Paul McGregor said he wants to continue to coach St George Illawarra next season and beyond but denied he was actively looking for a contract, preferring to concentrate solely on the Dragons’ 2017 campaign.
The Dragons have surprised many with their hot start to the season, winning three of their opening four matches to sit third on the table ahead of their clash with the struggling Wests Tigers on Sunday.
Speculation was rife over the summer that the Dragons would look to bring in a new coach for the 2018 season, with Ivan Cleary and Des Hasler among the names mooted.
But if McGregor continues to produce the sort of performances from his side so far, the 158-game veteran as a player would be open to remaining at the club.
“I’m only short term. I’m only coaching in 2017 at the minute. That’s all I’m worried about, what happens next week,” he said.
“That’s the most important thing to me and this playing group. I’m coaching, I’m enjoying what I’m doing [and] what the players are bringing. I’ll worry about all that other stuff at a later date.
“Of course [I would like to stay]. I enjoy coaching and I love this club. But I’m not looking for a contract right now. I’m just looking to get to work tomorrow and work hard through the week and get the boys to perform on the weekend. That’s all I’m after.”
Speaking after the impressive win over the Warriors at Kogarah on Sunday, McGregor said he was pleased with his side’s start to the season but predicted there was still more to come.
“Our [defence] is certainly improving and we’ve got a lot of belief out there,” he said.
“The nine is only new. The halfback is different to last year. So those combinations are still building. It’s only early days. We’re liking the rotation through our middle. That’s really important. Our execution at times is a little bit down but we’re still scoring a lot of points which is nice.”
