The St George Illawarra Dragons have bolstered the club’s NRL coaching ranks for 2027, appointing Nathan Fien and David Howlett as assistants to Head Coach Dean Young.
Fien returns to the Red V after a highly successful stint with the Dolphins, where he played a key role in developing one of the NRL's most potent attacking units.
As an assistant coach overseeing attack, Fien helped the Dolphins finish the 2025 season as the competition’s highest-scoring team with 721 points, then continued their attacking success with another 662 points in the 2026 regular season as they made their first trip to the finals.
The former New Zealand international also brings a strong connection to the Dragons, having played alongside Young in the club’s historic 2010 premiership-winning side.
However, his achievements and development as a coach, particularly his recent work with the Dolphins and his start in the Illawarra competition, taking Collegians to three premierships (2017, 2019, 2022), have underpinned his return to the club.
Dragons Head Coach Dean Young said the appointments brought valuable experience and complementary skill sets to the club’s coaching structure.
“Nathan has done a great job with the Dolphins, and the results of their attack over the past two seasons speak for themselves,” Young said.
“Former halfbacks and hookers have a really good understanding of how to manipulate a defensive line, and I can see the detail in Nathan’s work at the Dolphins.
“Having played together at the Dragons, I know what Nathan brings to a team environment, and I’m looking forward to working with him again.”
Howlett arrives with decades of coaching experience across the professional and junior development ranks, including a previous stint as an NRL assistant coach at the Cronulla Sharks.
Howlett, a highly regarded tactical coach and player development specialist, played an instrumental role in establishing Endeavour Sports High School as one of rugby league’s leading talent development programs.
His coaching resume includes pathways premiership successes with the Sharks, while his longstanding commitment to developing young players complements the Dragons’ renewed emphasis on strengthening junior development and driving continuous improvement across the football program.
“We have a young squad, so I specifically targeted Dave, as he is regarded as one of the best development coaches around,” Young added.
“His background in both NRL coaching and player development, along with his ability to teach the fundamentals, makes him a great fit for my coaching group.
“Both Nathan and Dave are quality people, which is important to me, and I know they’ll add plenty to our football program.
“I’m confident this coaching group can get the best out of our players, develop our emerging talent and ultimately help us deliver the performances and results this club expects.”
The Dragons have also added Matt Chandler (Sport Scientist) and Gurpreet Singh (Athletic Performance Coach), both formerly at the Bulldogs, to their 2027 high-performance staff.
