If he is not fired, I will leave the St. George-Illawarra Dragons head coach, as he has a misunderstanding with his player.
He and his player have a misunderstanding; hence, if he is not fired, I will leave the head coach of the St. George-Illawarra Dragons.
On the eve of the new season, Anthony Griffin dismissed a series of Dragons dramas that had driven the summer sports off the front and back pages.
This morning, just before the Dragons announced his firing, Anthony Griffin, the embattled coach, was seen leaving training in Wollongong.
Sadly for Griffin, once the real football began, things did not improve. An infamous presentation dinner no-show by the club’s best players and Talatau “Junior” Amone’s resignation over an alleged hammer attack were only two of the scandals that characterized the summer.
The St. George Illawarra board doubled down after facing criticism from certain fans for first appointing Griffin by extending his contract through the 2023 campaign. Griffin was obviously not the man to guide the Red V into a bright, new age when his tenure was last really addressed at the board level four weeks ago. The former coach of the Panthers and Broncos was expected to win enough games, though, to support the choice to let him begin the season and finish it out.
Since then, the Dragons have not won. Director discussions took place on Monday night prior to Tuesday’s formal board meeting. Although the Kogarah and Illawarra sides of the merger don’t always agree, in this instance, it was decided there was no other option. She was hooked on “Hook.”
Dragons CEO Ryan Webb told this masthead, “There had been strong support a month ago, but since that last board meeting, we haven’t had another win.”
Griffin was appointed unsuccessfully, but he will end his NRL head coaching tenure with a victory rate of 51%, the same as that of premiership winner Ricky Stuart. Powerbrokers in Red V cannot afford to make that error again.
They will look back in time for an explanation, much like the other joint-venture team in the competition, the Wests Tigers. Between a trio of former players, they will select their new coach; if conditions with Jason Ryles cannot be reached, Ben Hornby and Dean Young will serve as backups.
Ivan Cleary was released from the final two years of his contract by the joint-venture team in return for $250,000 in compensation when he departed the Wests Tigers to rejoin Penrith. A similar sum will be sought by the Roosters to free Ryles.
Ryles will be permitted to finish the season at Bondi Junction and will depart with the Tricolors’ approval because he and his agent have been open about the Dragons’ interest in him.
If Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy ever chooses to depart the Storm, the former Test prop is also on a very short list to take his position, but waiting for Bellamy to retire is like waiting for Godot.
The dragons are supposed to hear from Young on Friday. Though Ryles has the job to lose, Hornby is also being questioned.
Although he never won a premiership with the Dragons as a player, the former Test prop might be able to as a coach. But as the hiring and firing of Griffin show, the team has a shaky history of selecting coaches.
