St George Illawarra’s board is set to weigh up the pros and cons of sticking with Anthony Griffin as head coach at a meeting on Tuesday.
The Dragons have plummeted to 11th spot and their finals hopes are fading following their 54-26 thrashing at the hands of the Roosters on Saturday and despite being contracted until the end of 2023, Griffin’s future is again under the microscope, according to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald.
It came on the back of a heavy defeat to the Broncos and if the board opts to show Griffin the door, the club is facing a payout of nearly $500,000.
The Dragons face eighth-placed Manly at Kogarah on Friday night and if they suffer a third straight loss, their playoff chances will be hanging by a thread.
They finished 8-16 in Griffin’s first year in charge last season and are 8-9 in 2022, giving them a success rate of ust 39% during his stint.
Anthony Griffin. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
St George Illawarra have the fourth-worst defence in the NRL but recently rose as high as eighth on the ladder after starting the season with four losses from their first five games.
Griffin has been criticised for not investing in younger talent such as Tyrell Sloan and Jayden Sullivan, preferring to select veteran players at the end of their careers.
At the start of the season the Dragons exercised the option in Griffin’s contract for 2023 in a bid to prevent speculation mounting about the coach’s future.
The 55-year-old former Panthers and Broncos coach has a 52% winning record over the course of 213 games at NRL level – taking Brisbane to a preliminary final in his first season in 2011 is his best result.
There are several up-and-coming coaches who could be in contention for the Dragons role if the board showed Griffin the door, including two former local juniors who enjoyed lengthy playing careers at the club in Roosters assistant Jason Ryles and Cowboys deputy Dean Young, who was the interim appointment late in the 2020 season when Paul McGregor’s tenure ended.
Another former St George Illawarra star, Trent Barrett, could also be an option but the club would be unlikely to sign him after his Canterbury stint ended in failure midway through this season.
Panthers assistant coach Cameron Ciraldo is in demand and after turning down an approach from the Wests Tigers, he is being pursued by the Bulldogs but could also have the Dragons chasing him for 2023.
Rapana facing two-game ban
Canberra winger Jordan Rapana is set to miss the Raiders’ next two games as they gear up for a late push for the NRL finals.
Rapana was hit with two charges on Monday stemming from the 20-16 win over Melbourne on Sunday.
The 32-year-old can escape with a $3000 fine for a grade-one shoulder charge on Storm centre Marion Seve. But a careless high tackle on Seve in the second half will result in Rapana missing the Raiders’ next two fixtures.
Rapana, who was sin-binned in the 58th minute for the offence, was handed a grade two charge.
He will sit out games against the Warriors and Gold Coast if he takes the early guilty plea and faces a three-week stint on the sideline if he fights the charge and loses at the judiciary.
Canberra are in 10th spot and have a favourable draw compared to the other sides vying for a spot in the top eight.
Meanwhile, Melbourne prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona will escape with a $1800 fine after a careless high tackle on Rapana in the same game.
Rapana was sent for a HIA but Asofa-Solomona will be free to face South Sydney on Saturday.
Elsewhere, Canterbury’s Raymond Faitala-Mariner has been handed a $1000 fine for a dangerous contact charge on Rabbitohs prop Mark Nicholls.
Keary booster for Roosters
The return of Luke Keary from a lengthy concussion lay-off could not come at a better time for the Sydney Roosters as the depleted club battles to make the NRL finals.
The Roosters, who snapped a four-game losing streak on Saturday with an 54-26 win over St George Illawarra, sit in ninth spot and face five top-eight sides in the last seven weeks of the season.
But the victory over the Dragons came at a cost, with Sitili Tupouniua and Billy Smith succumbing to suspected ACL injuries and prop Siosiua Taukeiaho also picking up a cheekbone injury.
The good news for coach Trent Robinson is Keary is expected to run out in Friday’s visit to Newcastle, and that front-rower Jared Waerea-Hargreaves could return from a hamstring injury.
Robinson found a winning formula by shifting Joey Manu to the No. 6 jersey in Keary’s four-week absence but Manu is expected to return to centre, with Keary going into the halves alongside Sam Walker.
“I think he (Keary) trained all week so he’s looking good this week,” Walker said. “He’s an unbelievable footballer and he’s won multiple premierships.
“The leadership he’ll bring coming back into our team will be huge for us and we’ll definitely need it at the back end of this year.”
Waerea-Hargreaves, who was close to coming back in the Roosters’ past two games but was twice ruled out soon before kick-off, has again been listed as a possible starter.
After Friday’s game with Newcastle the Roosters face Manly, Brisbane, North Queensland, the Wests Tigers, Melbourne and arch rivals South Sydney to open the new Sydney Football Stadium.
Meanwhile, Walker said he wouldn’t follow the lead of club teammate Victor Radley, who pledged his representative allegiance to England on Sunday.
Born in Leeds but raised in Brisbane, Walker said: “I’m a proud Queenslander.”
(Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)
Milford takes plunge with Dolphins
Knights playmaker Anthony Milford is set to be unveiled as the Dolphins’ most significant playmaker recruit after agreeing to terms on a two-year deal.
Milford, according to a Courier-Mail report, will reunite with his former Broncos coach Wayne Bennett at Redcliffe after completing this season with Newcastle.
He joined the Knights midway through the year after appearing in court to face charges following a late-night incident last year in Brisbane.
The 28-year-old is a much-needed boost to the new club’s playmaking ranks alongside his former Brisbane teammate Kodi Nikorima, Penrith’s Sean O’Sullivan and young Panthers prospect Isaiya Katoa.
Milford, who brought up his 200th NRL appearance in last weekend’s loss to Manly, has scored 70 tries across stints with the Raiders, Broncos and Knights and can be a match-winning half but has struggled to produce consistent form the past couple of years.
He has represented Queensland twice at Origin level and also played eight Tests for Samoa.
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Red Rob
Roar Rookie
:laughing:
Albo
Roar Rookie
Good point ! Although in Parliament it probably loses most of it impact amongst all those f#@!knuckles !
Red Rob
Roar Rookie
Yeah, but these days you can’t say it in a workplace. Whereas nitwit can even be used in parliament :stoked:
Albo
Roar Rookie
I still prefer f#@!knuckle !
Malo
Guest
Keary would be great off the bench
farkurnell
Roar Rookie
Looks like Benny gunna end up with a lot of Reserve graders an Pensioners
matth
Roar Guru
Photo finish
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
My heart skipped two beats when I read that... Don't do it again Matth...
David Roderick
Roar Rookie
If Darius Boyd makes a comeback I hope the Saints sign him before Wayne does.
matth
Roar Guru
The Dragons have made a recent career of taking ex broncos past their use by date, have they hired Seibold yet?
Redcap
Roar Guru
Yep, from what I understand Bruce Gordon is a Dragons supporter so, while I'm sure his heart's in the right place, it's not clear he's given much thought to what he actually wanted to do with the club. I'm still vaguely uncomfortable with a subsidiary of Channel Nine owning half of the club. I know it's not a direct conflict of interest, but I still think it's unseemly. Plus, I'm not entirely sure who the Win/Steelers directors are. I'm fairly certain Andrew Lancaster is still there, the others are something of a mystery. I'm actually more concerned about the Leagues club side. Does anything ever change in that place? Doust is going to have to wheeled out of the joint because he'll never leave of his own volition. Peter Black and Ralph Piggott have been there since the cretaceous period. They need some new ideas.
Saints
Guest
There’s a whisper that Jacob Little will be at the club next year. I’m not sure that he’s a player that they need there. They’d be better off trying to buy Peter Mamouzelos from South’s. Even though he re-signed for South’s , he’s stuck behind Cook. Of course Saints could have kept Reece Robson, but that would have been sensible.
Saints
Guest
Absolutely. Was it even the same team? The noise out of the club , is that the coach has lost at least a few of the players. I think we can see that in the on field performances now.
Zenn
Roar Rookie
Unwanted by Broncos. Unwanted by Panthers
Centre
Roar Rookie
Agree re the Ancient everything with Hook . I’d like to think that Ryles could be SGIs Fitzgibbon. Was a great player. Has a footy brain. Has learnt and developed people skills. Did his time learning coaching skills from great mentors. And then put all of this together and is now well on the way to becoming a successful coach. Bennett did bring us a premiership. But look at the team he took on. He knew what he was doing. He also took players when he walked away and supported Price as our next coach! But he did help us win a premiership! Agree
Big Daddy
Roar Rookie
Andrew, the first line in the article saying the board extended his contract until the end of 2023 says it all . Regardless of whether he stays or goes this is the second time they may have to make a payout . To be fair they had some dickheads and players not performing and they did get rid of some but wether Griffin or whoever oversees their recruiting policy goes the decisions are still made by the board who seem to retain their embroidered jackets . It's the same with tiger's . No wonder coaches and players try to leave clubs as soon as possible . I'm sure Griffin is a nice guy like most coaches but he's not responsible for his contract being renewed , sure he might agree but it still comes back to the board . Sooner or later these clubs with private ownership and no success get sick of forking out money and may try to sell but to be honest who would bother .
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
I keep saying, get the guy that set up the game plan for the first half against Souths. That's if he's still around after Hook ripped him for going off pattern.
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
What the heck are the Gordons in it for? Just for Win dollars? They need to spend a weekend with Uncle Nick and get an idea of how they should be involved and how to exert some of their corporate muscle and nous. And find some club passion and pride and success expectations. No way would Uncle Nick put up with the last two games' effort if it were the chooks.
danwain
Roar Rookie
I'm not sure about McCullough, but I don't think McGuire and Woods are signed up next year. Agree with everything you are saying, but he just isn't the type of coach to do that, he is more worried about keeping his job than setting the club up for the long term, and it falls on the guys making the decisions at the top.
UAP
Guest
Have to agree Bernie. The players are there but how you rearrange the deck chairs to make it work is beyond me. Cant see them sacking Griffin at the moment.