Matty Johns: Dean Young new favourite for Dragons coaching gig after Jason Ryles snub

A fresh frontrunner has emerged for the Dragons’ coaching role, but the club might be doing him a disservice by giving him the job, writes MATTY JOHNS.

Jason Ryles has re-joined the Storm. Picture: NRL Photos

The Red V is one of Australian sports’ most iconic symbols, yet they offer a rookie coach an opportunity to return to his hometown, to coach his hometown club, the team he played for, on a four-year-deal, and he turns his back.

Is the club even more dysfunctional than we thought?

The whole process has been a soap opera. No, for people who love the club, it’s been an Italian tragedy. For those who have looked on without emotion, it’s been rugby league’s

version of Spinal Tap.

The way they handled the sacking of Anthony Griffin mirrors how they’ve dilly-dallied on

offering Ryles the job six months ago, allowing Matt Tripp and the Melbourne Storm to

convince him at the last minute to return to Victoria.

Everybody knew Anthony Griffin was gone a long time ago, probably he included. The way

they dragged the sacking out was almost a form of torture. Even Griffin’s most vocal critics

started to feel sympathy for him.

It’s easy to say that Ryles’ decision has more to do with the Storm, than it does the Dragons,

given the standing and roster of the Melbourne club, but accepting that offer has some serious

drawbacks.

Firstly, there are no guarantees Craig Bellamy will walk away from coaching at the end of

season 2024.

Jason Ryles has re-joined the Storm. Picture: NRL Photos

In the past decade Craig has hinted at retirement numerous times, only to change his mind, as

expected. I mean, if Craig doesn’t coach, what does he do?

A man of his competitive nature can’t be fulfilled sitting on the couch, or for that matter

sitting in an office, with a tag of ‘Director of Coaching’. Craig’s all or nothing.

But the biggest drawback if I were in Ryles’ position is the question: ‘Will this ever really be

my team?’ given Craig’s longevity, success and incredible legacy.

I know for a fact this has been primary in his mind during the long decision-making process.

It was a reason Bellamy himself, in 2008, rejected the Brisbane Broncos at the last

minute, believing it would always be Wayne Bennett’s club.

For the next coach at the Melbourne Storm, if you’re lucky enough to a win a competition, it

will be a long time until people no longer see Bellamy’s hands on the trophy as you raise

it above your head.

Ryles is only too aware of this, which shows his decision to reject the Dragons’ four-year

contract has everything to do with what he saw at the club because it was going to be

absolutely his team, absolutely his success, in his hometown.

Jason Ryles (L) and Craig Bellamy at Storm training in 2013. Picture: Colleen Petch

The Dragons are now expected to offer the job to Dean Young, a young coach who’s built a

terrific reputation, but only as an assistant.

The success of a coach in 2023 has as much to do with Xs and Os, as it does handling

pressure, and at St George Illawarra, there’s going to be a lot of pressure.

The Dragons might be doing Young a disservice by giving him the job. There appears to be a

couple of hard seasons, and tough decisions to be made, before the club starts to enjoy the success they’re after.

For what the club needs next, they may be better to look at Michael Maguire, Shane Flanagan

or Des Hasler.

AND ANOTHER THING ...

Just when you thought the gutless imbeciles on social media, who perform under

pseudonyms, couldn’t get any lower, we have the attacks on Jarrod Wallace, his fiancee, and

would you believe, young daughters and unborn child.

You see, Jarrod posted a photo of him and his pregnant fiancee, captioned with an inside joke

they share. In hindsight, as we all find out at some point, some things are best left at that.

Those of high moral values deemed the joke so sexist that it didn’t deserve a response, it

deserved abuse and threats of physical harm to his family.

Dolphins player Jarrod Wallace posted a photo of him and his fiance, Shani Wells to instagram on Sunday evening.

Just think about that for a second. These morons believe they are taking a higher moral

ground by responding to a joke, which on the scale of offensive jokes, rates a 0.1 out of 10,

by threatening harm to an unborn child.

My message, not just to players, but young people in general, is that life is better without social media, because cowards like these aren’t going away, and you aren’t going to win them over.

They don’t go on places like Twitter to debate, they go on to perform, and do so through

abuse to those they envy, and who they know are better than they are.

When I was 18, my father warned me about a pub around the corner from our house.

“Never go in there, it’s full of mugs who’ll want to take your head off,” he said.

However, one night I couldn’t help myself. It was around midnight and it was the last place open.

I walked into the family home 20 minutes later with my right eye closed, a lump on the

side of my head like a cricket ball, looking for sympathy. Dad took one look at me, shook his head, “Told you, don’t go there.”

Originally published as Matty Johns: Dean Young new favourite for Dragons coaching gig after Jason Ryles snub