St George Illawarra will have a new coaching staff next year with Dean Young not prepared to stay at the Dragons as an assistant to Anthony Griffin.

A week after being overlooked for the top job at the Dragons, it’s understood interim coach Young told bosses on Wednesday he would not stay on for next season.

It comes after fellow assistants Shane Flanagan and James Shepherd were told last week they would not be kept on, with their contracts expiring this year.

Head of athletic performance Nathan Pickworth was also told he would not be retained, with Griffin expected to bring his own men in.

While it’s unlikely Griffin will bring any staff across from his stint at Penrith, there are a number of high-profile coaches on the market.

Paul Green, Anthony Seibold, Dean Pay, John Cartwright, Josh Hannay and Steve Georgallis and some of the coaches to have lost their positions this year.

Meanwhile, Young’s exit will come after spending virtually his whole football life at the club, making his debut for St George Illawarra in 2003.

He became an assistant to Paul McGregor in 2014, just 12 months after his retirement, and took over from him on an interim basis last month.

The 36-year-old Young had remained popular with the playing group, but Dragons officials believed the club needed a new outside voice.

He is expected to head to either North Queensland or Newcastle, with both clubs on the search for new assistants.

The Cowboys have undergone a coaching upheaval of their own after Green’s exit, with Todd Payten getting the top job over Hannay.

“I’m in the coaching game for the long haul,” Young said last Friday.

“I’m only 36 and I’ve been an assistant coach for six years so I’ve still got a lot to learn, just like head coaches who are 50 years of age.

“I view myself as a coach and where my journey goes I’m not too sure.

“We’ll work that out in the future.”