St George Illawarra coach Paul McGregor has surprisingly been granted a stay of execution after the club called an emergency board meeting on Tuesday morning to discuss his future.
Dragons directors reacted to Monday afternoon's dismal showing against Canterbury by organising a video conference to discuss the coach's future.
The Herald has been told by sources close to the meeting that the club decided against sacking the under-siege coach, despite the club slumping to a humiliating fourth straight loss to open the season.
The Dragons board was originally scheduled to meet next Tuesday, however the club's dire predicament forced officials to contemplate parting ways with the coach as early as today.
The Dragons are the only team in the NRL not to win a game this season, and haven't scored a try since the competition resumed two rounds ago, losing to cellar dwellers the New Zealand Warriors and Canterbury Bulldogs in consecutive weeks.
McGregor, who is in his sixth full season as Dragons coach, is on a contract until 2021 on a deal worth around $750,000 a season, and would receive close to a $1m pay-out should the club decide to end his tenure.
"If they make the decision I'll understand it," McGregor said of his potential sacking following the loss to the Bulldogs on Monday night.
"I'll be disappointed obviously but I understand the situation and there's conversations around it every day which doesn't help the team. If that decision is made, I'll wear it. I've certainly got the backing of the players and the staff.
"I'm not scared [of being axed] if that's the word you're looking for. I'm an optimist, but I'm a realist and I know that our team aren’t playing well enough at the moment and I'm the coach of that. I've got confidence in my team. At the moment they've lost a bit in themselves I think so I accept the blame."
Assistant coach Shane Flanagan is prohibited from taking on the head coaching role under the NRL's strict rules surrounding his return from suspension, leaving premiership-winning club legend Dean Young as a potential interim coach if McGregor is axed in the coming weeks.
Young's appointment is unlikely to extend beyond this year, but it will provide the Dragons time to find a long-term option for next season should they decide to part ways with McGregor.
Options include Sydney Roosters assistant Craig Fitzgibbon, Panthers assistants Trent Barrett and Cameron Ciraldo, former Newcastle coach Nathan Brown and England coach Shaun Wane. Whispers around Wayne Bennett returning to the club won't go away, especially if the Dragons can offer him a three-year deal beyond his 2021 expiry at the Rabbitohs.
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/mc...o-discuss-coach-s-future-20200609-p550q4.html
what a day to take an RDO
