"He gets it": Why Drinkwater wants Young as Dragons coach

New signing Scott Drinkwater has put his support behind Dean Young to become the Dragons’ next head coach.

Having sacked Shane Flanagan after a winless start to 2026, it’s been one of the worst years for St. George Illawarra in recent history.

While they have secured two wins under Young, who was appointed as the interim coach, the club remains likely to claim their first wooden spoon since the joint venture began in 1999.

But despite their on-field struggles, the club has managed to secure the likes of Connor Watson, Luke Metcalf and Drinkwater ahead of the 2027 season, giving fans plenty of hope with Young favoured to take over on a full-time basis.

Should it come to fruition, it would see the North Queensland fullback and Young re-unite with the pair working together when Young was part of the Cowboys as an assistant coach between 2021 and 2023.

When asked if Young is the logical choice to be the club’s next coach, the 29-year-old wants to see the former Dragon confirmed for 2027 and beyond.

“I guess I can't really say it's logical; I'm not in the building, but I'd love to see him be the coach,” Drinkwater told SEN’s The Run Home with Joel and Fletch.

“He's the one who I had the conversations about coming down, and I played some good footy under Deano. He understands (and) he gets it. His communication is unreal, and he understands every player is different.

“So, look (I’m) hopeful that he gets it. If not, I just gotta deal with whoever else gets it.

“But hopefully they can announce it soon, and everyone can get on with it, but that's up to the internal part.

“But look, I'm hoping Youngie gets it.”

Drinkwater will suit up for the Cowboys in their clash against the Dolphins to conclude Round 20 on Sunday afternoon.

St George Illawarra are off to New Zealand this week as they take on the Warriors on Saturday.