Anthony Griffin wins race to take charge of St George Illawarra

Anthony Griffin will make his return to the NRL after Dragons officials decided he was the man to take them forward.

Former Brisbane and Penrith coach Anthony Griffin returns to the NRL at the helm of St George Illawarra. Picture: Toby Zerna

So much for a club being at war. St George Illawarra’s house wasn’t that divided after all. There was talk that it could take two weeks for the club to decide on a new coach. In the end, it took two hours.

The Dragons met on Monday afternoon and by Monday night they had their man. Anthony Griffin wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but then again none of the three contenders were.

Given the candidates on the market, the Dragons bizarrely decided a premiership winner like Paul Green wasn’t worthy of a place on their shortlist.

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They made a play for Sydney Roosters assistant Craig Fitzgibbon — hasn’t everyone — but were rebuffed. Eventually, they made the decision to hand the job to Griffin, whose previous two stints as a head coach in Brisbane and Penrith ended with the axe falling.

His first duty will be to sort out his support staff. Dean Young was overlooked for the head coaching job but has been offered the ­opportunity to work alongside Griffin next year.

Young’s current assistant, Shane Flanagan, may choose to explore his options elsewhere, although he and Griffin share the same manager.

Once Griffin has his support staff sorted out, or potentially while doing it, he needs to get to work on a roster that needs reinforcements.

Griffin worked with James Tamou at Penrith and the front-rower is on the Dragons’ radar. He would be well aware of the talents of Joe Ofahengaue, who made his first grade debut the year after Griffin left the Broncos.

Again, Ofahengaue is a potential recruit. Griffin’s arrival in Wollongong will be good news for Ben Hunt, the pair having forged a strong bond during their time together at the Broncos. Hunt may be moved back to the No 7 jersey on a permanent basis.

 

Corey Norman also played under Griffin at the Broncos. There is a sense of familiarity where the halves are concerned.

As for the remainder of the squad, they find themselves under the leadership of an outsider for the first time in a long time.

That was part of the appeal for the Dragons board, having listened to the cries of the club’s supporters to bring in a coach with no connections to the club.

“He’s an outside voice,” chief executive Ryan Webb said.

“Anthony is an experienced operator with a proven track record across his previous seven seasons as a head coach.

“The board of directors were unanimous in their decision on Monday afternoon in appointing Anthony ahead of the other candidates.

“Anthony has missed finals football only once which speaks to the strong discipline and ability to develop young talent, of which he has exhibited both throughout his career.

“The next steps for the Dragons are now determining the correct framework and structures to put around Anthony and the football department to ensure his tenure as coach is a successful one.”

Webb said Young was disappointed, but he had another year remaining on his contract with the club and it would be his choice whether he stayed as an assistant — he and Griffin have coached ­together with Tonga and are believed to be in regular contact.

“He was disappointed,” Webb said.

“He is contracted for another year and we will work with him. We would like him to stay. He put his best foot forward and gave it a good shake.”

Not good enough in the end. Griffin has been out of the head coaching game since being sacked by Penrith two years ago — less than a year after signing an extension with the Panthers.

He has won 55 per cent of his games in charge, but found his credentials being publicly praised and pilloried as the club conducted interviews with a shortlist that also included Newcastle assistant David Furner.

The debate is now over. Griffin has the chance he has been craving at a club that last celebrated premiership success a decade ago under Wayne Bennett.

Success will make him a hero with Dragons fans, arguably the most passionate and opinionated group of supporters in the game. Anything less and he will likely be run out of Wollongong.

“There is no doubt that St ­George Illawarra is one of the biggest and proudest clubs in the game and I am excited to commence my role as coach later in the year,” Griffin said.

“While results may not have gone in the club’s favour in recent years, I see many a positive in the playing squad and the current crop of juniors currently coming through the ranks.

“My goal is a simple one: to ensure the Dragons are a club that every member, partner and fan can be proud of moving ­forward.”