On Monday, the Dragons announced that Dean Young will be the head coach of the club moving forward, signing a two-year deal until the end of the 2028 season after months of speculation as to who would replace Shane Flanagan in the long run after his tenure ended before the ANZAC Day clash against the Sydney Roosters.
The Red V have made their belief clear in Dean Young, as the club has shifted their focus to keeping local juniors and made massive signings for the 2027 season.
With his actions-over-words mindset, Young has helped the Dragons side improve since he became the club's interim head coach, starting with a 62-16 loss against the Sydney Roosters.
During this season, Young has been auditioning for the head coaching role while competing against Ben Hornby for the job, who is currently an assistant coach under Wayne Bennett at the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Young's tenure also started with the sacking of Michael Ennis, who left the Manly Sea Eagles to join the Red V as an assistant under Shane Flanagan.
Dragons CEO Tim Watsford explained to the media on Tuesday why they ultimately decided on Dean Young.
"We're in a position on the ladder that we don't want to be and never want to be in again, so we wanted to make sure that we explored every avenue and went through a process that was rigorous," he said.
"Full credit to Dean and the other candidates that came to us during the process, and the decorum they held themselves with.
"What stood Dean apart, he's obviously been on audition for the past 12 weeks. He's done a great job.
"We can see the intent, what the players are doing on the field, particularly on the weekend. They're showing some fight for their coach, which obviously plays into our decision-making.
"But in addition to that, it's bigger than one person. Dean has been a part of this club for a very long time, but that is not the reason why he got the role.
"He got the role because of his connection with the playing group, his philosophy, what he sees the club going forward, and most importantly – particularly with Ben Creagh, our chief operating officer – is the intent to drive talent from within this region. The emphasis on pathways and the academy has to be there."
The club started with an 11-game losing streak and a 15-game losing streak that began from the last four games of the 2025 season.
For Watsford, the Dragons are looking toward next season and made their ambitions straightforwardly clear.
"We'd like to be in a position that we are hopefully playing finals in 2027. I'm not shy about saying that," he said.
"I came into the business 12 months ago, and the clear mandate was to drive change and look at how we bring this club back to where it needs to be.
"I couldn't expect that we're in the position that we are on the ladder at the moment; I'll state that. That's a shock to everyone, but it's also a chance for us to assess, look, and ensure that we've got the right structures and people in the business to drive success going forward.
"So with the recruits coming in, coupled with our young playing group that's coming through … I'm expecting success very soon."
When the Dragons made the finals in 2018, the squad and the club looked very different and had a different vision to what Dean Young and the board are implementing now.
Losing in the semi-finals to the South Sydney Rabbitohs, the Dragons side includes Matt Dufty, Zac Lomax, Kurt Mann, Ben Hunt, James Graham, Cameron McInnes, Tyson Frizell, Jack De Belin, Blake Lawrie and Luciano Leilua.
Out of those players, nine are currently playing in the NRL, seven are at different clubs, and two of them are currently at the Dragons.
The recruitment for the Dragons has been outstanding, signing Keaon Koloamatangi, Scott Drinkwater, Phillip Sami, Connor Watson and Luke Metcalf on multi-year deals.
Dean Young wants to build his side with local juniors, as the club has been establishing their forward pack around Toby Couchman and brother Ryan Couchman, Hamish Stewart and Dylan Egan.
The club do not want to lose more juniors to rival clubs, having lost Jack Bostock to the Dolphins before their inaugural season in 2023 and Jasias Ah Kee to a multi-year deal with Perth Bears beginning in 2027.
"We feel very privileged that we've got the group we've got at the moment, and we'll be doing everything in our power to keep them here," Young stated.
"I know for a fact that they've grown up just like me wanting to play for the Dragons, so that holds some weight.
"When the decisions have to be made, whether they stay or go, hopefully the environment that I've created plays a part in them wanting to stay."
Young also assured fans that despite the last eight years being a tough time for the club, he believes the Dragons are heading in the right direction.
"It's been hard for everyone. The Dragons have been going through a tough period for a long time. We haven't played finals in so many years. So the fans, the staff, the players have been through a really tough period.
"But tough periods can make you stronger, and I'm sure these periods that we've been through right now, we will come out the other side. I really believe that this club's on the way up."
The Dragons hope to finish the season strong and will host the Gold Coast Titans on Sunday afternoon to hopefully get a win for Clint Gutherson, who will be playing his 250th NRL game.
