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Doust Retires at end of 2018 season

getsmarty

Immortal
Messages
33,485
Peter Doest to end 18-year reign as St George Illawarra Dragons CEO
  • Local News
    r652_92_3472_1847_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg

    Leaving: St George Illawarra Dragons CEO Peter Doust [centre] at St George Bank's Kogarah branch in late 2017. Picture: John Veage

  • Peter Doust, the longest-serving NRL club boss, will retire at the end of the season.

    St George Illawarra announced Doust’s decision on Thursday after 18 years in the position.

    Doust oversaw the early days of the fledgling club after the merger of the St George Dragons and Illawarra Steelers, with the joint venture club winning one premiership in his almost 20-year tenure.

    “I have, and will continue, to thoroughly enjoy my time in the role,” Doust said.

    “I feel very fortunate and privileged to have been afforded the opportunity to be the CEO of the Dragons and to have had a career in rugby league.

    “I made the decision over the holiday break, in consultation with my family, and I wanted to give [chairman] Brian [Johnston] appropriate notice to allow he and the board, the opportunity to plan for the future.

    “Essentially after 25 years in health care and 18 years in rugby league, I am at the stage in my life where I would like the time to pursue other interests. Rugby league by its very nature, never stops.

    "I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in the role and am extremely passionate about the club and remain focused on its objectives before I finish up. However, I don’t believe that now is the time to reflect on my time at the Dragons.”

    Doust has been one of the most polarising figures in rugby league. His retirement will likely be welcomed by sections of the club’s fan base who have long called for his resignation, with the infamous “oust Doust” banners once conspicuous on the hill at Jubilee Oval.

    One of Doust’s greatest achievements was attracting legendary coach Wayne Bennett to the club in 2009, with Bennett going on to end St George’s 31-year wait for a premiership a year later.

    The announcement ensures he will go out on his own terms, with Doust now expected to turn his attention to securing WIN Corporation’s long mooted purchase of the club.

    Johnston paid tribute to Doust and outlined the club’s plans for the future.

    “I have the highest respect for Peter. His passion, dedication and leadership have been first class,” Johnston said.

    “His loyalty to the club, the staff and players has always been unwavering and we are very fortunate to have had him leading our club as CEO.

    “Rugby league is a very challenging and dynamic environment and he deserves enormous credit for his leadership, trust and resilience.

    “He has always ensured the Dragons’ interests were heard and considered at every level of the game and we are grateful that he has given the board appropriate time to consider a replacement and assist with any transition.”

    Doust is expected to remain on the club’s board.
http://www.theleader.com.au/story/5205870/doust-to-end-18-year-reign-as-dragons-ceo/
 

Gareth67

First Grade
Messages
8,407
By all that is holy - now the chance is there to make a fresh start . Hopefully it will be grasped with both hands and the correct appointments made by ensuring that only suitable candidates who are positive in their their thinking are selected .

We have had more than enough of the old brigade's staid attitude , the Joint Venture must move into the second decade of the 21st century and now is the time to do so .

We will never have a better opportunity than the present , as I said take it with both hands and mould it like a piece of clay into something that will present the Big Red V with glistening premiership trophys .
 

TomRedVRiver

Bench
Messages
3,649
Bennett reveals why Doust was 'one of the best' he's worked with

Wayne Bennett wouldn't have signed as coach of the St George Illawarra Dragons in 2009 if he'd caught sight of the club's then underwhelming training facility, but what happened next is one reason why he's hailed outgoing club CEO Peter Doust as one of the best administrators he's worked alongside.

"I loved working with Peter because he was decisive and everything he told me he would do, he did," Bennett told NRL.com.

"And if he couldn't do it to the ultimate perfection he gave it as much as he could. I remember when I first went down there I told him that I wouldn't have signed with the club if I'd seen their training facility.


"He promised me that he'd do something about that and fix it up, which he did to his credit.

"We got a better training facility. It wasn't world class but it was good and workable."

In the wake of Doust's announcement that he will stand down at the end of 2018 after 18 years at the helm of the joint venture, Bennett has outlined why his partnership with the Dragons boss prospered during his three-year stint.

Doust has been a regular target of angry supporters when the club has failed to live up to expectations, but Bennett said the CEO had secured better facilities for the club, been at the helm for a drought-breaking premiership in 2010 and played more of a key role in keeping and securing stars than was widely known.

"I don't think he ever got enough credit for what he did at Kogarah and Wollongong with regards to improving those grounds," Bennett said.

"He got a lot of government money and did a great job.

"Kogarah is a magnificent football ground and always has been, but in my opinion among those suburban grounds in Sydney it is number one."

bennettw-pressa-170519700.jpg

Broncos coach Wayne Bennett.:copyright:Scott Davis/NRL Photos
Bennett told NRL.com of the agreement he struck with Doust about how things were going to work, with neither party interfering in the other's jurisdiction.


Doust was master of his administration domain in Kogarah, with Bennett to run his own race and the football team down the road in Wollongong.

"I had a great relationship with him. He is one of the best I've worked with, and I don't think we had a bad word between each other," Bennett said.

"I got a bit of background stuff not long after I took the job that he liked to come down and put his fingerprints around the place, but that was the last thing I wanted.

"So I told him when I got the job 'here's the deal. You just stay at Kogarah. I'll look after Wollongong... and I'll ring you every Monday.' He had a chuckle, and that's how it panned out. He was great."

He got far too much criticism and never enough praise for what he did as far as I am concerned.

Wayne Bennett
Bennett chuckled and said Doust "never had to come down once" to training, but then added they did have a rendezvous "four or five times" at a favourite seafood joint in the Steel City.

"It was a great restaurant," he quipped.

Premiership mission accomplished, Bennett left the Dragons in 2012 and did not go back to join Doust after his three-year stint at the Newcastle Knights. The lure of the Broncos brought him home just when it appeared the Dragons CEO was on the cusp of another stunning coup.

Looking back, Bennett conceded Doust did his level best to prevent him leaving the Dragons in the first place.


The Rabbitohs, Broncos and Knights were among the clubs in the hunt with the Knights ultimately prevailing, but Bennett told NRL.com that Doust had put the best offer on the table of the lot.

"It was a great three years I had there at the Dragons and of all the offers I had when I left, Peter Doust made me the best offer to stay there," he said.

"He got criticised for not keeping me but he should never have got criticised for that, because it was purely my decision.

"We'd done such a good job there and it was such a good time there that I just thought 'these things usually end in tears. I just want to get out now while I'm in front'. I had other offers to go other places, but my point is that Peter made me the best offer to keep me there and did everything he possibly could."

Bennett pointed to Doust's rich red and white heritage as being a driver in his life. Doust's father Laurie was a legendary director, selector and recruiter who brought Johnny Raper, Billy Smith and Graeme Langlands to the club.

Peter Doust brought Bennett to the club, and the only title since 1979 followed and a burden was lifted.

That's why Bennett was delighted for Doust "and guys like [former football manager] Craig Young" after the 2010 premiership because they had "carried that weight of responsibility on their shoulders and in their hearts".

"He got far too much criticism and never enough praise for what he did as far as I am concerned, and he did what no-one else had done in 31 years when he was chief executive for the 2010 premiership," Bennett said.

"Peter worked really hard to get and keep key players for me. No-one appreciates how hard that it is to do, and Mark Gasnier is a classic example of that.

"He left because of situations there he wasn't happy with, but he came back because of guys like Peter Doust."


The comments that bug me the post in this article are Wayne's sentiments about our training facilities. It annoys me that other clubs with a lot more money have that ability to have world class facilities whilst we're stuck with a 'functional' one. Hopefully Bruce Gordan's money will fix this.
 

Saint_JimmyG

First Grade
Messages
5,067
Back room compromises have been a feature of the club's management during Doust's tenure.
How Doust was appointed and how McGregor ended up as head coach, are examples of an endemic old boys club culture.
What happens next will affect the club's future for the next 20 years.
With high quality management in place that will run the business based on results, we have every right to be optimistic about the future.
Put a broom through the place - get rid of the factions and the seat warners and run the club with the view to winning premierships.
We have a great brand (get rid of "Illawarra" and it will be even better), great juniors and fans who are passionate and love the club.
Get a real street wise coach in there and that will be the cherry on top for me.
Let's hope Doust's departure heralds a new era of glory for this grand old club.

Given it's lack of a strong St. George junior nursery base, there's simply no way SGI can afford to dispose of the Illawarra component.

Dragons = history.
Steelers = playing strength.

It's the way things have been since 1999.
 

Overseas dragon

Juniors
Messages
2,275
Bennett reveals why Doust was 'one of the best' he's worked with

Wayne Bennett wouldn't have signed as coach of the St George Illawarra Dragons in 2009 if he'd caught sight of the club's then underwhelming training facility, but what happened next is one reason why he's hailed outgoing club CEO Peter Doust as one of the best administrators he's worked alongside.

"I loved working with Peter because he was decisive and everything he told me he would do, he did," Bennett told NRL.com.

"And if he couldn't do it to the ultimate perfection he gave it as much as he could. I remember when I first went down there I told him that I wouldn't have signed with the club if I'd seen their training facility.


"He promised me that he'd do something about that and fix it up, which he did to his credit.

"We got a better training facility. It wasn't world class but it was good and workable."

In the wake of Doust's announcement that he will stand down at the end of 2018 after 18 years at the helm of the joint venture, Bennett has outlined why his partnership with the Dragons boss prospered during his three-year stint.

Doust has been a regular target of angry supporters when the club has failed to live up to expectations, but Bennett said the CEO had secured better facilities for the club, been at the helm for a drought-breaking premiership in 2010 and played more of a key role in keeping and securing stars than was widely known.

"I don't think he ever got enough credit for what he did at Kogarah and Wollongong with regards to improving those grounds," Bennett said.

"He got a lot of government money and did a great job.

"Kogarah is a magnificent football ground and always has been, but in my opinion among those suburban grounds in Sydney it is number one."

bennettw-pressa-170519700.jpg

Broncos coach Wayne Bennett.:copyright:Scott Davis/NRL Photos
Bennett told NRL.com of the agreement he struck with Doust about how things were going to work, with neither party interfering in the other's jurisdiction.


Doust was master of his administration domain in Kogarah, with Bennett to run his own race and the football team down the road in Wollongong.

"I had a great relationship with him. He is one of the best I've worked with, and I don't think we had a bad word between each other," Bennett said.

"I got a bit of background stuff not long after I took the job that he liked to come down and put his fingerprints around the place, but that was the last thing I wanted.

"So I told him when I got the job 'here's the deal. You just stay at Kogarah. I'll look after Wollongong... and I'll ring you every Monday.' He had a chuckle, and that's how it panned out. He was great."

He got far too much criticism and never enough praise for what he did as far as I am concerned.

Wayne Bennett
Bennett chuckled and said Doust "never had to come down once" to training, but then added they did have a rendezvous "four or five times" at a favourite seafood joint in the Steel City.

"It was a great restaurant," he quipped.

Premiership mission accomplished, Bennett left the Dragons in 2012 and did not go back to join Doust after his three-year stint at the Newcastle Knights. The lure of the Broncos brought him home just when it appeared the Dragons CEO was on the cusp of another stunning coup.

Looking back, Bennett conceded Doust did his level best to prevent him leaving the Dragons in the first place.


The Rabbitohs, Broncos and Knights were among the clubs in the hunt with the Knights ultimately prevailing, but Bennett told NRL.com that Doust had put the best offer on the table of the lot.

"It was a great three years I had there at the Dragons and of all the offers I had when I left, Peter Doust made me the best offer to stay there," he said.

"He got criticised for not keeping me but he should never have got criticised for that, because it was purely my decision.

"We'd done such a good job there and it was such a good time there that I just thought 'these things usually end in tears. I just want to get out now while I'm in front'. I had other offers to go other places, but my point is that Peter made me the best offer to keep me there and did everything he possibly could."

Bennett pointed to Doust's rich red and white heritage as being a driver in his life. Doust's father Laurie was a legendary director, selector and recruiter who brought Johnny Raper, Billy Smith and Graeme Langlands to the club.

Peter Doust brought Bennett to the club, and the only title since 1979 followed and a burden was lifted.

That's why Bennett was delighted for Doust "and guys like [former football manager] Craig Young" after the 2010 premiership because they had "carried that weight of responsibility on their shoulders and in their hearts".

"He got far too much criticism and never enough praise for what he did as far as I am concerned, and he did what no-one else had done in 31 years when he was chief executive for the 2010 premiership," Bennett said.

"Peter worked really hard to get and keep key players for me. No-one appreciates how hard that it is to do, and Mark Gasnier is a classic example of that.

"He left because of situations there he wasn't happy with, but he came back because of guys like Peter Doust."


The comments that bug me the post in this article are Wayne's sentiments about our training facilities. It annoys me that other clubs with a lot more money have that ability to have world class facilities whilst we're stuck with a 'functional' one. Hopefully Bruce Gordan's money will fix this.
Regarding Gasnier. Doust was there when he left and when he came back so BENNETTS words don't ring true sounds like a beat up after BENNETT left our club in a giant hole
 

getsmarty

Immortal
Messages
33,485
GAME ON: Doust legacy could be a WIN for all
Dragons Den News
r0_0_5472_3648_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg


POLARISING: Outgoing Dragons CEO Peter Doust's legacy will be hotly debated, but if he can secure a deal to sell the club to WIN Corporation, it will be looked upon much more favourably. Picture: Sylvia Liber
They're dancing in Chicago

Down in New Orleans

In New York City.

In Kogarah...Dancing in the street.

The news that Peter Doust’s 18th season as Dragons chief executive will be his last was enough to have a large chunk of the Red V faithful dusting off the Mick Jagger vinyls.

The ‘Oust Doust’ banner has been a near-permanent fixture at Dragons games throughout his reign as the game’s longest serving CEO. It says as much about Dragons fans as it does about Doust.

For all their passion – unquestionable – Dragons fans are among the most trigger-happy in the game.Calls to sack, coaches, players – even water boys – are loud and frequent. They often get their way.

It stands to reason that the one man who’s outlasted them all would become the target of that anger.

That longevity speaks to either his dedication and resilience, or to his inclination towards self preservation, depending on who you talk to. Indeed, jokes about Doust surviving the apocalypse are plentiful.

In true Doust style, confirmation that he would depart at season’s end came in a prepared statement. For once, it was appropriate. His job is not yet done and, as he said in that statement: “I don’t believe that now is the time to reflect on my time at the Dragons.”

It won’t stop others doing just that, or laying the boot in. This columnist will do neither. As Doust said, now is not the time. It does, however, highlight what has been his greatest failing as a club boss – an apparent stubborn determination to insulate himself from the media and, by extension, the fans.

He’s been either unwilling, or unable, to address the issues that arise in the rough and tumble of the NRL. As he said himself, “rugby league, by it’s nature, never stops.”

Notoriously media-shy, Doust’s reluctance to engage with the club’s fan-base has left him seeming aloof, uncaring and desperately out of touch. That timidity in the face of scrutiny has also manifested in an inability to properly sell his successes

For all the criticism he’s faced, you cannot question his loyalty to the club, or his desire for it to succeed. Where the Northern Eagles have disappeared and Wests Tigers remain a basket case, the Dragons have been the game’s most successful joint-venture – at the very least it’s most stable. Doust also brought Wayne Bennett to the club – the result it’s first premiership in 31 years.

Enough to temper fans joy at his departure? Unlikely. But, like that house guest who obliviously overstays their welcome, all can be redeemed with a parting gift. The sale of the club to Bruce Gordon’s WIN corporation looms as that gift. If Doust can secure that deal, and the club’s future, he can ride off into the sunset.

http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/...-doust-legacy-could-be-a-win-for-all/?cs=3713
 

Pro Dragons

Juniors
Messages
395
Bennett s
Bennett reveals why Doust was 'one of the best' he's worked with

Wayne Bennett wouldn't have signed as coach of the St George Illawarra Dragons in 2009 if he'd caught sight of the club's then underwhelming training facility, but what happened next is one reason why he's hailed outgoing club CEO Peter Doust as one of the best administrators he's worked alongside.

"I loved working with Peter because he was decisive and everything he told me he would do, he did," Bennett told NRL.com.

"And if he couldn't do it to the ultimate perfection he gave it as much as he could. I remember when I first went down there I told him that I wouldn't have signed with the club if I'd seen their training facility.


"He promised me that he'd do something about that and fix it up, which he did to his credit.

"We got a better training facility. It wasn't world class but it was good and workable."

In the wake of Doust's announcement that he will stand down at the end of 2018 after 18 years at the helm of the joint venture, Bennett has outlined why his partnership with the Dragons boss prospered during his three-year stint.

Doust has been a regular target of angry supporters when the club has failed to live up to expectations, but Bennett said the CEO had secured better facilities for the club, been at the helm for a drought-breaking premiership in 2010 and played more of a key role in keeping and securing stars than was widely known.

"I don't think he ever got enough credit for what he did at Kogarah and Wollongong with regards to improving those grounds," Bennett said.

"He got a lot of government money and did a great job.

"Kogarah is a magnificent football ground and always has been, but in my opinion among those suburban grounds in Sydney it is number one."

bennettw-pressa-170519700.jpg

Broncos coach Wayne Bennett.:copyright:Scott Davis/NRL Photos
Bennett told NRL.com of the agreement he struck with Doust about how things were going to work, with neither party interfering in the other's jurisdiction.


Doust was master of his administration domain in Kogarah, with Bennett to run his own race and the football team down the road in Wollongong.

"I had a great relationship with him. He is one of the best I've worked with, and I don't think we had a bad word between each other," Bennett said.

"I got a bit of background stuff not long after I took the job that he liked to come down and put his fingerprints around the place, but that was the last thing I wanted.

"So I told him when I got the job 'here's the deal. You just stay at Kogarah. I'll look after Wollongong... and I'll ring you every Monday.' He had a chuckle, and that's how it panned out. He was great."

He got far too much criticism and never enough praise for what he did as far as I am concerned.

Wayne Bennett
Bennett chuckled and said Doust "never had to come down once" to training, but then added they did have a rendezvous "four or five times" at a favourite seafood joint in the Steel City.

"It was a great restaurant," he quipped.

Premiership mission accomplished, Bennett left the Dragons in 2012 and did not go back to join Doust after his three-year stint at the Newcastle Knights. The lure of the Broncos brought him home just when it appeared the Dragons CEO was on the cusp of another stunning coup.

Looking back, Bennett conceded Doust did his level best to prevent him leaving the Dragons in the first place.


The Rabbitohs, Broncos and Knights were among the clubs in the hunt with the Knights ultimately prevailing, but Bennett told NRL.com that Doust had put the best offer on the table of the lot.

"It was a great three years I had there at the Dragons and of all the offers I had when I left, Peter Doust made me the best offer to stay there," he said.

"He got criticised for not keeping me but he should never have got criticised for that, because it was purely my decision.

"We'd done such a good job there and it was such a good time there that I just thought 'these things usually end in tears. I just want to get out now while I'm in front'. I had other offers to go other places, but my point is that Peter made me the best offer to keep me there and did everything he possibly could."

Bennett pointed to Doust's rich red and white heritage as being a driver in his life. Doust's father Laurie was a legendary director, selector and recruiter who brought Johnny Raper, Billy Smith and Graeme Langlands to the club.

Peter Doust brought Bennett to the club, and the only title since 1979 followed and a burden was lifted.

That's why Bennett was delighted for Doust "and guys like [former football manager] Craig Young" after the 2010 premiership because they had "carried that weight of responsibility on their shoulders and in their hearts".

"He got far too much criticism and never enough praise for what he did as far as I am concerned, and he did what no-one else had done in 31 years when he was chief executive for the 2010 premiership," Bennett said.

"Peter worked really hard to get and keep key players for me. No-one appreciates how hard that it is to do, and Mark Gasnier is a classic example of that.

"He left because of situations there he wasn't happy with, but he came back because of guys like Peter Doust."


The comments that bug me the post in this article are Wayne's sentiments about our training facilities. It annoys me that other clubs with a lot more money have that ability to have world class facilities whilst we're stuck with a 'functional' one. Hopefully Bruce Gordan's money will fix this.

Interesting Bennett left because he did not want it to end in tears. He knew we were about to go in free fall.
 

possm

Coach
Messages
15,591
Bennett reveals why Doust was 'one of the best' he's worked with

Wayne Bennett wouldn't have signed as coach of the St George Illawarra Dragons in 2009 if he'd caught sight of the club's then underwhelming training facility, but what happened next is one reason why he's hailed outgoing club CEO Peter Doust as one of the best administrators he's worked alongside.

"I loved working with Peter because he was decisive and everything he told me he would do, he did," Bennett told NRL.com.

"And if he couldn't do it to the ultimate perfection he gave it as much as he could. I remember when I first went down there I told him that I wouldn't have signed with the club if I'd seen their training facility.


"He promised me that he'd do something about that and fix it up, which he did to his credit.

"We got a better training facility. It wasn't world class but it was good and workable."

In the wake of Doust's announcement that he will stand down at the end of 2018 after 18 years at the helm of the joint venture, Bennett has outlined why his partnership with the Dragons boss prospered during his three-year stint.

Doust has been a regular target of angry supporters when the club has failed to live up to expectations, but Bennett said the CEO had secured better facilities for the club, been at the helm for a drought-breaking premiership in 2010 and played more of a key role in keeping and securing stars than was widely known.

"I don't think he ever got enough credit for what he did at Kogarah and Wollongong with regards to improving those grounds," Bennett said.

"He got a lot of government money and did a great job.

"Kogarah is a magnificent football ground and always has been, but in my opinion among those suburban grounds in Sydney it is number one."

bennettw-pressa-170519700.jpg

Broncos coach Wayne Bennett.:copyright:Scott Davis/NRL Photos
Bennett told NRL.com of the agreement he struck with Doust about how things were going to work, with neither party interfering in the other's jurisdiction.


Doust was master of his administration domain in Kogarah, with Bennett to run his own race and the football team down the road in Wollongong.

"I had a great relationship with him. He is one of the best I've worked with, and I don't think we had a bad word between each other," Bennett said.

"I got a bit of background stuff not long after I took the job that he liked to come down and put his fingerprints around the place, but that was the last thing I wanted.

"So I told him when I got the job 'here's the deal. You just stay at Kogarah. I'll look after Wollongong... and I'll ring you every Monday.' He had a chuckle, and that's how it panned out. He was great."

He got far too much criticism and never enough praise for what he did as far as I am concerned.

Wayne Bennett
Bennett chuckled and said Doust "never had to come down once" to training, but then added they did have a rendezvous "four or five times" at a favourite seafood joint in the Steel City.

"It was a great restaurant," he quipped.

Premiership mission accomplished, Bennett left the Dragons in 2012 and did not go back to join Doust after his three-year stint at the Newcastle Knights. The lure of the Broncos brought him home just when it appeared the Dragons CEO was on the cusp of another stunning coup.

Looking back, Bennett conceded Doust did his level best to prevent him leaving the Dragons in the first place.


The Rabbitohs, Broncos and Knights were among the clubs in the hunt with the Knights ultimately prevailing, but Bennett told NRL.com that Doust had put the best offer on the table of the lot.

"It was a great three years I had there at the Dragons and of all the offers I had when I left, Peter Doust made me the best offer to stay there," he said.

"He got criticised for not keeping me but he should never have got criticised for that, because it was purely my decision.

"We'd done such a good job there and it was such a good time there that I just thought 'these things usually end in tears. I just want to get out now while I'm in front'. I had other offers to go other places, but my point is that Peter made me the best offer to keep me there and did everything he possibly could."

Bennett pointed to Doust's rich red and white heritage as being a driver in his life. Doust's father Laurie was a legendary director, selector and recruiter who brought Johnny Raper, Billy Smith and Graeme Langlands to the club.

Peter Doust brought Bennett to the club, and the only title since 1979 followed and a burden was lifted.

That's why Bennett was delighted for Doust "and guys like [former football manager] Craig Young" after the 2010 premiership because they had "carried that weight of responsibility on their shoulders and in their hearts".

"He got far too much criticism and never enough praise for what he did as far as I am concerned, and he did what no-one else had done in 31 years when he was chief executive for the 2010 premiership," Bennett said.

"Peter worked really hard to get and keep key players for me. No-one appreciates how hard that it is to do, and Mark Gasnier is a classic example of that.

"He left because of situations there he wasn't happy with, but he came back because of guys like Peter Doust."


The comments that bug me the post in this article are Wayne's sentiments about our training facilities. It annoys me that other clubs with a lot more money have that ability to have world class facilities whilst we're stuck with a 'functional' one. Hopefully Bruce Gordan's money will fix this.

Well there you go, Bennett liked working with Doust because Doust let him run the football side of things; it seems a formula for success. However, one cannot go past the fact that if Doust acceded to Bennett's original request for a 5 year deal at 750k a season, we may have very well won back to back premierships and most probably not gone through the Price/Mary era. Bennett's 5 year term followed by another top line coach would have seen the Dragons maintain their mantle at the top of the NRL competition. All three decisions in Doust's area of responsibility:
1. A 3 year deal instead of a 5 year deal for Bennett.
2. The appointment and contract extension of Price.
3. The appointment and contract extension of Mary.

On the football side of things, the above 3 decisions have caused the biggest impact on the lack of success of the Dragons football standing in the competition since Bennett advised he was going to Newcastle.

On the Leagues Club matters, Doust has seen the rapid decline of the Taj and the financial fortunes of both the football club and leagues club on his watch; hardly a legacy to be proud of.
 
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