Dean Young's final flourish

DEAN Young has nominated the five greatest moments of his stellar career - but it would appear a grand final farewell is quickly fading.

Dean and Craig Young

DEAN Young yesterday nominated the five greatest moments of his stellar career - but it would appear a grand final farewell is quickly fading.

As he prepares to bring up 200 games against Canterbury tonight, Young told The Daily Telegraph his finest memories, citing the 2010 premiership as his fondest.

"The grand final tops it all, without a doubt," Young said.

His 2003 debut against Parramatta, his one-off Origin for NSW and Test for Australia and the 2010 preliminary final victory over the Wests Tigers also spring to mind.

But the chance of a fairytale finish - which would no doubt top his hot list - is becoming remote for Young given the Dragons' inconsistency.

Young, 28, was confident the Dragons had the playing roster to go all the way, and only needed one win to kickstart a mid-season surge towards September. The Dragons will be able to make a statement should they beat the Bulldogs - and keep Ben Barba quiet - in their first game at Wollongong's WIN Stadium.

"We're not happy with where we are sitting on the table," Young said.

"But we've lost two golden-point games, and got beaten by Manly in the last six minutes.

"Had we won those we'd be thinking we're going OK.

"We're not too far away. We're doing a lot of good things. It's just our final pass and a little bit of execution at the end of our sets or plays. There's been a bit of a change in personnel, and it takes time for players to adjust.

"Losing Darius Boyd and having a different fullback, which is such a key position, always takes time.

"But to be honest, (new No.1) Brett Morris has been our best player all year. He's not the issue at the moment. It's just our execution."

Young made the decision to retire after round three and made a pact with himself to not dream too big.

"I only wanted to enjoy every moment, and that's what I've been doing," Young said.

"We're not winning, but I still enjoy every day at training and treat every game like it's my last. We're struggling at the moment, but all you need is a win to get some confidence, and I think we can do that Friday."

Young said Barba loomed as a danger player for Canterbury, but if they could lock up the ball with the forwards, it would only limit the amount of ball that came his way.

The Dragons have Trent Merrin and Ben Creagh backing up from Origin, but Young said it was always easier to lift for your club after a representative triumph.

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