Dragons re-sign coach Paul McGregor until 2021 NRL season

St George Illawarra have re-signed coach Paul McGregor until the end of the 2021 NRL season, giving him the chance to become the longest serving coach of the joint venture.

St George Illawarra have re-signed coach Paul McGregor until the end of the 2021 NRL season.

The Daily Telegraph’s Paul Crawley on Tuesday reported that the Dragons were set to hand McGregor a two-year contract extension, giving him the chance to overtake Nathan Brown as the longest serving coach in the joint venture’s 21-year history.

St George Illawarra confirmed the news on Thursday.

Off contract at the end of the year, McGregor has taken the Dragons back into the NRL’s top eight with three straight wins.

“To have a good focus and purpose for the next two seasons is really comforting,” McGregor said.

Dragons coach Paul McGregor has signed a contract extension. Picture: Getty Images

McGregor took over from Steve Price early in 2014 and along with head of recruitment Ian Millward has done a terrific job rebuilding the roster, while results on the field put McGregor in the top six coaches in the NRL on winning percentages over the past two seasons.

McGregor has coached the Dragons in 118 games, while Brown holds the record for most games coached at St George Illawarra with 151 matches between 2003 and 2008.

McGregor’s new deal is expected to be made official in the next week but could even come before Saturday’s match against Manly in Wollongong.