Former NSW State of Origin-winning captain Boyd Cordner has earned a promotion in the wake of newly minted St George Illawarra caretaker coach Dean Young’s exit from the Blues setup.
Young stepped away from his role as NSW defensive coach immediately after taking on the task of replacing sacked Dragons coach Shane Flanagan.
With the first Origin camp just weeks away — the series opener is on May 27 — NSW Rugby League officials acted quickly to lock in their own new coach.
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Cordner steps into the formal assistant role after serving as a trainer in the past two series under Michael Maguire (2024) and Laurie Daley (2025).
“It is such a great honour and I am so excited about the opportunity to step into the role,” he said in a NSWRL statement.
“I will put everything I’ve got into it. I have been in and around it learning off the coaches and I’ve been a player in this arena so I understand what it takes.”
Liam Martin and Boyd Cordner at NSW training in 2024. Credit: AAP Cordner’s premiership-winning playing career with the Roosters came to an end in 2021 due to concussion issues.
He currently leads the Roosters’ SG Ball side and remains part of the club’s NRL program after previously having served as an assistant coach.
His promotion, made official by the NSWRL board on Thursday, marks a full-circle moment after being appointed captain during Daley’s first stint as coach.
“Boyd has been a highly valuable member of the coaching staff the past couple of years and the players have a lot of respect for him,” Daley said.
“He has been forging his reputation as a coach in his own right and I am confident he will do a great job.”
Dean Young’s first halfback speaks out Debutant Kade Reed has dismissed concerns about his ability to handle the physical rigours of the NRL as St George Illawarra co-captain Clint Gutherson tipped the halfback to make an instant impact for the bottom-placed Dragons.
Reed is the big winner of the shake-up overseen by interim coach Dean Young, who has named the 20-year-old to start for his NRL debut in the halves on Saturday against the Sydney Roosters.
The playmaker takes the role of Kyle Flanagan, who was dumped to the bench on Tuesday a day after the sacking of his father Shane Flanagan.
In the final weeks of his Red V tenure, Flanagan Sr was facing growing calls to blood Reed but always issued caution over the flyweight pivot’s ability to defend against bigger bodies.
But Reed, who will be in the sights of Roosters forwards Angus Crichton and Victor Radley, was quick to quash those fears, citing regular match-ups with Dragons back-rowers Luciano Leilua and Jaydn Su’a in training as proof that he was ready.
“I think tackling Looch and Su’a every day for the last two years has definitely helped,” Reed said.
“In a way it doesn’t get a lot harder than those two and doing that every day, I think that’s definitely been a big thing.”
Debutant Kade Reed is looking to make his mark against the Roosters. Credit: AAP Gutherson, who remains sidelined with injury, claimed Reed was more than capable of handling a potential baptism of fire on Saturday.
The Anzac weekend game at Allianz Stadium between the Roosters and Dragons is widely viewed as one of the most intense fixtures of the year.
“What a memory it’s going to be for him and if he goes out there and plays well, it’s going to just skyrocket him,” Gutherson said.
“We just need to be able to support him and get around him and make sure he’s ready to go.”
Gutherson stressed the Dragons, who have lost their last 11 games across the 2025 season and this year, needed to use Flanagan’s sacking as a turning point to revive their campaign.
The Dragons co-captain expressed sympathy with Kyle Flanagan following his demotion to the bench.
“I’ve spoken to Kyle the last couple of days to make sure he’s all right as a person,” Gutherson said.
“There’s a lot bigger things (in life) than rugby league but it’s about making sure we look after each other.
“He’s still an important part of our squad and he’s going all right.
“The best way for Kyle is to get back into footy and I think he’s still on the bench so he might be able to play.
“We’ve just got to stay around him and make sure he’s still part of this squad and he knows that.”
– with AAP