At an exclusive fan forum on Tuesday night, St George Illawarra Dragons interim coach Dean Young was forced to directly address whether he is the man to turn the club around.
With Shane Flanagan sacked after a brutal losing streak, the forum quickly turned to questions about accountability, selection, and whether the club was again heading down a familiar path of underperformance.
One fan question, in particular, sparked the defining moment of the night, asking why Young should be the one to get the job done where others have failed.
Before senior club figures could step in, Young moved to take ownership of the response.
“I'll answer this,” Young said.
From there, he made it clear he was not approaching the job as a development project, despite external perceptions that the Dragons may be shifting towards rebuilding with youth.
“There's been some media around saying that we're looking to the future, and we're blooding young guys. I'm not looking towards the future, and I'm not interested in blooding young guys,” he said.
“I'm picking the team that I think can win each week, and the young forward pack that's playing at the moment are the players that deserve to be there.
“I've given players opportunities to play, and they either take it or they don't.”
The tone reflected the pressure surrounding the club's football program, with fans in attendance still raw from recent results and eager for clarity on how the Dragons intend to climb back into contention.
Behind the scenes, however, club leadership outlined a more layered approach to rebuilding, with St George Illawarra Dragons chief operating officer Ben Creagh emphasising that selection, recruitment and leadership development are being handled collectively rather than in isolation.
Creagh explained the structure driving those decisions.
“There's a group of us discussing players, taking all the information, listening to all the opinions of each other in that group, and combining the experience that we all bring to make a decision in the best interest of the club,” Creagh said.
“Developing leaders in clubs is important, and developing leaders in teams is vital to long-term success.
“There is a responsibility on coaches and staff who are in the environment to help develop those leaders and help them flourish.
“Now it's our job and our responsibility to help develop our emerging leaders coming through. Guys like the (Toby and Ryan) Couchman's, Dylan Egan, Hamish Stewart, Jacob Halangahu, Loko Jnr Pasifiki Tonga, Dan Atkinson—these guys are the future leaders of our club, and we're doing everything we can to upskill them to ensure they can lead the club into the future.”
Dragons CEO Tim Watsford also addressed the crowd, reinforcing that while development is part of the long-term picture, the expectation internally remains firmly focused on winning.
“We are not here to lose,‘' Watsford said.
“It's a simple vision – to win in the short term and to keep winning. We are one of the proudest clubs in Australian sport. Full stop. We are trying to be on top of the pile.
“We want to be better as a group. We want to ensure we set ourselves up for future success by putting the club first. We are recruiting people in key areas, and you are already seeing the fruit from people like Ben Creagh and Daniel Anderson.
“More continues to be done in all areas of the business.”
The forum also briefly turned to broader identity questions around the joint-venture, including whether the club should simplify its branding and move forward solely as “The Dragons.”
Chairman Andrew Lancaster confirmed the club will continue to represent both regions and maintain its traditional home ground split between WIN Stadium and Kogarah.
