Jamie Soward was an unlikely premiership hero.
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For others like Mark Gasnier, Matt Cooper, Ben Hornby and Dean Young, winning in 2010 carried a sense of destiny after the failures of 2005 and 2006, which in turn carried the burden of the 1999 grand final loss to Melbourne.
For Soward, it was the greatest act of proving everyone wrong, just as he did by playing for NSW, just as he did when his field goals won the Jersey Flegg title with the Roosters back in 2004.
Now, with his role as NRL Women's and specialist kicking and halves mentor with the Dragons, he'll join another former playmaker Mat Head, in trying to remove the stigma associated with being a former player in a coaching role at the club.
Wayne Bennett took St George Illawarra to the promised land, but also enhanced the perception anyone who has been involved with the Dragons previously is incapable of delivering success.
For whatever reasons, Nathan Brown, Steve Price and Paul McGregor could not deliver. That combined with the years of finals heartache left the fanbase desperate for outside influences, to make the Dragons a powerhouse again.
In the fallout of recent disappointments, Hornby left WIN Stadium to join Bennett at the Rabbitohs, while Young moved to North Queensland when the top job was given to Anthony Griffin.
Highly-credentialed and long-time NRL assistants like Jason Ryles and Craig Fitzgibbon have avoided a return to the Illawarra like the plague.
For Head and Soward, they've brought back the Dragons flavour to a coaching staff occupied for Matthew Elliott, Peter Gentle and Griffin last year.
Soward still has the most points scored by the joint venture with 994 in seven seasons.
Head crossed eras at the Dragons, he only played 10 games in the 2005 season which ended with the devastating loss to the Tigers in the preliminary final, then he was on the bench in the 2006 loss to Melbourne, again one game short of the decider.
After a year at Wests, he returned as an interchange option for Bennett in 2009.
Soward left on bitter terms with the Dragons in 2013, but built a rapport with Griffin at Penrith, which eventually paved the way for his return.
The Dragons, who have won just one final in the decade since Bennett left, have invested heavily in bringing the next generation on Jayden Sullivan, Junior Amone, Tyrell Sloan and the Feagai brothers.
The whole roster has been adjusted to provide the serviceable depth in other positions to allow for their growth, hoping they can form similar combinations to Penrith's champions in Nathan Cleary, Jarome Luai, Dylan Edwards and Brian To'o.
Head and Soward are entrusted with avoiding the pitfalls of the past.
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