Newly appointed St George Illawarra coach Paul McGregor is under no illusions about the size of the task ahead of him but has vowed to make the Dragons a NRL premiership force once again.
The club great and former NSW star has been handed a three-year contract following an impressive stint as caretaker coach following Steve Price's axing in May.
The Dragons are still an outside chance of making the top eight after winning six of the 11 games with McGregor at the helm.
Should they fall short of qualifying for the finals, it will be a third successive year they have missed out and McGregor knows that it is not good enough.
"It was an absolute honour to play and captain the Dragons and to now be given the opportunity to be the head coach on a full-time basis is an even greater honour," said McGregor.
"I am extremely passionate about the club. I understand what this club means to everyone associated with it.
"A big part of me wanting to take this position is the opportunity for me to give back to the club and game that has given me so much.
"It is my job to make the tough decisions as we haven't consistently played finals football for a while and that is not good enough for our club."
McGregor has won praise for the way he has worked with the Dragons' players from several members of his team, with Benji Marshall going as far to tip him to be one of the best coaches in the game.
The Dragons had been linked with a second stint for Wayne Bennett, who has since announced he'll move back to Brisbane in 2015, with Gold Coast interim coach Neil Henry also believed to be of interest to the board.
But chief executive Peter Doust said McGregor had demonstrated he had what it took to operate in the NRL, having served his apprenticeship with the Illawarra Cutters in the NSW Cup in addition to being part of Laurie Daley's NSW backroom team.
"Anyone who knows and speaks with Paul can clearly understand his passion for the Dragons, his honesty and drive to succeed," Doust said.
"A very detailed process was undertaken with a variety of coaches and scenarios considered but, on balance, the board determined that Paul was the most appropriate fit for our club moving forward.
"He has enormous support and respect within the Dragons, particularly from the playing group and also from rugby league coaches, players and administrators outside of the Dragons."
His first game in charge will be against Henry's Gold Coast side at Kogarah on Sunday.
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