This is The Debate, where the Mercury sport team discusses the big issues in Illawarra, national and international sport. This week, Mercury sports editor TIM BARROW and league writer MITCH JENNINGS discuss the path ahead for the Dragons, following Paul McGregor's exit and now they're well out of the finals reckoning.
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Barrow: Well Jenno, what can Dean Young gain out of the final month of the season?
Even if he wins every game from here - and with the Storm and Canberra waiting that's unlikely - he still may miss out on the head coaching job.
On the other hand, if he bloods young talent like Max Feagai, Eddie Blacker, Jayden Sullivan and Tristan Sailor, it will offer clues for next year's campaign, but might not do his immediate coaching prospects any favours.
And without a reserve grade competition to maintain match fitness, it's almost impossible to make wholesale changes surely. How much can Young salvage from the campaign?
Jenno: To be honest I don't think Young's long-term prospects are on the line as much as people might think. Yes, winning a bunch of games towards the end, and maybe claiming a big scalp or two, wouldn't hurt, but the board and people making these decisions are well aware by now of his attributes and abilities.
Any decision on where he sits will rest on that more than results over this month.
In that vein I wouldn't be surprised to see some young players blooded.
There's certainly not many currently in the top grade in the type of form that cements their position, but I don't know if we'll see the type of wholesale changes people might like.
As you said there's no Canterbury Cup on offer so not many have a mountain of match fitness and, given he doesn't know if he'll have the job next year, I don't know if it's really Young's responsibility to look too far into the future.
I think Tristan Sailor simply must get an opportunity in the halves.
Unlike Feagai or Sullivan, there's no doubt he's at home at NRL level so it's not really a step into the unknown. It's hard to see that coming at the expense of anyone other than Corey Norman and whether Deano wants to make that call remains to be seen.
I guess it brings us to the elephant in the room. The roster is well out of whack, does someone need to be moved on over the off-season?
Barrow: The big decision the new coach has to make is who starts at halfback next year. McInnes is tough, but there's a risk to him carrying such a load at lock, when his best position is at hooker anyway. So is it Ben Hunt or Adam Clune, who has been close to their best player?
If McInnes is the hooker, Hunt's standing as a State of Origin player and marquee signing demands he return to halfback, or potentially find a new club.
If they pair Clune and Sailor next year, it might be their best combination, but it also means a huge chunk of their salary cap is taken up by Hunt and Norman, either playing a bench role or left out completely.
It's not sustainable, something has to give. Norman flat-out lacks the consistency the Dragons need to be a finals contender. And now with Tyson Frizell and Euan Aitken on their way to the exit, a lot of doubt remains about the path ahead. It seems inevitable to me the new coach will face some short-term pain and restructure the roster.
Jenno: I think it's inescapable that someone has to move on, even if it means the Dragons pay some of the freight. I doubt there's many willing to take on much of Hunt's million-dollar plus salary so I don't think he's going anywhere and it'll be on the new coach to get the best out of him as a half.
It was interesting to hear Young speak two weeks ago when asked about Benny's best position and he said he'll play hooker for the rest of this year and beyond that he could "make a good running five-eighth." To me, without going to market, that points to a Clune-Hunt pairing if Deano gets the gig.
We're in agreement McInnes needs to go back to hooker so that leaves Norman the odd man out, even with the Dragons end up paying some of his wage if they move him on. That's easier said than done. Norman, McInnes and Matt Dufty are all off-contract in 2021 and fans might need to wait until then to see movement on that front.
That's getting ahead of where they're currently at. They've got the Cowboys this weekend, beyond that it's the Raiders, Knights and Storm. That's another reason why we might not see a host of fresh faces coming in.
Do you give them any chance against a couple of genuine premiership contenders on the run home? Melbourne are humming and they're my pick for the flag.
Barrow: If the Dragons could beat the Cowboys and injury-hit Knights on the way out this year, most fans would look ahead with some level of optimism.
Canberra found another gear, even with 12 men, to run over the Bulldogs on Sunday and the Storm are on another rugby league planet compared to St George Illawarra.
The premiership is a battle in three right now, Penrith still have to prove themselves, the Roosters have a shot at an extraordinary piece of history by winning three in a row and then there's the Storm.
The key to Melbourne is how fresh they look at the back end of the season and they absolutely look ready to win another title, especially if it could yet be Cameron Smith's last season.
Souths made an impressive statement against Parramatta last round, but they still have to sneak into the top four to be a genuine shot at winning it.
Jenno: I'm putting a line through Souths without Latrell Mitchell, I don't think anyone can knock off those three you mentioned in finals games without being at absolute full strength. Ditto the Raiders without Josh Hodgson, as good as they've gone without him.
Penrith are the other contenders you mentioned and they've managed to stay full strength thus far. It's been super impressive the way they've gone through the season but they still lack proven big-game match-winners.
It's Roosters and Storm for me and I'm leaning towards the latter.
