Jenno: Well Darnell, the wait's over, the Dragons have their man in Anthony Griffin. Mercifully it wasn't all that long. I have to say it was one of the more 'political' processes I can recall in terms of the way it was pushed and prodded from different sides of the media fence. It was Dean Young's job "to lose" then Griffin was a shoo-in and there was a late push for David Furner who had some support from the Illawarra side of the merger. As I said, I'm glad that didn't drag on too long. They've settled on Griffin, what's your take on it all?

Mee: Well, the group they were hiring from was a fairly uninspiring bunch. With no Craig Fitzgibbon, Jason Ryles or Paul Green in the mix, the Dragons board didn't have too much to choose from. Griffin's hiring doesn't generate too much excitement for me, I hope he does well, but I just can't really see it. His track record is fine, it's not spectacular but it's also not terrible.

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What worries me is some of the stories that have come out of Brisbane and Penrith after he left those two clubs. There's no doubt he was unlucky in both instances. The Broncos were desperate for Wayne Bennett to return, so he had no chance of keeping his job back in 2014. Then in Penrith it's pretty clear he was treated fairly poorly by Phil Gould. Griffin may have fallen out of favour with some of the senior players, but he deserved the chance to finish the 2018 season, especially when he had the side in the hunt for a top-four finish when he was sacked.

Where do you stand on the hiring, should we read into the messy exit from the Panthers or focus on what was a pretty solid win-loss record in his time at the foot of the mountains?

Jenno: Fitzgibbon was the man for and, from almost all reports, the Dragons prime target. I think he's put himself in the category where he'll have his pick of whichever job comes up down the track so he doesn't need to jump at the first opportunity.

Other than him, I agree, it wasn't the most inspiring bunch, which is why I thought Young was a genuine chance, but that's the way things work now. Coaches very rarely come "off-contract" they get sacked or extended before they get there. That's a major shortcoming of the game at present, but it means you'll rarely get an 'experienced' coach without some sort of asterisk on their past.

In Brisbane he made a prelim in his first year with a stacked roster. Beyond that, he finished eighth twice, going straight out of the finals on both occasions, and finished 12th in his other year in charge. On that record, it's not surprising the Broncos jumped when Wayne Bennett became available. His time at Penrith was a different story, I've never seen a coach sacked because he might finish top four and his club would have to keep him. I wrote at the time he got sacked for not being Nathan Cleary's dad.

As you touched on though, there are persistent stories about falling out with his players for being too hard a taskmaster. There's too much smoke for it not to be the case but, let me ask you, is that what the Dragons actually need right now?

Mee: For far too long, this St George Illawarra team has failed to win the big moments in games. It's happened week after week this season and you can tell it's driving Young crazy at the moment. So yes, it seems a hard taskmaster is exactly what the side needs. Naturally Griffin needs to be careful to avoid a Micheal Maguire situation at the Tigers, where he seems to have worked his squad too hard. One of the criticisms of Paul McGregor was that he was too matey with the players, I highly doubt Griffin will fall into that trap.

Every time I look at this Dragons team on paper I get frustrated. It's such a talented roster. Frizell, Sims, McInnes, Hunt, Norman, Lomax, Dufty. These are players who have played at the highest level or will very soon. This is a side that should be playing finals football, yet the squad has repeatedly failed to achieve success on the field.

Naturally Frizell won't be there next year, but hopefully a hard taskmaster can help the Dragons reach their potential.

Griffin's coaching style isn't the only difference to McGregor, he is also an outsider, something many fans have been clamouring for for years. Was this the right decision?

Jenno: Yes and no. If it was the sole basis on which he was given the role, then no. If it was one of several factors considered, maybe the one that put him over the top, then yes.

It is always incumbent on a new coach to win over a fanbase, particularly one as disillusioned as the red v faithful. He has a huge head start in that regard purely by the fact he is that 'outsider' fans were desperate to see.

The big key for any incoming coach was going to be getting the best out of Ben Hunt and Corey Norman in the halves. The club has been trying to off-load one, but I think the price tag attached will be prohibitive. Can Hook spark them?

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Mee: It's the riddle that countless coaches have failed to solve in previous years, including Griffin. The three worked together in Brisbane, with Hook helping to develop Norman from a freakishly talented 18 year old into an NRL player. Their relationship soured when Norman signed with the Eels and he spent plenty of time in reserve grade that year.

That was seven years ago and not a whole lot has changed for Norman, he remains an incredible talent who has struggled to reach his full potential. Hunt has also struggled for consistency throughout his career and has only really found form since shifting to dummy half, a position he has made clear he does not want to remain long term.

It is the million dollar question, one we can't really answer until next season, but that familiarity should help Griffin establish a relationship and entrench some confidence into two halves that are notoriously confidence-based players.