McGregor to coach feeder cup side

By Sam Hall
Updated November 6 2012 - 2:49am, first published September 14 2011 - 10:54am
Paul McGregor will coach a St George Illawarra Dragons feeder club.
Paul McGregor will coach a St George Illawarra Dragons feeder club.
Outgoing coach Paul McGregor celebrates with Wests after taking out the Carlton League grand final against Helensburgh.
Outgoing coach Paul McGregor celebrates with Wests after taking out the Carlton League grand final against Helensburgh.
McGregor in action when playing for the Steelers.
McGregor in action when playing for the Steelers.

Steelers great Paul McGregor will coach a St George Illawarra feeder club in the NSW Cup next year, it will be confirmed today.At a press conference scheduled this morning, Illawarra and Dragons rugby league officials will outline details of the region's first NSW Cup team since the now-defunct Shellharbour Dragons outfit bowed to financial pressure in 2010.The new deal is due to go ahead on the proviso that a meeting between Carlton League clubs in Wollongong last night approved the concept.While negotiations are ongoing, the Mercury understands the side will be named Illawarra, but not the Steelers.Specifics are expected to be confirmed in the coming weeks.An eleventh-hour attempt to launch a NSW Cup side earlier this year was aborted for financial reasons, parachuting fringe Dragons players to the Illawarra Carlton League competition.That side, too, was expected to hire the services of McGregor, who eventually signed with Wests Illawarra en route to securing the club's third successive premiership, of which he coached all three.A NSW Cup feeder side could have profound consequences on the depth of next year's Dragons outfit and would better provide peripheral players opportunities to prove themselves under new coach Steve Price.Renowned as a nursery for rugby league, the Illawarra could retain more up-and-coming stars courtesy of the project.Like most NRL clubs, the Dragons rely on the NSW Cup or the Queensland Cup ranks for fill-in talent.Among the present Dragons playing squad Mitch Rein, Peni Tagive, Jack Bosden, Jake Marketo, Nick Emmett and Bronx Goodwin were Illawarra Carlton League regulars this year.But scheduling differences between the two competitions threatened to hinder the Dragons' chances of successive premierships this year should injury have struck.The Carlton League started three weeks after the NRL and finished three weeks before the NRL grand final, so should injury have struck the Dragons' top side in that period, coach Wayne Bennett would have had to call on players struggling for match fitness.The NSW Cup schedule is in sync with the NRL, which will prove another boost in 2012 and beyond.

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