johnston and head coach Paul McGregor to help the embattled club. Gould said he was approached by McGregor a couple of weeks ago to conduct an external review.
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“This is not a review of the head coach,” Gould said. “There has been absolutely no indication whatsoever that there will be a change in the head coach.
“The Dragons are simply looking to review this season, to give direction to their future planning and ensuring they are providing all resources possible, to assist the coaches and players to perform to the best of their ability.
“I spoke with Brian Johnston this week about the type of review.”
There are also moves for Gould to have an ongoing role with the club beyond the review. The plan involves Gould becoming a coaching consultant to McGregor and help mentor the St George Illawarra coach and his assistants. It is not expected he will be involved with the day to day coaching of the NRL side, instead he will act as a sounding board to the under-siege McGregor.
Gould in undecided if he will commit to a formal role.
“The end of year review process, conducted by every NRL club every year, represents part of the process of future planning,” Gould said. “I’m happy to lend a hand. It’s not a paid job. Every year, even during my time at Panthers, I get NRL coaches, assistant coaches, chairmen, CEOs and even players requesting to catch up and have a cup of coffee to talk about life, their football clubs and their careers. “I’ve always been more than happy to help if I can. I’m looking forward to speaking with the Dragon’s club next week.”
Gould undertook a similar review for the Cowboys at the end of 2010.
Gould said he will meet with McGregor and Johnston on Tuesday before speaking with the rest of the playing group and staff late next week.
The review is expected to be ongoing during the finals series and concluded by the grand final.
McGregor’s position is not in question but the outcomes of Gould’s review will lead to changes across the organisation. The Dragons won’t finalise the rest of their support staff until Gould has concluded his review. But 2010 premiership winning captain Ben Hornby will exit as assistant coach. Fellow assistant Dean Young has been offered a deal to remain at the club.
St George Illawarra’s horrendous year has sparked the dramatic shake-up. Their second to last finish is their worst result in the joint-venture’s history.
|“Nobody at the club is happy with how the Dragons have performed and that’s extended to all our stakeholders including members and supporters,” Johnston said in a statement.
A poor start to next season will see McGregor shown the door immediately. McGregor said “no one in the football department is enthusiastic with the outcome this year” ahead of their bottom of the table clash against Gold Coast today.
Gould grew up a passionate Dragons fan but has never held an official role with the club. He stepped down from his role as Panthers general manager of football earlier this year.
Originally published as St George Illawarra Dragons call in Phil Gould to fix NRL mess