The St George Illawarra Dragons are reportedly on the verge of announcing Jason Ryles as their next head coach.
Ryles has been touted as the front-runner in recent weeks, however, there were sticking points and roadblocks remaining in the way of the deal getting over the line.
It's understood - according to various media reports however - that the deal is now all but done with the current Sydney Roosters' assistant coach to sign his first head coaching contract as a four-year deal that will see him coach the club he used to play for from 2024 until at least the end of the 2027 season.
It's believed that, in addition to him taking over the head coaching from the start of next season, he will move immediately to the joint venture.
The Roosters have been left less than impressed by Ryles negotiating with their rival Sydney club and would be more than happy to see him move on immediately while promoting the likes of Matt King, Brett Morris, Jake Friend and Boyd Cordner from within their own ranks to take new positions under head coach Trent Robinson.
That will allow Ryles to head to Wollongong and begin assessing the roster and football department free from the distraction of working at the tri-colours, who could push into September, but will need to turn things around in a hurry as the second half of the season kicks off.
The Sydney Morning Herald are suggesting Ryles could be working at the Dragons within the next fortnight as he prepares to take over his first head coaching job.
Ryan Carr will continue in an interim coaching capacity until the end of the season after a successful start with a win over Ryles' Roosters, and is a good chance of remaining as part of the Red V's staff heading into 2024.
Ryles, who originally wanted a five-year deal and complete control over the football department and roster at the joint venture, has settled for a four-year deal, but will still have controll over staffing.
It's believed former South Sydney director Shane Richardson, and another former Dragon in Nathan Brown, who later coached at multiple clubs and is now working in various football rolls, will be brought in as part of Ryles' clubs.
Those announcements will likely be made after Ryles joins the club in the coming weeks.
Ryles winning the head coaching role means he has beaten out another pair of former Dragons players in Ben Hornby and Dean Young, who were both in line for the job on the back of successful assistant coaching stints - the pair are currently at the South Sydney Rabbitohs and North Queensland Cowboys respectively.
