Jason Ryles is edging ever closer to becoming St George Illawarra’s new head coach after it was revealed he is on the outer at the Sydney Roosters where he currently works as an assistant.
"The Roosters have a very strong board, and they take a very black and white approach to business, so they have decided that they actually want Jason Ryles to leave as their defensive coach, effective immediately," James Hooper told NRL 360 last week.
Jason Ryles set to become the Dragons' new head coach
The club has long since been on the hunt for a new head coach after the axe finally fell on perpetual dead-man walking, Anthony Griffin, earlier this month.
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St George CEO, Ryan Webb, revealed the Red V had already started looking for a new coach after informing Griffin before the season had even kicked off that they would be looking at their options rather than renewing his contract.
Webb revealed in those intervening months the Dragons had been actively scoping the market and had identified a number of potential targets.
"I don’t think there is any real clear directive on if they need to have experience or they need to be new," he said.
"Some have a history with the Dragons, and some don’t. Some have done it before, and some haven’t.
"There are some unique apprenticeships done by a few guys and that carries a different weight, so there’s a whole lot of things to consider but no one thing that will put you to the top of the list."
However, just a few weeks later it appears Ryles has been rubber stamped for the job.
"Jason Ryles has been in negotiations with St George Illawarra for about the last six weeks now," Hooper told NRL 360.
"The Roosters will happily let him go. There won’t be any transfer fee or compensation required.
"But they have suggested to Jason and his management that the best thing to do is to go and cut a deal with the Dragons - get to the pointy end of it and just make a clean transfer.
"They’ve got a bye this week and I don’t think that he suits up and is in the coaching box against Canterbury next week."
Luke Keary backs Jason Ryles to take over at the Dragons
Ahead of the Roosters' clash with the Bulldogs, Luke Keary admitted the Ryles situation was slightly distracting due to the uncertainty it had generated at the Bondi club.
Although he backed the assistant coach to thrive at the Dragons, if he is appointed as expected.
"I'm not too sure what's going on there but he's probably ready to take that next step and be a head coach in the NRL," the playmaker said.
"He's ready for the opportunity."
The club have recently been in this position before after former assistant Craig Fitzgibbon was headhunted by Cronulla and Keary claimed there were some striking similarities between Ryles and the Sharks mentor.
"He reminds me a lot of Fitzy," he said.
"They've both got a bit of an aura and presence around them, both big men.
"He's such a good person. He's very astute and very detailed in what he does.
Trent Robinson has seen a number of his past assistants go on to bigger and better things during his tenure at the Chooks, with Ryles looking like he will join the likes of Fitzgibbon and Adam O'Brien in taking the reins as a head coach in the NRL.
"We've had a lot of really good assistants here and that's the path they're on and their dream is to coach a first-grade team themselves," Keary said.
"As players it doesn't really affect us, we understand what they are trying to do. We know they're all in but they're trying to chase their coaching dream outside."
Sydney Roosters 'blindsided' by Jason Ryles' Dragons move
It has been reported that Ryles’ tenure at the Bondi club as an assistant was initially saved by Robinson after connections to the top job at the Dragons were first established.
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Yet Ryles has since taken a meeting with former teammate and current St George board member Ben Creagh, which the Roosters were apparently "blindsided" by.
"The Roosters feel that you shake hands with somebody, and you look them in the eye and Jason Ryles initially began that job as their defensive coach," Hooper said.
"He gave his word that he would be there for the three seasons but we’re not even 18 months into it and he’s now going to end up at the Red V.
"In all likelihood, Ryles will be announced next week. He can then make a clean break and make the transition straight into the Dragons.
"Ryan Carr will still be the caretaker coach this year, but it allows Jason to go and find a head of recruitment, a new General Manager of Football and the assistants that he wants to work with."