Phil Gould detail emerges amid Jason Ryles coaching bombshell at Dragons

Jason Ryles' bombshell decision to reject the head coaching role at St George Illawarra took almost everyone in the rugby league world by surprise, with the exception of Phil Gould it seems. The shock development was confirmed on Wednesday morning that the former Dragons star and Roosters assistant turned down the chance to succeed axed coach Anthony Griffin at the Dragons. Ryles has opted instead to return to Melbourne to become Craig Bellamy's assistant at the Storm, before likely succeeding the Storm coach in 2025.

Ryles was considered a short-priced favourite to take up the role at the Red V, with The Sydney Morning Herald reporting last week that his appointment was imminent. Even as recently as Tuesday night, News Corp's Brent Read told NRL 360 that the highly fancied assistant coach was expected to sign on at the Dragons this week.

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Despite all the reports to the contrary, one man who insisted Ryles was never likely to sign with the Dragons was veteran Nine commentator, Gould. Speaking on Nine's 100% Footy last week, league reporter Danny Weidler insisted Ryles was only a "50/50" chance of ending up at the Dragons, prompting a stunning response from Gould.

"I don't even think it's (50-50)," he said. "I don't think he's going to the Dragons. I think Jason Ryles is probably a longer-term fix at the Melbourne Storm, if and when Craig Bellamy gives it away."

Remarkably, Gould's assertion proved spot on, despite his prediction flying in the face of what was being widely reported across the rugby league world. Ryles' move back to Melbourne, where he was an assistant from 2016 until 2020, puts him firmly in pole position to succeed Bellamy as Storm head coach in 2025.

The Daily Telegraph has since reported that Gould was among those Ryles spoke with about the Dragons role, before ultimately turning it down. It would certainly help explain the Nine commentator's position.

Dragons CEO Ryan Webb revealed that Ryles was in contact with the club just after 9am on Wednesday to confirm he would withdraw from the race to coach the club where he played 156 first-grade games. "It was just about the timing and it not quite being the right fit," Webb told AAP about Ryles' shock decision.

"We had a process in place and there were other candidates, and we'll now go back and proceed with that." The Dragons had looked set to unveil Ryles as their coach within a week but will need return to the drawing board following the 44-year-old's decision to return to the Storm. The decision leaves fellow Dragons greats Ben Hornby and Dean Young among the most likely candidates for the club's head coaching role.

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Ryles won two premierships as an assistant to Bellamy at the Storm, worked alongside Eddie Jones in the English rugby union set-up and joined powerhouse NRL giants, the Sydney Roosters in 2022. It's not immediately clear if Ryles is set to link up with the Storm immediately, with Fox League’s James Hooper reporting he has been told by Roosters powerbrokers to “stay wide of all further commitments with the club”.

On Wednesday, Hooper reported that Ryles had knocked back an $800,000-a-season, four-year deal with the Dragons worth a staggering $3.2 million. The report says Ryles was on the verge of accepting the Dragons offer on Monday morning, before performing a huge U-turn by Wednesday after agreeing to re-join the Storm.

South Sydney assistant Hornby and North Queensland's Young are now jostling to coach the club where they won the 2010 premiership. There is hope that having a highly-rated coach on the books imminently can entice players to the Dragons, who have struggled to lure marquee talent amid four consecutive seasons out of the finals.

with AAP

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