Paul McGregor insists no internal discussions about the security of his job as Dragons coach have taken place but understands he's running out of time to prove he's the man to lead the club out of its current decline.
The Dragons' 15th-placed finish in 2019 meant McGregor entered the new season under intense pressure, despite signing a two-year extension in April last year.
The club's winless start to the season, which continued after last weekend's dire loss to the Warriors, had led to suggestions the coach had just two games to save his job.
The under-siege coach insists he understands the team's current position is unacceptable but is adamant scrutiny surrounding his future hasn't been spoken about in-house.
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"There's been no internal conversation around anything about myself [as Dragons coach]," McGregor told reporters on Friday.
"Obviously I need to get results, I get that, it's a high-performance sport and if you're not winning games you're under scrutiny.
"I understand what I can control and can't and what I can is inside and preparing the players to play the best and rectify what was a bad game last week."
Monday afternoon's clash against the Bulldogs is a must-win for McGregor's side following last weekend's diabolical 18-0 loss to the Warriors.
The Dragons are now 0-3 to start the season despite what many believed to be a soft draw, while they've only won four games since this time last year.
It threatens to be the breaking point of what's been a frustrating time for the Red V faithful, who have grown frustrated with McGregor given the once-proud club have only made the finals twice during his seven-year tenure.
McGregor revealed the team's usual meeting at the start of the week included a few more honest truths than normal as it looks to overcome some scathing criticism over last weekend's effort.
"We had a meeting as we do every week but it was just about the commitment to one another and putting that to action," he said.
"It's not dissimilar to any other week but coming off the loss that we had on the weekend it was a little bit more open and a lot has been said.
"We don't shy away from the tough conversations when we're inside. All was said but what was said will remain inside here."
While he wouldn't open up on the contents of the 'crisis meeting', McGregor said resilience had been widely spoken about and is something the side will look towards this weekend.
"Sometimes when you haven't won for some time you play not to lose instead of going all out to win and being fearless at it and not worry about the repercussions from that," McGregor said.
"That's one way to look at it this week and really have some push back when we don't get what we want."
Headlining the criticism of the Dragons over the weekend was the demand for changes to the team, with plenty of the blame being leveled towards out-of-form halves pairing Ben Hunt and Corey Norman.
It saw McGregor name mature-age halfback Adam Clune to make his debut, with Hunt shifting to five-eight and Norman sent to fullback at the expense of Matt Dufty.
The Dragons have been bereft of attacking direction so far this season, while Clune last year had 28 try assists for the Dragons' reserve grade side to claim Canterbury Cup Halfback of the Year honours.
Nonetheless, it's a daunting task for the 25-year-old given the weight that has been placed on the side entering the Bulldogs clash.
But McGregor bluntly declared the side's spine hadn't performed and placed his full trust in Clune to fix their stuttering attack.
"I haven't been happy with the combination of the spine in the first three weeks and Cluney deserves his chance," he said.
"He's a genuine seven, he's got a lot of try assist in him from lower grades, he's a smart kid and he's been well-groomed for his role.
"With no reserve grade if you don't give him an opportunity in first grade then you'll never know.
"They're going to play different roles [Hunt and Clune] and it's about Ben getting his running game back."
Meanwhile, McGregor also confirmed Issac Luke will be named in the starting 17 to help relieve rake Cameron McInnes of some of the defensive workload and help promote his speed and running game.
