St George Illawarra’s board is set to weigh up the pros and cons of sticking with Anthony Griffin as head coach at a meeting on Tuesday.
The Dragons have plummeted to 11th spot and their finals hopes are fading following their 54-26 thrashing at the hands of the Roosters on Saturday and despite being contracted until the end of 2023, Griffin’s future is again under the microscope, according to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald.
It came on the back of a heavy defeat to the Broncos and if the board opts to show Griffin the door, the club is facing a payout of nearly $500,000.
The Dragons face eighth-placed Manly at Kogarah on Friday night and if they suffer a third straight loss, their playoff chances will be hanging by a thread.
They finished 8-16 in Griffin’s first year in charge last season and are 8-9 in 2022, giving them a success rate of ust 39% during his stint.
Anthony Griffin. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
St George Illawarra have the fourth-worst defence in the NRL but recently rose as high as eighth on the ladder after starting the season with four losses from their first five games.
Griffin has been criticised for not investing in younger talent such as Tyrell Sloan and Jayden Sullivan, preferring to select veteran players at the end of their careers.
At the start of the season the Dragons exercised the option in Griffin’s contract for 2023 in a bid to prevent speculation mounting about the coach’s future.
The 55-year-old former Panthers and Broncos coach has a 52% winning record over the course of 213 games at NRL level – taking Brisbane to a preliminary final in his first season in 2011 is his best result.
There are several up-and-coming coaches who could be in contention for the Dragons role if the board showed Griffin the door, including two former local juniors who enjoyed lengthy playing careers at the club in Roosters assistant Jason Ryles and Cowboys deputy Dean Young, who was the interim appointment late in the 2020 season when Paul McGregor’s tenure ended.
Another former St George Illawarra star, Trent Barrett, could also be an option but the club would be unlikely to sign him after his Canterbury stint ended in failure midway through this season.
Panthers assistant coach Cameron Ciraldo is in demand and after turning down an approach from the Wests Tigers, he is being pursued by the Bulldogs but could also have the Dragons chasing him for 2023.
Rapana facing two-game ban
Canberra winger Jordan Rapana is set to miss the Raiders’ next two games as they gear up for a late push for the NRL finals.
Rapana was hit with two charges on Monday stemming from the 20-16 win over Melbourne on Sunday.
The 32-year-old can escape with a $3000 fine for a grade-one shoulder charge on Storm centre Marion Seve. But a careless high tackle on Seve in the second half will result in Rapana missing the Raiders’ next two fixtures.
Rapana, who was sin-binned in the 58th minute for the offence, was handed a grade two charge.
He will sit out games against the Warriors and Gold Coast if he takes the early guilty plea and faces a three-week stint on the sideline if he fights the charge and loses at the judiciary.
Canberra are in 10th spot and have a favourable draw compared to the other sides vying for a spot in the top eight.
Meanwhile, Melbourne prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona will escape with a $1800 fine after a careless high tackle on Rapana in the same game.
Rapana was sent for a HIA but Asofa-Solomona will be free to face South Sydney on Saturday.
Elsewhere, Canterbury’s Raymond Faitala-Mariner has been handed a $1000 fine for a dangerous contact charge on Rabbitohs prop Mark Nicholls.
Keary booster for Roosters
The return of Luke Keary from a lengthy concussion lay-off could not come at a better time for the Sydney Roosters as the depleted club battles to make the NRL finals.
The Roosters, who snapped a four-game losing streak on Saturday with an 54-26 win over St George Illawarra, sit in ninth spot and face five top-eight sides in the last seven weeks of the season.
But the victory over the Dragons came at a cost, with Sitili Tupouniua and Billy Smith succumbing to suspected ACL injuries and prop Siosiua Taukeiaho also picking up a cheekbone injury.
The good news for coach Trent Robinson is Keary is expected to run out in Friday’s visit to Newcastle, and that front-rower Jared Waerea-Hargreaves could return from a hamstring injury.
Robinson found a winning formula by shifting Joey Manu to the No. 6 jersey in Keary’s four-week absence but Manu is expected to return to centre, with Keary going into the halves alongside Sam Walker.
“I think he (Keary) trained all week so he’s looking good this week,” Walker said. “He’s an unbelievable footballer and he’s won multiple premierships.
“The leadership he’ll bring coming back into our team will be huge for us and we’ll definitely need it at the back end of this year.”
Waerea-Hargreaves, who was close to coming back in the Roosters’ past two games but was twice ruled out soon before kick-off, has again been listed as a possible starter.
After Friday’s game with Newcastle the Roosters face Manly, Brisbane, North Queensland, the Wests Tigers, Melbourne and arch rivals South Sydney to open the new Sydney Football Stadium.
Meanwhile, Walker said he wouldn’t follow the lead of club teammate Victor Radley, who pledged his representative allegiance to England on Sunday.
Born in Leeds but raised in Brisbane, Walker said: “I’m a proud Queenslander.”
(Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)
Milford takes plunge with Dolphins
Knights playmaker Anthony Milford is set to be unveiled as the Dolphins’ most significant playmaker recruit after agreeing to terms on a two-year deal.
Milford, according to a Courier-Mail report, will reunite with his former Broncos coach Wayne Bennett at Redcliffe after completing this season with Newcastle.
He joined the Knights midway through the year after appearing in court to face charges following a late-night incident last year in Brisbane.
The 28-year-old is a much-needed boost to the new club’s playmaking ranks alongside his former Brisbane teammate Kodi Nikorima, Penrith’s Sean O’Sullivan and young Panthers prospect Isaiya Katoa.
Milford, who brought up his 200th NRL appearance in last weekend’s loss to Manly, has scored 70 tries across stints with the Raiders, Broncos and Knights and can be a match-winning half but has struggled to produce consistent form the past couple of years.
He has represented Queensland twice at Origin level and also played eight Tests for Samoa.
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