Apr 15th, 2019

Apr 15th, 2019

Trent Barrett is close to returning ‘home’ to the Dragons in an assistant coach role in the coming months.

Wide World of Sports has learned that the Dragons are close to signing Barrett once Manly stop paying his contract mid-year.

Barrett is a favourite son of the Big Red V, having played three seasons and 45 games for Illawarra from 1996 to 1998 before a further 11 years and 193 games for the merged St George Illawarra.

The former New South Wales and Kangaroos five-eighth then finished his playing career with stints at Wigan and Cronulla before embarking on his disastrous three year coaching stint at Manly.

The Sea Eagles brought in Des Hasler to replace Barrett this season and only weeks ago, Barrett was linked to the Wigan job for 2020.

But he now appears set to join Ben Hornby and Dean Young as Paul McGregor’s assistants at the improving Dragons.