History tells us Ben Hunt’s call on Dragons coach Anthony Griffin may backfire

Ben Hunt’s decision to back Dragons coach Anthony Griffin to the hilt is dangerous areas ahead of a hugely pivotal St George-Illawarra board meeting on Tuesday.

(L-R) Shane Flanagan, Josh Hannay, Anthony Griffin, Ben Hornby and Dean Young are among those on the short-list.

Good on Ben Hunt for speaking his mind.

The game desperately needs fewer cliches and robotic responses from players.

Hunt is a genuine character, who has been around the game long enough to be heard when he speaks.

So his opinion carries weight.

However, Hunt’s decision to back Dragons coach Anthony Griffin to the hilt is dangerous territory ahead of a hugely pivotal St George-Illawarra board meeting on Tuesday.

“(Griffin) has been here for a couple of years now and we are building in a direction I believe is the right direction,” Hunt told reporters this week.

“I believe if you take away your coach and bring a new coach in, it’s going to start that cycle again, and to be honest, I don’t have the time to start it all again.

“I’m getting to the back end and I’m not really keen on starting fresh.”

Ben Hunt and Dragons coach Anthony Griffin. Picture: NRL Photos

As has happened with other players in the past, backing the under-pressure coach that management are looking to find reasons to move on from, rarely ends well for the player.

Club boards can be precious and when a player is suggesting that they’re making the wrong call on the coach – it’s usually the player that ends up being next.

Or perhaps Hunt is worried that the next coach could move him from halfback
to hooker?

Either way, Hunt knew what he was signing up for when he put pen to paper on his last contract.

He knew Griffin wasn’t contracted beyond 2023.

That the Dragons have waited this long to discuss a shortlist of candidates to potentially replace Griffin is the greater surprise.

SHORTLIST REVEALED AS DRAGONS EYE COACHING CALL

By David Riccio, Michael Carayannis

Ben Hornby has been anointed as the man to save St George Illawarra as the embattled club edges closer to a call on besieged head coach Anthony Griffin.

Ahead of the Dragons’ crucial clash with the Raiders Sunday and an even more critical board meeting on Tuesday, Hornby has received the ultimate endorsement by his current boss, South Sydney coach Jason Demetriou.

Hornby, who formerly worked under Wayne Bennett as an assistant coach at South Sydney and now under Demetriou, is one of several coaching options set to be put to the Dragons board within the next 48 to 72-hours.

Senior management have been tasked with presenting a short-list of head coach candidates to the board on Tuesday after the club informed Griffin he wasn’t guaranteed to continue in the role beyond this season.

(L-R) Shane Flanagan, Josh Hannay, Anthony Griffin, Ben Hornby and Dean Young are among those on the short-list.

A short-list of potential coaching options will also be given but barring a catastrophic performance against the Raiders on Sunday there is no immediate push to make a call on Griffin.

The names of Manly Sea Eagles assistant coach Shane Flanagan, Cowboys assistant coach Dean Young, Roosters assistant coach Jason Ryles, Sharks assistant coach Josh Hannay, Raiders assistant coach Michael Maguire, former Manly premiership-winning coach Des Hasler, Rabbitohs assistant coach John Morris, Hornby and Griffin will all be presented to the board.

Queensland State of Origin coach Billy Slater won‘t be put forward after he declined an offer to be included among the short-list.

The board will also discuss the option of pairing a senior coach, like Flanagan or Hasler, with a rookie who can take over within the next two seasons, like Young, Hornby or Ryles.

As revealed by The Saturday Telegraph yesterday, the possible return of former head coach Nathan Brown in a head of recruitment, general manager of football or assistant coach role, will also be discussed by the board.

Brown has strong support by senior members of the Dragons board and has a close relationship with Ryles, Hornby and Young.

Red and white to the core, Hornby captained the Dragons to the 2010 premiership and has played the most games (273) for St George-Illawarra on record.

After retiring in 2012, Hornby developed his coaching craft through the Dragons lower grades and worked as an assistant to Paul McGregor before moving to Souths to work under Bennett in 2018 before continuing on with Demetriou.

The Rabbitohs coach offered a stunning character reference for Hornby.

“Ben Hornby has done his time (as an assistant),” Demetriou said.

“I think he’s worked under some great coaches as I had done.

“I think he’ll be a first-class choice for the Dragons. He’s somebody who has been there and done that at many levels of the game.

“He’s ready to step into that (head coach) role. I trust him and I know the players would trust him.

Former Sea Eagles coach Des Hasler would be an experienced hand to bridge the gap to a younger coach. Picture: Getty Images

“He’s got a great ability to adapt and to understand what his team needs and when they need it.

“He’s got an ability to put the foot down when he has too, but also to pull back and let the players have some input when they need to.

“I see a lot of great traits in him. I’m not sure what’s going on at the Dragons, but if he is in the mix, they’re going down the right path in talking to him.’’

It is understood Hornby – who will be asked to be interviewed by management before any decision is made – is keen to return to the club if the head coaching position becomes available.

So too will Flanagan, who is believed to have the powerful support of the WIN Corporation side of the joint-venture.

The 2016 premiership-winning coach of Cronulla has key intel into how the Dragons operate having spent the past several seasons both as an assistant coach and head of recruitment before shifting to Manly.

His relationship with Young, who share a bond through their similar hard-nosed character traits, could lead to the board following an increasing trend within the game of appointing a senior coach to help guide the eventual entry into the NRL of a rookie, like Young.

Hannay is an interesting candidate. The 43-year-old has an increasing reputation within the game, both for his work at the Sharks, but also as an assistant to Slater at Queensland State of Origin level.

He was interviewed by Manly management to replace Hasler before they went with Anthony Seibold. However, it remains to be seen if Hannay would be willing to interview for the Dragons job.