Paul McGregor makes his exit with his head held high

St George Illawarra coach Paul McGregor has remained hardworking and committed to the very end.

Dragons coach Paul McGregor will leave the club with his head held high. Picture: Getty Images

St George Illawarra coach Paul McGregor spent days practising his exit speech with long-time manager David Riolo. Line for line they went through it, making sure the message was clear and concise.

This was the McGregor way to the bitter end. Diligent, hardworking and always pursuing perfection. They would seem the ideal character traits to be a successful coach and perhaps McGregor will be that again. In the short term, it won’t be at St George Illawarra.

He will leave after Friday night’s game against Parramatta, but he harbours no ill-will towards the club where he has spent most of his adult life — 25 years as a player, conditioner, trainer and head coach.

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The club is in his blood. It helps explain why when he did announce his departure, he refused to leave behind a trail of destruction.

The Dragons have struggled for results this season but the bones of a good side are there. Keep Jack de Belin, make a couple of canny signings, and they should be in contention to be a finals side again as soon as next season.

McGregor’s exit should silence many of the critics who have been baying for blood but the hope is that they will give him the respect he deserves as he coaches for the final time on Friday night.

GRAPHIC: The McGregor file

The seeds of his departure were first planted last week when Riolo began talks with chief executive Ryan Webb. Riolo asked when the board was next meeting. Webb said next Tuesday. Amid ongoing speculation over McGregor’s future at the club — he had one year remaining on his deal — Riolo suggested the board should provide some clarity about next season and whether his contract would be honoured.

Early this week, after Webb sounded out the board, McGregor was told he was fighting a losing battle to retain the position in 2021.

The sense was that the club would let him coach out the year, but that would be it. McGregor has been fighting a personal battle amid the tumult.

His father has been sick and due to biosecurity rules governing the game’s return, McGregor has been unable to visit him.

The Australian was told he was given dispensation on one occasion, but with his tenure at the Dragons coming to an end, he decided his time would be better spent with his father than his Red V family.

Riolo and Webb have spent recent days hammering out the details of his departure, the final agreement only rubber-stamped by the club’s board on Wednesday night.

McGregor will leave with his head held high, having won 46 per cent of his 151 games in charge. He took over from Steve Price in 2014 and led the club to two finals appearances.

In recent years, they have became synonymous with late-season capitulations and the notoriously passionate St George Illawarra fans grew increasingly frustrated with the lack of success.

There was criticism of the uncertainty around key playmaking positions and the selection process, which was eventually carried out by committee. McGregor’s power was slowly being eroded and the club brought in premiership-winning coach Shane Flanagan to give him a hand.

The hope was that it would help McGregor keep his job. Now Flanagan is among the coaches being mooted as his replacement, although he needs a clearance from the NRL given he has been told he is unable to become a head coach for a further 12 months.

Assistant Dean Young will take over on an interim basis for the remainder of the season and he will be in the mix. If Young gets the job, don’t be surprised if he brings in former Brisbane and Penrith coach Anthony Griffin to help out.

Young and Griffin worked together with Tonga and it is believed they remain in contact. Local boys Craig Fitzgibbon and Jason Ryles will get mentioned but both have other commitments — Fitzgibbon to the Sydney Roosters and Ryles to Eddie Jones and English Rugby Union.

South Sydney coach and seven-time premiership winner Wayne Bennett is the other name in the mix, although he insists he is committed to the Rabbitohs and there are sections of the board who are believed to be opposed to his return.

Rather than discussing McGregor’s future, the board meeting next week will not be focused on plotting the way forward. More precisely, determining who should be the next coach of St George Illawarra.

The way it has come to an end should take nothing away from McGregor’s contribution to the Dragons. He is a club legend who will continue to play a part in their future if Webb has his way.

“I expect him to still be part of the club,” Webb said. “He is part of the family.”