Dragons’ chairman Mark Cowan was at the airport to personally greet prospective coach Mark Price yesterday, before guiding him on a visit of Vodafone Arena and prospective training venues.

“It’s exciting to have Mark arrive, and it would be a great starting point for the franchise to have a coach with his credentials and vision,” said Cowan.

“If we can show Mark what Melbourne’s like, and we all know it’s a great place, I believe we’re in with a good chance.”

On Monday Mark Price also took in a tour of the Rod Laver tennis facilities, Price’s daughter is ranked as a junior in the US tennis system.

Despite the coaching position being Cowan’s priority for the Dragons, to have a coach of Price’s calibre in the waiting will be of great benefit to upcoming player negotiations.

“He was a popular player, and I think that could potentially go a long way to attracting some big names,” added Cowan.

“We want to take a leaf out of what the A-League has done in soccer and make sure we’ve got some high profile players to give something back to the fans in terms of what the show’s all about.”