Billy Slater has lifted the fog surrounding reports that St George Illawarra Dragons had asked him if he was interested in replacing Anthony Griffin.
The Queensland Maroons coach has been consistently linked to head coaching roles over the last 12 months, and is seen as a strong potential candidate to replace Craig Bellamy at the Melbourne Storm.
Most recently the Dragons became the topic of hot conversation when reports linked Slater with the coaching job that has been advertised for next season and beyond. Speaking on Nine’s The Billy Slater Podcast, the Queensland coach confirmed a discussion about the Dragons role did not happen directly with him.
READ MORE: ‘Real story’ behind Wighton call must be told
READ MORE: Ex-players in spat after Port coach’s teen tirade
READ MORE: NRL’s botched ‘stolen’ idea led to nightmare
“Yeah (it’s a) little bit strange, first I heard of it was the reports in the media as well, so look whether the Dragons have made contact with my management I’m not too sure, but it certainly didn’t get through to me,” he said.
For Slater, living outside Melbourne on a property, working with Nine and coaching the Maroons has been the make-up of his life post-retirement.
The Dally M medal winner said that mix of roles means he’s unlikely to take on any head coaching jobs in the short-term, although he didn’t rule it out completely.
“Look there’s been a lot of talk, whether it be the Dragons or Melbourne Storm coaching job, I’ve learnt along my journey to keep my head where my feet are and that you concentrate on the job at hand and not look too far ahead,” he said.
“I’d never say no … but at the moment I’m really happy with what I’m doing, I enjoy the jobs that I’ve got in front of me at the moment and like I said I didn’t think I’d ever coach Queensland but a couple of years ago that changed.
“Who knows what the future holds but at the moment I’m really happy with where I’m at … my occupations and my life in general.”
Hunt not keen for another Dragons coach
Rumours around an approach from the Dragons come as pressure increases on the club’s current coach Anthony Griffin.
The joint-venture club currently sits 13th on the ladder with only two wins to its name.
Griffin, who previously coached the Broncos and Panthers, is entering his third year at the Dragons and has yet to make the finals.
Stream the NRL premiership 2023 live and free on 9Now
The Dragons have gone public with their decision to start canvassing for replacements but the club has not ruled out retaining Griffin depending on results this season.
When asked about the club’s current predicament, Slater said sacking the coach won’t necessarily solve all its problems.
“I don’t think they’re far off but losing four of your last five games is not ideal, especially when your coach is under pressure,” he said.
“At the end of the day it’s a result driven business, I don’t like focusing on the result because I think there’s elements of their game that they’re getting right, however on the weekend, 14 errors and 41 missed tackles, you’re really going to struggle to win the game or come out on top when you’re performing like that.
Gus backs Dragons’ coaching call: Six Tackles with Gus – Episode 05
“I don’t like hammering coaches because they work as hard as anyone at their clubs and I’m sure Anthony Griffin is doing that. I don’t always think it’s the coach’s fault … I don’t always think that’s the solution is just change a coach and everything will be hunky dory.
“I’ve seen in the past that doesn’t always work either so I wouldn’t just be assuming you get a new coach in there and everything turns around.”
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!
The Mole’s team of the week: Enforcer’s ‘timely reminder’ to Maroons selectors
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
