St George Illawarra bosses believed players needed a new outside voice before handing Anthony Griffin the reins as the club’s next NRL coach.
Griffin beat out interim coach Dean Young and Newcastle assistant David Furner for the role from 2021, earning himself a two-year deal and his first top job since being sacked by Penrith in 2018.
In doing so, he becomes just the second person with no former playing ties to the club in the past 20 years to hold the role, and is an entirely fresh face at the Dragons.
Since Wayne Bennett’s appointment from the outside broke their title drought in 2010, the Dragons have only hired from within at Wollongong.
Steve Price was Bennett’s right-hand man, and Paul McGregor was Price’s assistant.
If Young had won the race to be next coach, it would have continued that trend at a club that has underperformed for the past two years.
“It was time for an outside voice,” Dragons CEO Ryan Webb told AAP.
“For the playing group to have a new voice we thought was an important thing.”
Crucially, Griffin’s defensive record also helped get him over the line.
While he has never missed the finals as a coach, he has never had a season where his side has conceded 20 points ore more.
“Anthony (also) had some runs on the board. That old school discipline he is known for was appealing,” Webb said.
“Defence is the foundation.
“I don’t think it matters what sport, the successful teams all seem to revolve around one thing. Whether it’s NRL, AFL, basketball or whatever.
“That was definitely on our minds.”
The Dragons hope Young stays on as an assistant, contracted to the club for next year and having worked with Griffin at Tonga.
Webb said he would first allow him to digest the news, and was naturally disappointed but understanding after missing out on the full-time role.
The football department around Griffin could also look different.
The club will likely go down the path of an overarching general manager of football, with Ben Harran expected to get the role.
A stronger emphasis will be put on player development, with Griffin having worked with big nurseries at Penrith and Brisbane in the past.
He will also be given a role in recruitment, with that and team selection forming part of McGregor’s frustrations towards the end of his tenure.
However Webb said it remained to be decided if Griffin’s involvement in recruitment would be more significant than what McGregor was afforded.
“The coach will have a role in that recruitment committee, no doubt,” Webb said.
“And Mary did have a lot of influence. That was probably overstated. He was involved and Griffin will as well.
“We’ll still sort that all out (if it’s more of a role than McGregor). Nothing is set in stone at the moment.”
Andrew
Roar Pro
Couple of errors in this article. McGregor wasn’t Steve Prices assistant, McGregor was the coach of the Illawarra Cutters. Anthony Griffin has missed out on the finals once in 2013 while coaching Brisbane.
no one in particular
Roar Guru
I'm not saying he is a bad coach, just a very average one.
Gray-Hand
Roar Rookie
Yeah, I would agree that SuperCoach Wayne Bennett managed to get a team to punch above its weight. So would everybody. Wayne Bennett is universally recognised as a really, really, really good coach. Like, one of the best ever. If your argument is that Griffin is a bad coach because he isn’t as good as Wayne Bennett, then I think most people would say you are setting the bar too high for what counts as NRL standard coaching.
no one in particular
Roar Guru
The coach who followed him at brisbane had them minutes away from winning the GF. Either Bennett took an average roster to a GF, or they underperformed in previous seasons
Gray-Hand
Roar Rookie
Well, take a player like Darren Lockyer out of a roster and pretty much any team except the Storm will see their win rate drop significantly. It’s not like Griffin had had several seasons to cultivate someone to fill those boots. Worth noting as well that the previous coach was only able to get the Broncos to 10th place on the ladder the season before Griffin arrived even with Lockyer. Griffin then took them to 3rd. And only one of the following years was a losing season. They made the finals twice. So he was better than 50% of the other coaches. His worst season was 10/1/12 which is hardly terrible. His record at the Panthers was: 2016: 15/11 2017: 14/12 2018: 13/7 (4 fewer games) For an overall record of 58%. By comparison, Wayne Bennett’s overall NSWRL/NRL record is 62% which translates to 1 extra win per season. The Panthers were 9/15 immediately plummeted to 11/13 the season after Griffin left. So they improved significantly when he was there and got significantly worse after he left. That just isn’t the record of a coach that isn’t NRL standard.
no one in particular
Roar Guru
His win rate at the Broncos fell apart as soon as Lockyer retired, and resulted in 3 straight losing seasons. His record at the Panthers was underwhelming, and won fewer games each year Those views of Griffin are why he has lost teams, it's an open secret. The Dragons obviously did no due diligence of former staff or player at either of the previous clubs.
Emcie
Roar Guru
Hunt and Norman should be happy at least
Emcie
Roar Guru
I do wonder how long the victim narative will last, you can only be sacked so many times before its not the bosses fault. And he was hardly unfairly treated at the Broncos, he was given four years and more leeway then any other coach at the joint.
Gray-Hand
Roar Rookie
Well ... Webster stated that Griffin wasn’t an NRL standard coach. He has a win rate above 50% and his teams usually make the finals so that’s just not true. The Webster article was an out and out hit piece motivated but his personal dislike of Griffin due to Griffin’s social/political views. Griffin has deleted his twitter account, but it turns that he is basically everyone’s racist uncle. Way more towards the ignorant than hateful end of the spectrum, and nothing too bad, but still disappointing. Doesn’t mean he can’t coach though.
JGK
Roar Guru
Not the rubbish about Soward. Soward and Griffin are very tight now.
Tony
Roar Guru
Just so long as they cover Gould's arse
Tony
Roar Guru
I actually think that the Dragons fans will expect miracles after the disappointing Mary years
Rellum
Roar Guru
Those "Jouno's" are are carrying on with a maturity that six year olds would look down on, or they are all working together to make up drama which I don't know if that is worse.
no one in particular
Roar Guru
What Webster and Weidler wrote was the truth though
andrew
Roar Rookie
Reading on Fox League this morning that journos Wiedler and Webster are denying that they tried their utmost to print negative stores about Griffin so he wouldn't get Saints gig. Well the ch 9 club with President Gould failed in their bid to influence Saints coaching appointment. I hope Griffin wields the axe at Saints, without fear or favour.
Tony
Roar Guru
I guess Gould hadn't been in the headlines for a couple of days.
Tony
Roar Guru
Anyone who falls out with Gould must have something going for him.
Tom G
Roar Rookie
A massively underrated coach who was unfairly treated by more than one club. Interesting that Phil Gould chose to speak out about the Bulldogs today warning Barrett of the toxic culture he was walking into and suggesting he backflip on his deal. This is the same Phil Gould that shafted Griffin when he was over performing with a relatively young squad at the Panthers. Toxic is Gould’s middle name
no one in particular
Roar Guru
Griffin has a low ceiling. But the club (not the fans) has low expectations anyway
jimmmy
Roar Rookie
I wish him well. He has always seemed like a decent guy and I think he does have some coaching ability. Good choice I think.