Dean Young ready to make his mark as St George Illawarra coach

Dean Young is ready to make his mark over the next six weeks as he takes the reins at St George Illawarra.

Dean Young and assistant coach Shane Flanagan speak during the Dragons’ win over the Eels last week. Picture: Getty Images

Dean Young fielded a phone call from Wayne Bennett in the lead-up to his first game at the helm of St George Illawarra.

“I speak to Wayne quite regularly,” Young said.

“He rang up and gave me a bit of advice. I’d tell you (what it is), but Wayne gets cranky when I tell people secrets so I’m not allowed to say.”

Young sounded every bit the head coach as he held his first media conference in the lead-up to Friday’s game against Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium.

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He has the last six games of the season to show the club what he can do following the decision to split with Paul McGregor.

The Dragons have outlined what they want in a head coach and Young would appear to fit the bill. They want someone who is defensive-minded and Young was a defensive trojan during his playing career.

They want someone who is strong on discipline – Young was one of the most disciplined players of his era. They want someone who has spent time in a successful culture – Young won a premiership with Bennett in 2010, although his time in coaching as an assistant hasn’t resulted in the same rewards.

Yet he is a winner with an appetite for success and he demands excellence from his players.

He has laid an early marker, indicating there were will no rapid return from a COVID hold for NSW prop Paul Vaughan, who spent a fortnight away from the team for breaching biosecurity protocols.

Instead, Young will reward those who did the job in the Dragons’ last-start upset of Parramatta and Vaughan will make his return from the interchange bench.

“I am pretty determined to do things may way,” Young said.

“I’ve got six weeks now and it’s a good opportunity to do things my way. I’m pretty good at staying focused on task and my job was to do my job for ‘Mary’ (McGregor) for the Parramatta game and after that was when my mind started going a thousand miles an hour.

“I moved into this. There was a fair bit of butterflies when I addressed the staff and players on Monday morning, which I think is a good thing.”

Above all else, Young has made it clear what he expects from his players over the closing weeks of the season.

They are out of finals contention, but he wants them to maintain their standards.

“The players know what I value,” he said.

“I value players who compete, I value players that are disciplined and I value players that are consistent.

“There is no grey in that. It’s black and white for me.

“You either compete hard or you don’t, you are disciplined or you are not and you are consistent or you are not.

“It’s pretty easy for me to see and I let the players know on Monday that is what I value so now it is over to them.’’