Paul McGregor’s international mission to re-build Dragons
After surviving the axe, Paul McGregor is going international in his mission to lead the St George Illawarra Dragons back to the NRL finals.
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A lecture from the UN in New York and a presentation from management of the US Olympic team will form part of Paul McGregor’s mission to lead the Dragons back to the finals.
Such is the value in learnings that McGregor sees in the trip, the head coach will be absent from St George-Illawarra’s opening week of what is a career-defining pre-season training block — in the US instead, with football manager Ben Haran.
The trip is also a major opportunity to share information with coaches from the rival code. The Dragons have joined what is an annual leadership tour to the US with the AFL coaches association.
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Aside from presentations from the UN and US Olympic Team leaders, the expedition includes a tour of NFL franchise the New York Jets and NBA team the Philadelphia 76rs.
The course, which is focused on leadership, also includes a session with president of Neilsen Sports and former Melbourne Demons player, Glenn Lovett.
“There’s a mix of sporting and business opportunities for everyone that is attending,'' Greg Hutchinson from the AFL coaches association told The Sunday Telegraph.
Despite the Dragons players returning to pre-season training on Monday, McGregor and Haran won't be back from the US until late next week.
Assistant coach Dean Young will lead the first wave of Saints players to return for their first steps towards their 2020 preparation.
Interestingly, the Dragons failed to reveal McGregor’s US trip when announcing the outcomes of a major football department review to fans and members on Friday.
Both Cronulla utility Kurt Capewell and Kiwi hooker Isaac Luke have been discussed by the Dragons recruitment team as potential recruits.