Solly had conversations with multiple Dragons directors but informed them it was his preference to remain at South Sydney and work with Wayne Bennett in his second spell at the club.

One of the leading contenders for the Dragons job is Supercars chief operating officer Tim Watsford. Having previously held a position at the NRL in its events team, Watsford took on a job as the CEO of the Northern Territory Major Event company, later joining Supercars in 2023.

Other names floated for the Dragons job include former NRL general manager of partnerships Jaymes Boland-Rudder and ex-South Sydney COO Brock Schaefer, who recently started at the NRL as general manager of strategic football development.

The Dragons have also been made aware of potential interest in the position from Knights head of football Peter Parr.

Norm Black, the former owner of Dragons sponsor Trip-A-Deal, also has a close relationship with club powerbrokers and could be sounded out about having a greater involvement with the club. He recently sold the holiday booking company for $211 million to Qantas.

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The Dragons released a statement to the Herald on Tuesday, paying tribute to Webb’s impact on the organisation during his time at the club.

“Webb’s tenure has seen the club reach key milestones, including record commercial revenues and profitability, expanding the Dragons community programs, and bringing to life the Dragons’ Community and High-Performance Centre which will start construction in the coming months.

“His commitment to fostering a strong and inclusive culture within the club has helped create a solid foundation for future success.”

Webb addressed staff to inform them of his forthcoming departure on Tuesday afternoon.

“Being CEO of St George Illawarra is an absolute privilege and an experience I will always be proud of,” Webb said in a statement.

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