Phil Gould’s Dragons review is coach Paul McGregor’s last hope
Paul McGregor has run out of excuses. The Phil Gould-led review into St George Illawarra’s shambolic seasons will leave the Dragons coach more exposed than ever.
Dragons
Don't miss out on the headlines from Dragons. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Phil Gould’s appointment is St George Illawarra’s last throw of the dice in their support of Paul McGregor.
Gould was on Friday appointed to oversee the Red-V’s end-of-season review in a huge step in the right direction.
It is not intended to undermine McGregor. It’s about giving him the ultimate support.
He won’t control the Dragons’ salary cap, nor will he play a role in recruitment. He will do what he does best and that is to coach and inspire.
Stream every match of the 2019 NRL Telstra Premiership Finals Series before the Grand Final Live & On-Demand on KAYO SPORTS. Get your 14 day free trial and start streaming instantly >
But I doubt it will be enough to quell a highly disconnected fan base.
St George Illawarra fans are notoriously hard to please.
And who can be critical of them for wanting success for a club which has underachieved for so long.
The Dragons fans can only hope Gould sticks around and plays a hands-on coaching role next year.
For too long the Dragons have looked in-house, when their greatest success has been through external coaches. Think Brian Smith, David Waite and Wayne Bennett.
Nathan Brown had mixed results while Steve Price and Paul McGregor have been failures.
Put simply, McGregor’s record is quite simply not good enough to be at the helm for as long as he has.
He should never have been re-signed earlier this year to that two-year deal because had he hit the open market, would he really have attracted any interest from rival clubs?
The Dragons are at their lowest ebb, with their second to last finish on the table this year their worst since the joint-venture.
While you can be easily critical of the board for extending his deal a further two years, they are now trying to make the best of a bad situation.
They can’t sack him now. Even if they lose to the Titans on Saturday. Their funds don’t allow for it.
MORE NEWS
Civil war threatens Tonga’s rise as a super power
Is your club’s star on this NRL rival’s hit list?
Is this the most costly no-ball in cricket history?
While the mitigating off-field circumstances this year have been enough to save McGregor to those with a sympathetic ear.
Gould is McGregor’s final shot at salvation.
Should he not adhere to Gould’s recommendations then there is little wiggle room for the under-siege coach. If the Dragons don’t perform next year make no doubt about it he will be sacked, probably before the season is through if they fall out of finals contention.
He has won just one finals game since taking over as coach from Price midway through 2014. The roster is easily a top-eight contender and, potentially, a top-four side.
Say what you want about Gould but he is one of the sharpest minds in the game.
A two-time premiership winner whose knowledge is unmatched.