Young Pulls No Punches As Dragons Finally Grow A Spine

A LINE IN THE SAND

The son of the recently sacked coach shown the door by the man brought in to clean up the mess. If that doesn’t tell you everything about where the Dragons have been and where they’re trying to go, nothing will.

And it’s the right call.

NO MORE FAVOURS

This isn’t personal. It’s professional. The Dragons have been kidding themselves for too long, picking and persisting with players based on reputation, connections and hope rather than performance.

Young has come in and cut straight through it.

That’s what good coaches do.

For too long this club has operated like it’s afraid to upset people. Afraid to make the tough call in case it ruffles feathers in the boardroom or the dressing room.

That’s how you end up where the Dragons are now.

Stuck.

ACCOUNTABILITY RETURNS

Young isn’t interested in that. He’s picked a team he believes can compete and if that means dropping the coach’s son then so be it. No hesitation. No apology.

That’s accountability.

And it doesn’t stop there.

Mick Ennis is gone too.

CLEAN OUT CONTINUES

Another clean out. Another signal that what was there before wasn’t working and won’t be tolerated anymore.

Now, whether Ennis was made a scapegoat or whether it was justified is almost beside the point. The reality is the Dragons have hit reset and Young isn’t carrying passengers, no matter who they are or what they’ve done.

It’s ruthless.

And it had to be.

CULTURE SHIFT OR SAME OLD STORY

Because the culture at this club has been soft for too long. Too many excuses. Too many second chances. Too many decisions driven by emotion instead of results.

That’s how you drift.

What Young has done in a matter of days is draw a line in the sand. If you perform, you stay. If you don’t, you’re out.

Simple.

The question now is whether the club will back him.

NOW COMES THE TEST

Because making tough calls is one thing. Standing by them when the heat comes is another.

There will be noise. There always is. Dropping Flanagan guarantees headlines. Moving on Ennis raises eyebrows. That’s rugby league.

But if the Dragons are serious about changing, this is exactly what it looks like.

Not talk. Action.

For the first time in a long time, there’s a hint of direction at the Dragons. A hint of standards. A hint that someone is actually in charge.

It’s only early.

But it’s a start.

And given where they’ve been, that’s more than they’ve offered in years.

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