NRL Rd 1 - Dragons v Sharks
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 14: Dragons head coach Anthony Griffin speaks to the media during the round one NRL match between the St George Illawarra Dragons and the Cronulla Sharks at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, on March 14, 2021, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

The St George Illawarra Dragons have officially named their new-look coaching staff under current mentor Anthony Griffin, following the departure of Mat Head and Peter Gentle just a few months ago.

The club has announced that Ben Woolf and Ryan Carr will be Griffin’s new assistants as the club strives to return to the finals for the first time since 2018.

Woolf is the brother of current St Helens coach Kristian, who join the Dolphins under Wayne Bennett with a view to assuming the head coaching role in a few years.

Ben Woolf is currently head coach of Queensland Cup side Tweed Seagulls, who are in the midst of a finals campaign after finishing sixth in the regular season. He’ll head to Sydney at the end of their season.

Meanwhile, Carr is making a name for himself as current assistant to Brad Arthur at the Parramatta Eels, and he’s also spent time in the ranks at a number of NRL clubs including South Sydney and Cronulla, as well as time in England with Featherstone Rovers.

Carr is expected to link up with Griffin and the Dragons after the World Cup, where he’ll work alongside Roosters mentor Trent Robinson as a member of the French coaching staff.

Despite heavy criticism of both Griffin and the departure of long-standing club servants like Head and Gentle, Dragons general manager of football Ben Haran was ecstatic about the new appointments.

“The opportunity to bring Ryan and Ben to the club is something we’re all excited about,” Haran told the Daily Telegraph.

“Their broad experience across different systems external to the Dragons will only benefit our playing group.”

“Overall, we are really pleased by these appointments.”