NRL 2020: Coach Paul McGregor hits out after parting ways with the Dragons

Paul McGregor is making plenty of noise as he heads out the door, revealing how Dragons bosses prevented him from doing his job properly.

Paul McGregor has been sacked.

Paul McGregor has hit out after confirmation his time as Dragons coach is over

The Sydney Morning Herald reports the St George Illawarra board told McGregor on Wednesday night he wasn’t the man to lead the club going forward despite having another season to run on his contract.

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The 52-year-old becomes the fourth coach to lose their job this year after Dean Pay (Bulldogs), Stephen Kearney (Warriors) and Paul Green (Cowboys).

The Dragons were reportedly unable to make any guarantees when McGregor approached club powerbrokers for assurances about his future, and in a press release it was announced both parties had mutually agreed to part ways.

Speaking at a press conference after training today, McGregor said he felt crippled by an inability to always pick the team he wanted.

After a horror start to the season, the Dragons took some of the coach’s power away by implementing a three-man selection panel. Every other coach in the NRL would have the final say on who is included in the 17-man team for game day, but not McGregor.

“A couple of weeks ago I spoke to (CEO) Ryan (Webb) about the panel. I wasn’t comfortable with it,” McGregor said.

“I understand the board put it in place to share responsibility around the other coaches but as head coach you need to select your team.

“Ryan took that to the board. It came back that wasn’t going to change.

“It’s really hard to do when you are owning the result but not picking the team you want.

“I wasn’t dealing with that very well.

“When it gets to the stage where you can’t pick a player in the position you feel he’s right to play, it’s probably not the right thing to coach.

“That’s what’s brought it to a head.

“I feel the coach should get the final say in who’s selected in the team.”

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Craig Fitzgibbon (right) is Joey’s pick for the job.

Paul McGregor is gone.

There are several contenders to replace McGregor. Assistant Shane Flanagan is suspended from coaching until 2022 for breaching restrictions placed on him after being banned for his role in the Sharks supplements scandal, but behind the scenes there are reportedly moves being made to ask if the NRL would consider altering their stance.

Green is available and ex-Penrith coach Anthony Griffin is without a job, but Knights legend Andrew Johns believes the Dragons should target Roosters assistant coach Craig Fitzgibbon.

“Fitzy is a perfect fit, Craig Fitzgibbon,” Johns said alongside NSW coach Brad Fittler on Wide World of Sports’ Freddy and the Eighth.

“He’s from down that way, he’s been in an unbelievable system (with the Roosters), you (Fittler) have had him in the Origin (squad). His attention to detail is sensational.

“He’s the next really top-line coach, which then comes off the Trent Robinson coaching tree.

“Local boy from down there, still lives down at Austinmer (on the NSW south coast), which is 20 minutes from Wollongong. It’s the perfect fit.

“I think the time is right and I think he’s the man for the job.”

The drums about McGregor’s future have been beating for some time and the Dragons finally ran out of patience.

The Red V sit 12th on the ladder with just four wins from 13 matches and are out of finals contention.

McGregor was in the firing line after starting the season with four straight losses but St George found form at the right time to give him some breathing space. However, three defeats in the Dragons’ last three games have spelt the end of McGregor’s time at the helm.

McGregor will coach one final game this week, against the Eels on Friday night, before assistant coach Dean Young officially takes over for the remainder of the year.

The Dragons are going in a different direction.

Confusing selection calls and under-performing players have crippled the Dragons in 2020. Livewire fullback Matt Dufty fell out of favour early in the year and found himself on the bench or out of the side altogether on occasion, while gun centre Zac Lomax started the season in the No. 1 jersey before moving closer to the edge when that experiment didn’t work out.

Even five-eighth Corey Norman was thrust into fullback but most recently, he was dropped from the team that lost to the Roosters last week.

Ben Hunt, signed as a $6 million playmaker, copped plenty of criticism for his ordinary performances as halfback but won praise after being moved to hooker, which pundits agreed was his best position.

However, despite his impressive form as the Dragons’ dummy-half, Hunt was shifted back to first receiver for the loss to the Rabbitohs in Round 12, leading to more questions about McGregor’s decision-making.

McGregor took over from Steve Price midway through 2014 but hasn’t been able to deliver success. Under his reign, the Dragons have won just a single finals game.

Last year the club extended his contract until the end of 2021 but decided it couldn’t wait that long to make a change.