St George Illawarra Dragons head coach Dean Young has revealed the club is still going through its process around the future of the head coaching role.
Young, who has served as an assistant at the Dragons in two stints on either side of time under Todd Payten at the North Queensland Cowboys, has made no secret of the fact he wants the full-time role at the Dragons.
It's believed he is well in contention for the job alongside another club hero in Ben Hornby who is currently at the South Sydney Rabbitohs under Wayne Bennett.
The Dragons have not put a timeline on when they will determine who is taking the club into 2027, but Young said the organisation is getting better as the process around the next full-time coach continues.
"The club's been really open and honest with where everything's at. They've got a process to do," Young said on ABC Radio.
"I really appreciate all the staff and all the players for buying into the change and I feel like we're getting better, so that's where my focus is at the moment."
The Dragons may well feel they are in no rush to determine their next coach given they have already virtually completed their recruitment for 2027, with most contract decisions made internally, and the prospect of Scott Drinkwater, Keaon Koloamatangi, Luke Metcalf, Phillip Sami and Connor Watson already locked in to join the outfit.
One of those recruits, Cowboys star Scott Drinkwater, has claimed Young was a part of the reason he signed for the club, potentially indicating that is where the Red V are leaning in their thought process over the future of the role.
“After meeting with Tim (Watsford), the CEO, I liked his bullish approach to how he wants to get things done, the views he had for the club (and) the way he's getting after it,” Drinkwater explained on SEN Radio when asked back in June.
“Dean Young was also another big factor there," he said.
“I was coached by him up here in Townsville, and I felt like I played my best footy under him as the assistant coach. He was also a really big factor.
“Then as well, Val (Holmes) is one of my good mates and being able to go back down there and play footy with him.
“They got young forwards, but I just liked the approach of the CEO and the way he wanted to get the club going.”
The speculation around the future of the role at the joint-venture club comes after the Dragons notched just their second win of 2026 against the Wests Tigers at Kogarah on Saturday evening.
It's a ground the side were booed off more than once earlier in the year. Young said it was nice to hear fans cheer again after the punishing 340-day wait for a win at home.
"To hear the fans cheer last night really means a lot to the players, especially the staff," Young said.
"The Dragons fans, I think as long as the team's turning up and competing really hard, they show up and they cheer for us.
"It was the first win at Kogarah for 340 days, so it's a long time for them to wait. They won't be waiting that long again."
The Dragons last won at home in August of last year against the Cronulla Sharks, with their only other win this year coming in Round 13 - their 12th game of the season - in Brisbane against the Brisbane Broncos.
Young has been in charge since Shane Flanagan was sacked at the end of Round 7.
