Paul McGregor has backed Dean Young as he parts ways with St George Illawarra

St George Illawarra coach Paul McGregor will take charge for the final time on Friday and he has backed his assistant Dean Young to take over.

Paul McGregor will coach his last game for the Dragons on Friday night. Picture: Brett Costello

St George Illawarra assistant coach Dean Young has spent a lifetime at the Dragons, but six games may determine whether he takes over from Paul McGregor next season.

He will start his head coaching career armed with the support of the man he will replace. McGregor on Thursday confirmed his departure after Friday night’s game against Parramatta while at the same time endorsing Young’s opportunity to show what he has to offer.

The Dragons will no doubt be inundated by resumes in coming days, just as North Queensland were when they decided to part ways with Paul Green.

Green looms as Young’s greatest threat, given the number of logical candidates who are seemingly out of contention.

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Assistant Shane Flanagan is unlikely to have his ban reduced by the NRL, meaning he must wait another 12 months to be a head coach. Craig Fitzgibbon and Jason Ryles have already pledged their commitments to the Sydney Roosters and Eddie Jones respectively.

Seven-time premiership winner Wayne Bennett, the last man to take the Dragons to a title, is believed to have reiterated to South Sydney that he will honour the final year of his deal. England coach Shaun Wane has been interviewed by the Cowboys and deserves a look.

Young, the son of St George great and current board member Craig Young, has been a loyal lieutenant to McGregor in recent years and will assume a back seat on Friday night as McGregor takes charge for the final time as head coach.

His tenure came to an end officially on Thursday, but his departure had been days — some would argue weeks — in the making.

Having survived a push for his scalp earlier in the year, recent results had left him vulnerable and when he was told there was no guarantee the club would honour the final year of his deal, McGregor opted to walk early and give himself time to spend with his sick father and Young time to show he is the right man to take over.

“Certainly it‘s been tough,” McGregor said. “My father is seriously ill. He’s been in hospital for quite some time, so I need to go and see him. It’s been in the back of my mind. It’s part of it, it’s not the only thing.”

There were other issues at play. McGregor had sole responsibility for selections removed as the club took a more collegiate approach to naming the side each week.

He was second banana when it came to player recruitment, Ian Millward the main man on that front. He had his power diluted at every turn but ultimately he lost is job because he couldn’t get the Dragons back to the promised land.

He chopped and changed his team this season. He tried and failed to bring out the best in million-dollar-man Ben Hunt. He tinkered in a vain search for success. There were extenuating circumstances, but coaches are ultimately judged on results.

”I do think the conversation with the selection panel is outstanding,” McGregor said.
“It’s powerful. But I think the coach should get the final say on who is getting selected in the team.

“You have a coaching team and you need to lean on them. There should be hard conversation around that, but the coach selects the team.

“It‘s hard when you’re owning your result, but not getting the team you want. And then the other thing was around the question of, ‘Are we replacing anyone in our squad?’.

“We had lost players and hadn’t signed them. I wanted to know where I was going with recruitment and retention going forward.”

McGregor has spent 25 years at the club as a player, conditioner and coach. The Red V courses through his veins. There is a school of thought that the Dragons need to look elsewhere for their next coach, which would mean putting a line through Young.

McGregor, for one, would hate to see that happen.

“We haven’t met performance expectations over the past 18 months, and I take acceptance of responsibility,” McGregor said.
“I had the opportunity to build my team, which we did in 2017 and 2018. Unfortunately, we have not put that same side on the field since for a number of reasons.

“Dean Young and the team have a fantastic opportunity over the next six weeks to build into the 2021 campaign. Dean deserves this great opportunity to showcase his capabilities in the head coach role.”