New St George Illawarra Dragons Head Coach Paul McGregor admits he is still coming to terms with his new appointment in charge of the first-grade squad.
The Dragons officially announced McGregor as the Club’s Caretaker Coach for the rest of the 2014 season following the dismissal of Steve Price on Monday.
McGregor oversaw the Red V during their first training session under his tutelage at WIN Stadium, Wollongong on Tuesday.
“Under the circumstances if I didn’t do this then someone else would have and the only reason why I am is to make it an easier transition for the players rather than having someone from the outside come in,” said McGregor.
“Steve is a really good guy and he is hurting – anyone in that position would be but he understands that that’s rugby league.
“He said he still wants the boys to work really hard and perform for the rest of the year.
“It’s hard for me because he’s a mate of mine and we work well together but he’s not here.
“The situation though is that there’s football to be played this weekend and we need to work hard and to the best of our ability to do just that.
“I think everyone involved is disappointed with where we are at and at a business end we need to change and out players need to change.
“That starts every time we get on the paddock, every time we do video and every time we wear a jumper – we need to be proud to wear it and work hard for one another.
“If you look at the season within blocks then we started it really well with three wins but obviously the last month was poor.
"When you’re not winning it hurts everyone and the bloke that hurts the most is the one in control and it hurt Steve because he cares for this football club.
"We all care for this football club, we’ve all bled for it and are hurting which is why I’m standing here right now because I didn’t want to see someone else come in and undo some of the stuff that’s been done."
Watch Head Coach Paul McGregor additionally share his thoughts on the team's recent form on the field, the challenges that await playing the South Sydney Rabbitohs as well as his role within the NSW Blues State of Origin camp on Dragons TV.
