 After St George Illawarra's 40–18 defeat against Penrith in Round 18 of the 2019 NRL season which left St George in 14th position on the ladder, McGregor came under intense media criticism after he chose to rest Ben Hunt for the game.In the 2019 NRL season, McGregor coached the joint venture to their worst finish; 15th place.The only thing keeping St. George Illawarra from 16th place were the Gold Coast Titans.