NRL 2023: Dragons boss Andrew Lancaster finally explains name change survey and culture issue

St George Illawarra won’t be rushing to add to recent dramas surrounding its culture by ditching either its name or its coach, writes Brent Read.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MAY 21: Jack De Belin of the Dragons congratulates Francis Molo of the Dragons as he celebrates with his team mates after scoring a try during the round 11 NRL match between the St George Illawarra Dragons and the New Zealand Warriors at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, on May 21, 2022, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

St George Illawarra chair Andrew Lancaster has spoken for the first time about rumours of a name change at the joint venture, insisting last year’s survey of fans was designed to provide clarity on how the club was perceived by its supporters and simply good practice.

Lancaster, who took over as chair of the Dragons from Craig Young late last year, also said the club had placed no timeline on coach Anthony Griffin and defended their culture in the wake of several high-profile off-field incidents.

Lancaster, the chief executive of Dragons part-owner WIN Corporation, assumed the chair position in contentious circumstances when Young stepped down after providing a reference on official club letterhead for former player Brett Finch.

He was only in the role a matter of weeks when the decision was made to send a survey to fans asking them how the club was perceived as a brand.

The options were: St George Dragons, Southern Dragons, Greater Sydney Dragons, The Dragons and St George Illawarra Dragons.

The backlash was immediate, particularly from the Illawarra side of the joint venture.

Lancaster insisted there was nothing sinister in the survey and the club remains committed to both its regions.

“The survey was a part of a broader engagement with our internal and external stakeholders to provide clarity on how we are perceived as a club,” he said.

“This sort of process is good practice. The management team and board will work through that over the coming months.”

Dragons coach Anthony Griffin needs a hot start to the season to keep the wolves at bay.

THE COACH

Dragons coach Anthony Griffin has entered the final year of his contract and the club appears in no rush to extend his tenure.

Nor do they appear in a hurry to change coaches. Griffin has had mixed success in his two years at the helm, a period when he has endured seemingly constant speculation that two former Dragons are in line to take over — Ben Hornby and Dean Young.

Hornby and Young cut their teeth at the Dragons before spreading their wings — the former is now at South Sydney and the latter at North Queensland.

Griffin needs a fast start to keep the wolves at bay, although Lancaster insisted he had the club’s support.

“Anthony has our support and there are no timelines in place around making decisions on who is coaching the Dragons in the future,” Lancaster said.

“As a club we want success and we enter every contest with an expectation of winning.”

Griffin’s cause hasn’t been helped by the loss of Junior Amone and Cody Ramsey, two of the club’s young stars who will be absent for differing reasons.

Lancaster said the club was active in the market but wary about blocking their production line of talent.

“We are in the fortunate situation of having a talented group of young players coming through so whilst we want to recruit for the now, and we have cap space, we need to keep in mind that creating a system and environment that develops young players is vital for our ongoing success,” he said.

St George Illawarra chair Andrew Lancaster to the reins in contentious circumstances when Craig Young stepped down last season.

THE CULTURE

The Dragons have dealt with some well-documented off-field issues in recent seasons, most notably those involving Jack de Belin and Amone.

De Belin spent two years on the sidelines while he fought assault charges, the club standing by his side through that journey.

Amone is now in the fight of his life after being charged with a string of assault charges dating back to an incident in November. It naturally begs the question about the club’s culture.

“There is a very positive environment at the Dragons,” Lancaster said.

“We have encountered some unique and disappointing situations in recent years but I believe as a club we have handled them in a responsible fashion and have learnt from the experiences.”

The culture at the Dragons has been questioned.

THE BOARD

The Dragons are a unique club. As a joint venture, their board is equal parts St George and WIN Corporation.

It has prompted talk that behind the scenes, the two sides of the joint venture aren’t always on the same page.

Lancaster insists they are unified and that good boards should provide the opportunity for directors to have differing views on issues.

He does, however, concede that the time may have come to review the idea of rotating the chair, which takes place on a yearly basis.

“Good boards function effectively and provide good governance and strategic direction and the Dragons board does that,” Lancaster said.

“The one-year rotation of the chair was designed as an equality piece when we became a shareholder five years ago and probably needs to be reviewed.”

Jack De Belin spent two years on the sidelines while he fought assault charges, as the club stood by him.

WIN recently had a change of directors when Genevieve Gordon replaced former chair Andrew Gordon on the board.

“Gen is a smart, experienced executive with a background in sports marketing and she’s already proven to be a great asset to the board,” Lancaster said.

Lancaster also confirmed that Bruce Gordon, Genevieve’s father and the boss of WIN, was committed to the club’s success.

Gordon, one of the richest men in the country, stepped in to save the Illawarra side of the joint venture five years ago.

“Bruce is very passionate about the ongoing success of the Dragons,” he said.

“Our focus when we became a shareholder was to ensure the Dragons were strong both on and off the field.

“The club is in a much stronger financial position and we are in the process of building a world class Community High Performance Centre which will aid with recruitment, retention, and development.

“On the field, our expectation, like our fans and supporters, is always success based.”

Originally published as NRL 2023: Dragons boss Andrew Lancaster finally explains name change survey and culture issue