'They still remember': Wayne Bennett act that irks the Dragons

With Paul McGregor's exit from the Dragons officially confirmed this week, talk has quickly turned to which coach the embattled club will appoint to guide them into the future.

Assistant Dean Young has emerged as an early frontrunner to be St George Illawarra's next coach after receiving the endorsement of McGregor, who will walk away after Friday's night's game against the Eels.

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Another name that has been repeatedly linked with a return to the club is Wayne Bennett, who famously coached the team to the 2010 NRL premiership.

On paper, the master coach may seem like the ideal man to restore former glory to a Dragons side that has struggled to consistently play finals footy since he left to join the Broncos in 2015.

The Sydney Morning Herald’s Andrew Webster says it's precisely because of this acrimonious exit - where Bennett reportedly reneged on a handshake agreement with then-Dragons CEO Peter Doust - that some factions of the club would vehemently oppose his return.

“There has been speculation for a number of months that Wayne Bennett would come back and come in as a mentor to Dean Young,” Webster said on The Big Sports Breakfast.

“But there are still people at that club who are not that keen to see the super coach come in.

“They still remember from five years ago when he reneged on a handshake agreement with Peter Doust to come back and coach the side and decided to go to the Broncos at the last moment after Lachlan Murdoch had called him.

“Some people at the Dragons are a little bit chastised about that.”

Bennett does still have another year left on his deal at South Sydney before he hands over to Jason Demetriou, which further complicates matters if the Dragons were interested.

Young will take over coaching the Dragons after Friday night's clash with Parramatta, with Craig Fitzgibbon and Jason Ryles other strong candidates for the full-time role from next season.

The club's other assistant, Shane Flanagan, remains under a ban from a head-coaching role by the NRL until the end of 2021.

Young will be given a dream run to prove himself, with the Dragons up against the struggling Brisbane, Gold Coast and North Queensland in the next three weeks.

Young backed to coach Dragons long-term

Chief executive Ryan Webb said on Thursday the Dragons expected to give themselves until the end of the season to make a decision.

But when asked who should replace him, McGregor was unequivocal in his support: "They have a very good one here.

"After this week he's got six weeks. Dean is as hard of a worker as anyone I have had on my staff.

"He's loyal to the club, has bled for the club and will only do good things for the club. He's a very smart coach.

While Webster conceded that Young is "highly regarded at the club", he said some fans may will undoubtedly want fresh blood and new ideas at the club.

“The problem with Dean Young from the perspective of the fans and the members is it will be seen as someone from within again," Webster said.

“If things don’t go well next year they will say he is a young rookie coach and we have to give him a couple of years.

“Then before you know it will be nine years with only a handful of finals appearances and Dragons fans and members are starting to get worn down by the lack of success.”

with AAP