Rugby league supremo Phil Gould believes the Dragons made the right call in forcing current head coach Anthony Griffin to reapply for his job as his future remains uncertain.
Dragons officials reportedly informed Griffin they would begin interviewing for the head coach role for 2024 and beyond on Tuesday according to the SMH.
His future was reportedly discussed at a board meeting, with Red V powerbrokers giving him time to prove he’s worth of another contract.
Griffin has only won 21 of of his 50-game tenure since taking the reigns at the Dragons, with the club failing to play finals football since 2018.
Gould believes Dragons bosses made a strategic move, stopping Anthony Griffin from fielding constant questions surrounding his future until a call is made.
“You’ve got to look at it from the Dragons perspective, he’s off contract at the end of the year,” he said on the Six Tackles with Gus segment.
“The time will come in the next couple of weeks where they go to every press conference and they’ll be asking the question, ‘are you re-signing for next year?’.
“The club’s going to get hounded with (questions), ‘what are you doing about the coach?’.
“They’ll have players off-contract or players they’re trying to sign and the first question they’ll ask is who is going to be the coach?
“They’ve got to be able to provide an answer for that.”
Gould also said the club may make a call in the coming weeks, but Griffin has time on his side to deliver crucial victories.
“They’re not going to let it go on until the end of the year,” he said.
“They’ll look at their performances over the last couple of years, they haven’t played finals football for a few years now.
“They may well intend to extend him, I don’t know. I think it’s the wise thing to do rather than just sitting there doing nothing, or saying nothing and doing it behind the coach’s back or trying to keep it out of the media.
“He’s the incumbent. He’s the one who can win four of his next five and stake a case. What they haven’t said is, don’t apply.
“It would have been worse if they said we’re going to appoint a new coach in the next month, no need to apply.”
Roosters assistant and ex-Dragons player Jason Ryles is viewed as one of the frontrunners to become their next coach while the club will contact Craig Bellamy, as they did in 2012 when they tried to poach the Storm mastermind.
Braith Anasta said he believes the Dragons will make a “huge play” for Ryles, should it not work out with Griffin and that this is one way of kicking off that discussion early.
“The Dragons are thinking if we don’t go and get Ryles as soon as possible we will lose him,” Anasta said on NRL360.
However, The Daily Telegraph’s Paul Crawley believes the issue lies deeper than just the head coach — with the club desperately needing an overhaul of their junior system.
“They are two games into their season, they have performed pretty well in both games and here they have just pulled the rug straight from under his feet,” Crawley said.
“Because if you are going out to look for a new coach, you are looking for a new coach.
“I said it last week and I’ll say it again, we are yet to see St George Illawarra, in the current system, take a player and take him beyond what think.
“Look at clubs like South Sydney, Manly are doing it now, the Roosters, they are taking local juniors and turning them into out and out superstars.
“Dragons haven’t done it, they haven’t done it for years, the system stinks.”
