Paul McGregor, the Dragons' coach, has been fired. Paul McGregor has become the fourth NRL coach to be fired in 2020, with the season being hijacked by COVID scarcely a factor as teams continue to pursue success. The other three coaches were Gary Newton (Eels), Geoff Toovey (Cowboys) and Denis Betts (Dragons).
McGregor was hired by the Dragons in October 2019 after Anthony Seibold left for South Sydney. He had a successful run with the Melbourne Storm, leading them to the 2018 NRL Grand Final before losing to Canberra. Before that, he had coached Wigan to an English cup victory in 2008. He is the first non-Australian to be appointed Dragon's head coach.
The Dragons finished last season with just two wins from 24 games. They have not made the play-offs since 2011 when they reached the semi-finals under McGregor's predecessor, Steve McNamara. This year's campaign marks the second time that McGregor has been given a one-year contract with the club. He was also the Dragons' boss in 2014 before leaving to take over at Melbourne. Before that, he had been assistant coach to Michael Maguire at Western Suburbs from 2001 to '04.
We've completed the first 12 weeks of the 2020 NFL season. Three head coaches have already been removed from their positions. After an 0-4 start, the Houston Texans abruptly released Bill O'Brien. Following that, the Atlanta Falcons sacked longstanding head coach Dan Quinn following a 0-5 start to the season. Finally, the San Francisco 49ers dismissed head coach Kyle Shanahan after they lost their first four games.
There are now only two head coaches left at each team position-wise: one in the NFL office on New York City's Park Avenue and one on the field. The most recent coach to be fired was John Fox, who was let go by the Chicago Bears after they fell to 1-6. His record is 65-63.
In addition to Fox, Doug Pederson was also fired by the Eagles after they started 1-3 during the 2018 season. He had a 44-21 record while with Philadelphia.
The most recent coach to win his job back after being fired was Gregg Williams who took over as the defensive coordinator for the Rams after Jeff Fisher was fired. Williams previously served as the Rams' head coach from 2009-10. He compiled a 16-46 record over two seasons at the helm.
During the 2019 AFL season, five coaches resigned or were fired: Brad Scott (North Melbourne), Alan Richardson (St Kilda), Brendon Bolton (Carlton), Ross Lyon (Fremantle), and Don Pyke (Carlton). The team's appointment date for the current term. David Te'auga (Hawthorn) was announced as their new coach on 31 January 2020.
The head coach is responsible for leading his team during games and practices. He or she is also responsible for developing player talent at all levels of the club. In professional sports such as the NFL, NBA, and NHL, a head coach usually reports to an owner or president of their football/basketball/hockey team, respectively. In the AFL, however, there is no official hierarchy between the coach and the president of the club; they are equal partners in determining strategy and policy. The only exception occurs in cases where there is more than one candidate for the position, in which case the chairman may choose one by voting on who should get the job.
In Australian rules football, a coach is typically appointed for a four-year term. However, some coaches have moved onto another role with their club after three years, while others have decided that they do not want to continue beyond the four-year period and have left the club before the end of their contract. A few coaches have even been sacked after just one season coaching their club.
The appointment date and performance record of current National Rugby League senior coaches are included in this list. The league is made up of 16 clubs from Australia and New Zealand. Wayne Bennett, the head coach of the South Sydney Rabbitohs, has been coaching in the NRL since 1987, making him the league's longest-serving coach. He has won the Dally M Coach of the Year award three times.
Other notable names on this list include Brian Smith, who has coached Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs to seven premierships in eight seasons; Ivan Cleary, who has led Wests Tigers to four consecutive finals appearances and a championship; and Michael Maguire, who has managed St George Illawarra Dragons to five straight top-four finishes.
In addition to these coaches, Arthur Beetson has the most wins with the Canberra Raiders, having coached them during their inaugural season in 1983. He has also won the Coach of the Year award twice.
Paul Green is the only other coach to have won the award more than once, winning it in 1995 and 1997.
Brian Smith is the only other coach to have won the title before the start of his contract term. He won the 2008 Coach of the Year award after guiding Canterbury-Bankstown to its seventh successive final series victory.
More than one-third (12) of NFL head coaches have only coached for one season with their respective teams. Meanwhile, just around a quarter (15) have been with their present teams for more than three years. Kliff Kingsbury was hired by the Cardinals only a few months ago, right? He's already made an impact by leading Arizona to a 3-0 start.
The oldest coach in the NFL is George Allen who was 70 years old when he led the Washington Redskins to a 1-10 record in 1946. The youngest is Matt LaFleur who is only 39 years old but has already won a Super Bowl as offensive coordinator for the Rams.
Eight of the 12 coaches who have been with their current team for only one season were hired before this year. Only two of these coaches (Kliff Kingsbury and Frank Reich) had previously been ranked among the top 10 head coaching candidates last year. They both landed jobs after interviewing for other positions during the season. No other coach who was fired this past offseason or earlier was considered a top candidate to be named the next head coach of his team.
Seven of the twelve coaches who have been with their current team for only one season were promoted from within their organizations rather than being recruited outside of the industry. And only two of these coaches came straight out of college -- Kyle Shanahan and Pat Shurmur.
Ken Kearney has six premierships as a captain, all at St. George, while Arthur Halloway has eight premierships as a coach, four at Eastern Suburbs and four at Balmain....
Cleary, Ivan Ivan Cleary asserts Dally M, NRL Coach of the Year. The Green Machine has never missed the finals and has won 10 out of 11 games this season.
He is the first Kiwi to win the award since Graham Henry in 1996. Cleary becomes the second New Zealand-born coach after Wayne Bennett to win the award after having more than one season in charge. The last Kiwi to win the award before Cleary was John Monie in 1985.
Cleary, who was born in Auckland, took over as Canterbury Bulldogs head coach at the end of 2009 when it was discovered that former coach Matt Elliott had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Under Cleary, the Bulldogs have won six games into the 2010 season. He is the third Kiwi after Roger Millward (1957) and Bob Bailey (1959) to take charge of a top-flight club in Australia. He is also the first Kiwi coach to be awarded the title since Steve Kearney in 2005. Cleary will receive his trophy from David Gallop, CEO of the NRL.
NRL CEO Dave Smith said of Cleary's victory: "Ivan has delivered what can only be described as a masterclass in coaching.
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