Dean Young is set to quit St George Illawarra and join a rival club in spite of Anthony Griffin accepting the role as the new Dragons coach.

It was announced last week that Griffin had been given the head coaching role despite Young acting as a temporary coach after Paul McGregor’s exit last month.

The ex-Dragons player is reported to take on an assistant coaching role at either North Queensland or Newcastle according to The Daily Telegraph.

Young will likely be an assistant to Todd Payten or Adam O'Brien depending on which club's offer he chooses to accept.

He has also been linked to Wests Tigers which is situated the closest to his current residence, but Young accepting this offer is less likely to happen in comparison to the aforementioned clubs.

Young and former teammate Ben Hornby were long-time assistants at the Dragons until the latter left for South Sydney last year.

Griffin has reportedly already pushed his authority within the club, telling a number of staff including assistants Shane Flanagan and James Shepherd, that they won't have jobs at the club as of the new year.

Young told reporters in his pre-match press conference last week that he believes Griffin can turn the Dragons' fortune upside-down.

“I think (Griffin is) going to do a great job, he’s a great person and he’s got a lot of experience and I think his time out of the game will probably make him a better coach,” Young said.

“He would have reviewed what he did at Penrith and what he did at the Broncos and as a coach you learn every day and every year.

“I’m sure he’s ready for the opportunity to turn this club around and turn it into a force again and I really hope he does.”

The Dragons' are set to play the Knights this Sunday at the Newcastle International Sports Centre.