Dragons coach Anthony Griffin is terminated effective immediately, and his replacement is named: Here’s how the team made a startling botch with the announcement.
St George Illawarra has fired head coach Anthony Griffin following a string of six consecutive losses.
Griffin, the first NRL coach fired this season, was informed by Dragons officials on Tuesday morning that he would be replaced immediately, with Ryan Carr taking over in the interim.
Saturday night’s 42-22 defeat to North Queensland was thought to be the final nail in the coffin.
And in a decision which sums up the club’s lack of leadership, the Dragons organised for eight players to front the media at 8.30am on Tuesday at the club’s Wollongong headquarters.
Red V chairman Andrew chairman Lancaster informed Griffin of the decision at 8am – but the players were blindsided, faced with questions from the media they had no answers for.
St George Illawarra captain Ben Hunt – a long time Griffin supporter – was said to be fuming at the disrespectful way the club handled the situation.
Since arriving at the Dragons in 2021 following previous stints with the Broncos (2011-14) and Panthers (2016-18), Griffin coached a total of 58 games for the club for 22 wins and 36 defeats, with a winning percentage of 39 per cent.
Griffin is also the third Dragons coach to be fired in a row, following Wayne Bennett’s departure at the end of the 2011 season after winning the premiership the year before.
In the last decade, Steve Price and Paul McGregor were both cut in the middle of the season.
Dragons CEO Ryan Webb commended Griffin for his contributions to the joint venture team over the previous two and a half seasons.
‘These decisions are never taken lightly, and on behalf of the club, I’d want to thank Anthony for all of his efforts throughout his time with the Dragons,’ Webb said.
‘Unfortunately, our performance in the first ten games of the season did not meet the club’s expectations, so it was determined he should end his duties this week.’
Forward Griffin’s departure was’sad’, according to Jack de Belin.
‘This is somebody’s livelihood. It’s their profession, their living,’ he explained.
‘It’s sad to watch. It is very upsetting when someone loses their work, regardless of their specialty or competence. I have a lot of sympathy in that regard.
Ryan Carr, Dragons assistant coach, will take up interim coaching duties for the NRL side effective immediately.
Carr had previously coached at Parramatta and South Sydney before joining the Dragons this season.
The club’s board and management will continue to evaluate head coaching prospects for the 2024 season.
Jason Ryles remains the major candidate to take over as coach next year, with fellow former Dragon Ben Hornby also an option.
The Dragons host.
