On for Young and old in race for Dragons job

D-Day has arrived for Dean Young as he attempts to fend off Anthony Griffin and David Furner to become St George Illawarra coach

Dean Young speaks with Shane Flanagan during the Dragons’ clash against the Eels in round 14 Picture: Getty Images

St George Illawarra will conduct final interviews with their coaching candidates on Thursday and the eventual victor can take comfort in the knowledge that Jack de Belin has officially committed his future to the club.

The Warriors conceded defeat in the race to secure de Belin on Monday after he had indicated he would be staying at the Dragons.

Late on Wednesday, the Dragons confirmed that de Belin had informed them of his plans to accept a lucrative contract extension, albeit on the proviso that he is cleared of aggravated sexual assault charges later in the year.

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De Belin is due to stand trial in November, having spent more than 18 months on the sidelines after being stood down under the no-fault stand-down policy.

The news comes as the club prepares to conduct crucial interviews with the three coaches short-listed to replace Paul McGregor – interim coach Dean Young, Newcastle assistant David Furner and former Penrith and Brisbane coach Anthony Griffin.

It is understood Young is considered the slight favourite and if he is appointed to the position, he could have his choice of assistants. Current assistant Shane Flanagan is known to be a fan of Young and it is believed he would like to remain part of the staff if Young gets the job. Alternatively, Young has a strong relationship with Griffin and may attempt to keep him at the club as an assistant if he gets pipped to the top job. Griffin is likely to do the reverse if he is successful, retaining Young as one of his assistants.

Furner is keen to move back to Sydney but will interview for the job with the backing of some of the game’s heaviest hitters. The former Canberra coach has been a serial winner throughout his career as an assistant and will front the interview panel with references from some of the game’s most respected and revered figures.

Furner, who has been a sage sounding board for Knights coach Adam O’Brien, will most likely become an assistant to Trent Barrett at Canterbury if he misses the Dragons job. England coach Shaun Wane has also been linked with the position and could re-enter the equation at the 11th hour after missing out on the head coach position at North Queensland – Todd Payten is likely to be announced imminently.

Whoever gets the job will have their fingers crossed that de Belin is able to prove his innocence. The Dragons haven’t been the same side since he was sidelined and he is widely regarded as the most valuable player in their squad because of the impact he has on those around him.

He had hoped to have the charges dropped recently when his legal team was involved in an argument over technical aspects of the case. However, the court has set aside dates in November for the case to be heard and de Belin’s future in the game will hinge on the outcome.

The developments at the Dragons come as one of the key figures in the introduction of the no-fault stand-down policy prepares to be unveiled as the game’s new chief executive.

The NRL is expected to hold a press conference on Thursday to confirm Andrew Abdo as the successor to Todd Greenberg. Abdo, formerly the game’s chief commercial officer, was a key witness for the NRL in their Federal Court case against de Belin. He has done an outstanding job in an interim capacity since taking over from Greenberg and one of his first duties will be to cut a swath through the game’s cost base.