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St. George Illawarra Dragons

The St. George Illawarra Dragons are an Australian professional rugby league football club, representing both the Illawarra and St George regions of New South Wales. The club has competed in the National Rugby League since 1999 after a joint-venture was formed between the St. George Dragons (est. 1921) and the Illawarra Steelers (est. 1982).[1] The club officially formed as the game's first joint-venture club on 23 September 1998 and remains the only inter-city team in the NRL.[2] The team has its headquarters and leagues clubs in both Wollongong and the Sydney suburb of Kogarah, and trains and plays games regularly at WIN Stadium in Wollongong, as well as at Jubilee Oval in Kogarah. From 1999 to 2006 the club was jointly owned by the St. George Dragons 50% and Illawarra Steelers 50%. In 2006 WIN Corporation purchased 50% of the Illawarra Steelers stake in the club before purchasing the rest of the Illawarra Steelers' share in August 2018.

St. George Illawarra Dragons
Club information
Full nameSt. George Illawarra Dragons Rugby League Football Club
Nickname(s)Dragons, Saints, Red V
Colours
  •   White
  •   Red
Founded23 September 1998; 24 years ago (1998-09-23)
(joint-venture of the St. George Dragons and Illawarra Steelers)
Websitedragons.com.au
Current details
Ground(s)
CEORyan Webb
Coach
Captain
CompetitionNational Rugby League
2022 season
  • 10th (NRL)
  • 3rd (NRLW)
Current season
Uniforms
Home colours
Away colours
Records
Premierships1 (2010)
Runners-up1 (1999)
Minor premiership2 (2009, 2010)
World Club Challenge1 (2011)
Most capped273Ben Hornby
Highest try scorer124Matt Cooper
Highest points scorer977Jamie Soward

The Dragons reached the grand final in their first season in 1999, losing to the Melbourne Storm. St. George Illawarra is one of only two clubs (the other being the Sydney Roosters in 1908) to finish runner-up in its inaugural season. St. George Illawarra also fields teams in local competitions within the St. George and Illawarra regions. In 2010, the Dragons won their second successive minor premiership and became the first team to be awarded the J. J. Giltinan Shield in consecutive years since the National Rugby League was formed in 1998.

The Dragons won the 2010 NRL Grand Final against the Sydney Roosters 32–8 at ANZ Stadium, Sydney. They then won the 2011 World Club Challenge, defeating the Wigan Warriors 21–15 at DW Stadium in the UK. With its World Club Challenge victory, the club became the first Australian team since the Brisbane Broncos in 1992–3 to win the minor premiership, premiership and World Club Challenge simultaneously.

History

In the wake of the Super League war of the mid-1990s, and the resulting split competition of 1997, the Illawarra Steelers found themselves struggling financially and seemed unlikely to survive past 1999. The St. George Dragons largely financed a proposal for a joint venture which would see the St George Illawarra Dragons playing in both Kogarah and Wollongong. Essentially, St George would provide the money while Illawarra would provide a broader junior and fan base. With the NRL's intention to rationalise the competition from 20 teams down to 14 teams and with a $4M incentive and a relaxing of salary cap requirements for a joint venture, the Dragons and the Steelers ensured their survival by forming the League's first joint venture on 23 September 1998.[3]

David Waite and Andrew Farrar (1999–2002)

A joint venture entity being a new concept in Australian rugby league, the public watched closely in anticipation of success or failure. No-one was certain how the top players sourced from the two clubs would perform when they ran out onto the field. They were unsuccessful in their first outing, losing to the Parramatta Eels 20–10, but by the 4th round they had started to form some cohesion and would go on to achieve a top eight position on the competition ladder by the end of the regular season. In the semi-finals the Dragons won against the Melbourne Storm at Olympic Park, before returning to Sydney to dispose of the Sydney Roosters and the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks to reach the Grand Final.

In the 1999 Grand Final, the club were leading by 14–0 at the break in front of a world record crowd of 107,999. A fairytale of a title in their first year as a joint venture seemed destined to come true; something of an advertisement to any other clubs considering the option of a joint venture, but Melbourne recovered from their poor start and went into the final minutes of the game with St. George Illawarra leading by 18–12. The Dragons were forced to perform a drop kick from their own goal line, and on the fifth tackle Brett Kimmorley kicked high towards St. George Illawarra's corner of the field. As Melbourne's winger Craig Smith caught the ball over the goal-line he was knocked unconscious in a tackle by Jamie Ainscough and lost the ball. Referee Bill Harrigan deferred to the video referee who ruled a penalty try on the grounds that contact had been made with the head, giving Melbourne a 20–18 lead and the premiership title.

In the 2000 NRL season though they had a rough start, and in Round 5, St. George Illawarra recorded their worst defeat for the club, losing 70–10 against the Melbourne Storm. This was the first game these two teams played against each other since the 1999 grand final, and was played at the MCG. On 3 May to the surprise and shock of fans and club officials, Anthony Mundine announced his retirement from the club and rugby league in general with immediate effect to pursue a career in boxing. The Dragons were not going well in the first half of the 2000 season, and the main coach David Waite was replaced with assistant coach, Andrew Farrar. Soon after the replacement of coaches, St. George Illawarra recorded their best ever win. They defeated the New Zealand Warriors 54–0 in round 14 at WIN Stadium, with debutant Amos Roberts scoring a record 22 points (one try and nine goals) for any first grade player on debut. St. George Illawarra, however, missed out of the finals series, and came 9th. Despite their poor season, Trent Barrett was awarded with the Dally M Medal.

Nathan Brown (2003–2008)

In 2003, Nathan Brown, the joint venture's first number 9 achieved the position of coach, becoming the youngest non-playing coach in premiership history at the age of 29. St. George Illawarra finished the season 10th. Nathan Brown was also involved in a sideline incident when he had slapped Trent Barrett in Wollongong during a game against Manly, and was issued a $5000 fine.

2004 saw the final season of the try scoring talent Nathan Blacklock. An extraordinary scoreline was seen in the round 25 clash with Manly. Trailing 34–10 after 53 minutes the club came back to win the match 36–34. This was the second biggest comeback in Australian Rugby League history. Finishing 5th, the club were eliminated in the first round of the finals after losing in a thrilling game 30–31 to 4th placed Penrith.

In 2005, after their worst start to a season yet (losing 5 of their first 6 games), the St. George Illawarra side finished second in a close season on the ladder at completion of the 2005 NRL season, just behind minor premiers the Parramatta Eels on points difference. After progressing to the finals they defeated local rivals the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 28–22 in the quarter-final of the finals series though the Dragons eventually fell 12–20 to eventual champions the Wests Tigers in the Preliminary Final. The club broke the ground record at WIN Stadium twice in the 2005 season. First against rivals the Sydney Roosters and then at their home quarter final game against the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks.

In early 2006, WIN Television Network bought a 25% stake in the Illawarra Steelers Club for $6.5 million, erasing most of the debt Illawarra had to St. George. This formalised the strong support the network has shown for the Steelers in years gone by and ensured that Wollongong continued to host world class rugby league matches.

After a bad start to the 2006 NRL season, the club put on a midseason seven/game winning streak. This was followed by a form slump, with a record five consecutive losses, only to return to form with a victory over the Wests Tigers, and continue this positive form leading into the finals. The club ended the regular season in sixth position.

In the finals campaign, St George Illawarra faced the Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium in the first round, St. George Illawarra won the game 20–4. In the second round, they met the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles at the Sydney Football Stadium winning 28–0. In the grand final qualifier, they played the Melbourne Storm, where the club went down 24–10 bowing out of season 2006.

St. George Illawarra could take solace from the fact that they did defeat the eventual premiers, Brisbane, three times during the 2006 season – 26–12 at Wollongong in Round 4, 18–16 at Suncorp Stadium in Round 15 and the aforementioned qualifying final match.

Season 2007 saw an early injury to Mark Gasnier in the Charity Shield match against South Sydney Rabbitohs creating another poor start for the Dragons. Combined with the loss of key players such as Luke Bailey, Trent Barrett and Shaun Timmins in the off-season, the Dragons faced NRL newcomers, the Gold Coast Titans, in Round 1. The joint-venture club won the historic match 20–18, however lost 6 more matches after that leaving the Saints sitting in 15th place on the NRL Ladder. This was a very inexperienced Dragons team that seemed destined for a poor injury plagued season. However, in Round 17 (vs Canberra Raiders at WIN Stadium), the Saints scored four times more points than their previous game average, winning the match 58–16, equalling their highest ever score and their largest victory in three years. The club's season ended with a 28–24 loss to the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles at Brookvale Oval, finishing in 13th place, their lowest finish to date.

2008 saw the end of an era, with coach Nathan Brown's contract not renewed after yet another poor start to the season, winning one of their first six matches. The club received a boost in May when former dual-code international player Wendell Sailor joined the team. Several notable players departed at the end of the year including Jason Ryles[4] and captain Mark Gasnier. The club finished the season in 7th place, however they lost in the first round of the finals to eventual premiers Manly (whom they defeated 20–18 in round 11) 34–6 at Brookvale Oval ending yet another disappointing season. The era under Brown was one of frustration for Dragons fans, as there were high expectations for the strong side, but ultimately no premierships.

Wayne Bennett (2009–2011)

2009, a new season a new coach and ground sponsor WIN at Jubilee Oval. Several new faces joined the club, including Jeremy Smith, Darius Boyd, Neville Costigan, Michael Weyman and Luke Priddis. The season opener against the Storm ended in a thrilling golden point extra time loss (17–16). Round 3 set a new crowd record with the victorious return to WIN Jubilee against Cronulla.

They were consistently placed first on the competition ladder in 2009, contributed by a continuous winning streak of seven games since their win against the North Queensland Cowboys on 14 June. They lost first position after a three-game losing streak while the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs won all games in that period, but remain in the top three. However, in the final round of the 2009 regular season, St. George Illawarra defeated in-form Parramatta Eels 37–0, a game in which winger Brett Morris obtained a hat-trick and man of the match honours, while Canterbury lost 34–12 to the Wests Tigers. In the same game, St. George Illawarra five-eighth Jamie Soward surpassed Harry Bath's record for most points in a season by a St. George player. As a result, St. George Illawarra won the minor premiership for the 2009 and Wayne Bennett's first season at the club, but the team was eliminated from the finals after losing both their finals matches, therefore becoming the first minor premiers since 1993. In the first match they were humbled in front of a packed Jubilee Stadium, before traveling to face Bennett's former team. Brisbane defeated the Saints.

Season 2010 saw the club lose seven matches – the same tally as in the 2009 home-and-away season, against eventual wooden spooners the Melbourne Storm, 2008 premiers the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, their perennial bogey team the Canberra Raiders, 2003 premiers the Penrith Panthers in round 17, the Gold Coast Titans in extra time in round 20, Bennett's old team the Brisbane Broncos in round 21 and a second time to the Canberra Raiders in round 24. The team has been placed first since round five.

The team won its second minor premiership in succession (the first NRL team to do so since the inception of the NRL in 1998) with victory against the Newcastle Knights in the penultimate round of the 2010 NRL season. The joint-venture club had led the competition from round five right through to the final round, spending 21 consecutive weeks on top of the ladder and therefore spending the longest period of time on top of the ladder in NRL history (not including the Melbourne Storm).

St George Illawarra met Manly in the first week of the 2010 finals and produced a 28–0 victory. St. George Illawarra then defeated Wests Tigers 13–12 with Jamie Soward kicking the winning field goal for a place in the 2010 NRL Grand Final.

In the 2010 NRL Grand Final, St. George Illawarra defeated the Sydney Roosters 32–8, to secure the club's first grand final victory. The club overcame a poor first half performance to pull a thrilling victory out of the hat. This victory made Wayne Bennett's grand final record at 7 wins from 8 and thus continuing Brian Smith's poor grand final record of 4 losses from 4. Darius Boyd won a premiership with Bennett and the Brisbane Broncos in 2006, won the Clive Churchill Medal for best on ground in the match. The Grand Final victory also ended 31 years of hurt for St. George fans as the club had lost previous finals in 1985, 1992, 1993, 1996 and 1999.[5]

St George Illawarra began their 2011 Season with pre-season wins in trials over Canterbury and South Sydney in the Charity Shield. The club also claimed its first World Club Challenge Championship, defeating Wigan Warriors 21–15 at DW Stadium. As of Round 14 2011, the Dragons have won 10 straight (excluding a 14–14 draw against Parramatta in Round 13).

It was announced in March 2011 that Bennett would leave St. George Illawarra after the 2011 NRL season, signing a four-year deal with the Newcastle Knights from the 2012 season onwards. Steve Price was named as his successor.

Steve Price and Paul McGregor (2012 – 2020)

 
The club's cheer squad, The Flames, performing during the Dragons' Anzac Day match against the Roosters in 2018.

2012 saw the club with a new coach. St. George Illawarra narrowly missed out on a Finals spot, finishing up in 9th position. Several notable players departed from the club at the end of the season, including Ben Hornby and Dean Young, who both retired from the sport. The start of the 2013 NRL season saw the arrival of few key acquisitions, namely Gerard Beale from the Broncos and Tyson Frizell from the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks.

The season was plagued by inconsistent form, alongside injuries and speculation regarding Price's future at the club. After winning three straight matches on the lead up to the annual Anzac Day clash with the Sydney Roosters, it was announced that Price would be signed for another year with an option for a second at the clubs disposal. Despite the clubs faith in Price as well as the arrival of star fullback Josh Dugan from Canberra – in a mid-season transfer, the club was unable to string together consistent performances and finished the year at 14th position.

Star five-eighth Gareth Widdop joined the club for 2014, but by late May 2014, just after the star signing of Benji Marshall, the board sacked Price as coach due to some embarrassing defeats to start the season. Assistant coach Paul McGregor was named as his replacement until the end of the season, and was eventually employed full-time following improved results. This culminated in the club returning to the finals in 2015 and enjoying a successful year.

In the 2017 NRL season, St George Illawarra lead the competition after the first eight rounds before a dramatic slide which saw the club record only six wins for the rest of the season. In the final match of the regular season, St George Illawarra played against Canterbury with a win guaranteeing them a finals spot and jumping ahead of North Queensland. With under ten minutes to play, St George Illawarra were ahead on the scoreboard before two quick tries gave Canterbury a 26–20 victory.[6][7][8]

The 2018 NRL season saw the arrival of two star signings, English international James Graham[9] and the Australian and Queensland halfback Ben Hunt.[10] These signings and a successful season culminated in the club returning to the finals in 2018 and enjoyed a successful year. On 9 September 2018, St. George Illawarra Dragons won their first qualifying final in 8 years, defeating the Brisbane Broncos 48–18 at Suncorp Stadium.[11] The following week, St George Illawarra played against South Sydney in week 2 of the finals series and were defeated 13–12 in a tight game. The match was also the first time since 1984 that the two clubs had played each other in the finals.[12]

The Intrust Super Premiership NSW St. George Illawarra also had a strong year finishing second at the end of the regular season were they made the preliminary final but were defeated 28–26 by Canterbury.[13]

In August 2018 WIN Corporation purchased the Illawarra Steelers remaining 25% stake in the club for a "commercially in confidence" sum. The St George Dragons and WIN Corporation now have a 50% stake each. WIN Corporation has paid off the $6 million debt the St. George Illawarra Dragons owed the NRL. The club's home venues will continue to be WIN Stadium and Jubilee Stadium.[14]

Before the start of the 2019 NRL season, St. George Illawarra were expected by many to reach the finals and continue their good form from the previous year. A few weeks out from the club's first match, Jack de Belin was stood down indefinitely by the NRL in relation to an incident which happened in December 2018. On 18 April 2019, McGregor was granted a two-year contract extension by St. George Illawarra, keeping him at the club as the head coach until the end of the 2021 NRL season after the side had won four of their first six games.[15][16][17]

St. George Illawarra would then go to only win three of their next 17 matches which left them second last on the table above the last placed Gold Coast. On 2 September 2019, it was revealed that McGregor's position at head coach would be coming under review following the conclusion of the season. St. George Illawarra finished 15th on the ladder and did not qualify for the finals after having a horror season.[18]

On 13 August 2020, McGregor was terminated as head coach of St. George Illawarra after a poor start to the season left the club with four wins in thirteen games, he was subsequently replaced by Dean Young.[19] At the end of the 2020 NRL season, the club finished a disappointing 12th on the table and missed out on the finals.[20]

Anthony Griffin (2021–)

On 7 September 2020, Anthony Griffin was appointed the coach for 2021 NRL season on a two-year deal.[21]

On 1 June 2021, it was announced that Jack de Belin would return from his 987-day hiatus after charges against him were dropped.[22]

On 5 July 2021, the NRL handed out a total of $305,000 in fines to 13 players of the club after they attended Paul Vaughan's property for a party in the midst of Covid-19 restrictions which were in breach of the code's bio security protocols.[23]

The season finished with the club finishing in 11th place,[24] missing out on finals for the third consecutive year. The season started with four wins from the first five games, however over the next 19 games, the club only obtained another four victories, with the club losing eight matches in a row to close out the season after the infamous barbeque. It capped off a mediocre first year under Griffin's reign.[25] St. George Illawarra finished the 2022 NRL season in 10th place and missed the finals. Between round 17 to round 22, the club managed to win only one match which saw them go from 8th to 11th on the table. St. George Illawarra would win their last three matches of the season to finish in 10th position.[26]

Before the start of the 2023 NRL season, many experts and pundits predicted St. George Illawarra to finish with the Wooden Spoon. After having a bye in the first round, the club defeated the Gold Coast in round 2 by a score of 32–18. In March 2023, it was revealed that Griffin had been told by club officials that they were looking for a potential coaching replacement in 2024 and that Griffin would have to re-apply for his position.[27][28]

Season summaries

P=Premiers, R=Runners-Ups, M=Minor Premierships, F=Finals Appearance, W=Wooden Spoons
(Brackets Represent Finals Games)
Competition Games
Played
(FINALS)
Games
Won
(FINALS)
Games
Drawn
(FINALS)
Games
Lost
(FINALS)
Ladder
Position
P R M F W NRL Nines Coach Captain Notes Details
1999 NRL Season 24(4) 15(3) 0 9(1) 6/17 X X David Waite
Andrew Farrar
Paul McGregor Runners Up 1999 St. George Illawarra Dragons season
2000 NRL Season 26 12 0 14 9/14 Craig Smith Barrett receives Dally M medal 2000 St. George Illawarra Dragons season
2001 NRL Season 26(2) 12(1) 2 12(1) 7/14 X Andrew Farrar Ainscough and Barrett represent NSW 2001 St. George Illawarra Dragons season
2002 NRL Season 24(2) 9(1) 3 12(1) 7/15 X Trent Barrett Barrett new captain 2002 St. George Illawarra Dragons season
2003 NRL Season 24 11 0 13 10/15 Nathan Brown Nathan Brown becomes coach 2003 St. George Illawarra Dragons season
2004 NRL Season 24(1) 14 0 10(1) 5/15 X Dragons have a 24-point comeback 2004 St. George Illawarra Dragons season
2005 NRL Season 24(2) 16(1) 0 8(1) 2/15 X Gasnier Centre of the year 2005 St. George Illawarra Dragons season
2006 NRL Season 24(3) 14(2) 0 10(1) 6/15 X Gasnier Centre of the year 2006 St. George Illawarra Dragons season
2007 NRL Season 24 9 0 15 13/16 Various Sign Jamie Soward 2007 St. George Illawarra Dragons season
2008 NRL Season 24(1) 13 0 11(1) 7/16 X Mark Gasnier Nathan Brown not renewed as coach for 2009 2008 St. George Illawarra Dragons season
2009 NRL Season 24 (2) 17 0 7 (2) 1/16 X X Wayne Bennett Ben Hornby[29] Minor Premiers 2009 St. George Illawarra Dragons season
2010 NRL Season 24(3) 17(3) 0 7 1/16 X X X Minor Premiers, Premiers 2010 St. George Illawarra Dragons season
2011 NRL season 24(2) 14 1 9(2) 5/16 X World Club Challenge Champions 2011 St. George Illawarra Dragons season
2012 NRL season 24 11 0 13 9/16 Steve Price 2012 St. George Illawarra Dragons season
2013 NRL season 24 7 0 17 14/16 Ben Creagh Sign Josh Dugan 2013 St. George Illawarra Dragons season
2014 NRL season 24 11 0 13 11/16 Pool Stage Price --> McGregor Sign Gareth Widdop, Benji Marshall 2014 St. George Illawarra Dragons season
2015 NRL season 24(1) 12 0 12(1) 8/16 X Pool Stage Paul McGregor Made Top 8/ Finals for the first time since 2011 2015 St. George Illawarra Dragons season
2016 NRL season 24 10 0 14 11/16 Pool Stage Gareth Widdop Sign Tim Lafai, Tariq Sims 2016 St. George Illawarra Dragons season
2017 NRL season 24 12 0 12 9/16 Pool Stage Sign Paul Vaughan, Nene MacDonald, Cameron McInnes 2017 St. George Illawarra Dragons season
2018 NRL season 24(2) 15(1) 0 9(1) 7/16 X Sign Ben Hunt, James Graham 2018 St. George Illawarra Dragons season
2019 NRL season 24 8 0 16 15/16 Sign Corey Norman, Korbin Sims 2019 St. George Illawarra Dragons season
2020 NRL season 20 7 0 13 12/16 McGregor --> Young Cameron McInnes Sign Trent Merrin. McGregor resigns as coach 2020 St. George Illawarra Dragons season
2021 NRL season 24 8 0 16 11/16 Anthony Griffin Ben Hunt Sign Jack Bird, Andrew McCullough, Josh McGuire 2021 St. George Illawarra Dragons season
2022 NRL season 24 12 0 12 10/16 Anthony Griffin Ben Hunt and Andrew McCullough Sign Moses Mbye, Jayden Su'a, Aaron Woods 2022 St. George Illawarra Dragons season

Finals appearances

12 (1999, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2015, 2018)

Colours and jerseys

Name and emblem

The team colours of the St. George Illawarra Dragons are red and white, colours shared by both the St. George Dragons and Illawarra Steelers. The merged entity's logo was taken directly from that of St George, with the addition of "Illawarra" to the bottom of the emblem. The emblem reflected the rich history of the St George Dragons, including an unprecedented and unmatched 11 consecutive premierships from 1956 to 1966, and the future strength of the club with the Illawarra.

The club name Dragons, is a shortened version of "Dragonslayers", the original nickname of St George. The emblem features a red shield with a silhouette of St. George, overlaid with a white stylised Dragon, with the words "ST. GEORGE" and "ILLAWARRA" above and below the shield respectively. It was originally intended for St George to face right and the Dragon to face left.

Jerseys

When the St George Illawarra Dragons were formed in 1998, it was decided that the jersey of St George (first used in 1945), the famous "Red V" on white, would become the main jersey for the new club. The red used was changed to the scarlet tone used by the Steelers.

The alternate jersey initially used by the club was red and white horizontal stripes, similar to the 1921 St George Jersey known as the "blood and bandages". Since 2006, this Jersey has been reserved for use as the St George Illawarra Heritage Jersey for special occasions. This Jersey is worn during Heritage Round, when the Dragons confront fierce local rivals the Bulldogs RLFC.

In 2004 and 2005, the club used a jersey similar to the Steelers main jersey for Heritage matches, acknowledging the rugby league history of the Illawarra region, though not as a full-time alternate strip. This jersey was predominantly red with white stripes on the sleeves. With Adidas producing the club's official merchandise from 2006, a generic Adidas design – predominantly red with three white stripes down the sleeves – was adopted as the full-time alternate strip; before another re-design in 2008, which better reflected the old Steelers jersey.

Reebok produced supporter and team kits from the 2010 season until 2013. Again the Red V was the Main jersey and the Alternate jersey was a red design with white slash marks. ISC became St George Illawarra's apparel partner in 2014 until 2017. XBlades became the main supplier for the 2018 season and ended their contract in 2020. Classic Sportswear currently produce the club's team kits and supporter gear.

Home grounds

 
Inside Jubilee Oval
 
Inside WIN Stadium

The Dragons have two home grounds, reflecting the joint nature of the club:

Half of the Dragons home matches are played at WIN Stadium (previously the home ground of the Illawarra Steelers) and the half at Jubilee Oval (previously the home of the St George Dragons).

The club has previously played Sydney home games out of the Sydney Football Stadium (2000–2002) and Stadium Australia (2008), as well as the Sydney Cricket Ground on special occasions.

The club has taken their home ground advantage away from their usual home grounds to the Sydney Football Stadium for the Club ANZAC Game against the Sydney Roosters in the 2004, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018 seasons. In 2002 when the match was first held, the Sydney Football Stadium was, at the time, one of the Dragons' main home grounds, whilst in 2008 the match was played at ANZ Stadium, a very unpopular move amongst supporters.

 
Outside Jubilee Oval, that includes a Walk of Fame

Right Game Right Venue Strategy

In 2013, the club entered into a four-year agreement with the NRL to move 4 of their 12 home games to one of the major Sydney stadiums (Allianz Stadium, Sydney Cricket Ground, ANZ Stadium).

The strategic intent was to replicate the success of the annual game played against Sydney Roosters on ANZAC day. As part of this initiative, the club and the NRL sought to introduce an annual Heritage Round game against South Sydney at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

In 2017, the club announced that the NRL had only provided three appropriate games to support this initiative for the 2017 season.

It was announced that from the 2018 NRL season that all games (except for the ANZAC clash Vs the Sydney Roosters and one other round) would be shared equally between Kogarah and Wollongong.

Stadium records

Current squad

Top 30 Squad - 2023 Season Development Players Coaching Staff
  • Josh Coric PR
  • Sione Finau WG
  • Connor Muhleisen HK, FE
  • Jackson Shereb SR, CE
  • Alec Tu'itavake PR
Manager
  • Ben Haran (General Manager of Football)

Head coach

Assistant coaches

Medical Professionals

  • Tony Guilfoyle (Physical Performance Manager)

Managers


Legend:
  • (c) Captain(s)
  • (vc) Vice captain(s)

Updated: 7 March 2023
Source(s): Dragons Team Profiles

2023 Signings & Transfers

Coaches

Leagues clubs

 
St George Leagues Club, Beverley Park, Sydney

As well as having two administrative offices, St. George Illawarra are supported by two separate Leagues clubs – one in each of the St. George and Illawarra areas.

St. George Dragons

The St. George Leagues Club is located on the Princes Highway at Beverley Park close to the northern home ground of Jubilee Oval at Carlton. Established in 1963, St. George was one of the first Super Leagues clubs developed in the 60s and was commonly referred to as the Taj Mahal because of the use of white marble in the original building.[30] Very little of the original building is still there today after extensive refurbishing and redesigning the entire club to make it one of the most superbly fitting clubs in Australia.

Illawarra Steelers

Situated in the middle of the City Beach precinct, the Steelers Club is located adjacent to WIN Entertainment Centre and WIN Stadium. It is directly across the road from the grounds Western Grandstand. Established in 1990, the club has struggled financially against much larger and more popular leagues clubs in Wollongong, such as Collegians, Dapto Leagues Club, Wests Illawarra Leagues Club, and Shellharbour Workers Club in Shellharbour. However, after a major restructure of its operations, the Steelers Club traded profitably. Twenty percent of the club premises were sold to Bermuda-based Billionaire and owner of WIN Corp, Bruce Gordon. The sale fetched $2.6 million.[31]

Supporters

Many supporters of the Dragons mainly come from the club's local areas, the suburbs of the St. George district in Sydney (the Hurstville, Bayside, and Kogarah Council regions), and the Illawarra on the south-coast of NSW. The St. George Illawarra Dragons also have a huge following in south-east Queensland, as a significant number of the club's 'Red V' memberships are from people in this area. The Dragons also have a large number of supporters from all over NSW, with the club receiving record crowds at away games at Stadium Australia at Sydney Olympic Park.

Notable Supporters

Notable Dragons Supporters

Rivalries

Due to St. George enjoying great success over the years, St. George Illawarra have inherited several fierce rivalries, while also creating a few new ones since forming the joint venture.

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

St. George Illawarra has a fierce rivalry with neighbor the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. Canterbury-Bankstown were founded in 1935, 14 years after St. George. St. George inflicted a RL record 91–6 defeat of Canterbury in 1935[38] but Canterbury enjoyed premiership success first, however St. George recorded 11 straight premierships in the years following (1956–1966).

In the 1942 NSWRFL season, the two clubs met in the 1942 grand final with Canterbury-Bankstown defeating St. George 11–9 in a low-scoring affair at the Sydney Cricket Ground.[38]

It was also Canterbury-Bankstown who put an end to their Premiership run in 1967, when Canterbury beat them by one point in the preliminary final to face South Sydney in the Grand Final. Since then, both clubs have inflicted Premiership defeats on the other, St George defeating Canterbury-Bankstown in 1979, Canterbury returning the favour in 1985.[38]

The two teams subsequently met in the 1993 preliminary final which St. George won 27–12. They would meet again in the 1995 and 1998 finals series with Canterbury running out winners on both occasions. The elimination final in 1998 was also St. George's final game as a stand-alone entity as the club elected to form a joint venture with Illawarra for the 1999 NRL season.

Since St. George formed a joint venture with Illawarra, the two clubs have met each other in the 2001 finals series which St. George Illawarra defeated Canterbury 23-22 and in the 2015 finals series which Canterbury won 11–10 at ANZ Stadium. In the 2017 NRL season, St. George Illawarra needed to beat Canterbury in the final game of the regular season to qualify for the finals. Canterbury who were already out of contention for the finals defeated St. George 26-20 which allowed North Queensland to get the last finals spot and finish 8th. North Queensland would then go on to reach the 2017 NRL Grand Final as a result.[39][38]

The two sides are rivals in the NRL Heritage Round. Canterbury and St. George Illawarra also unofficially have a territorial rivalry, with fans from both teams coming in large amounts around Arncliffe, Earlwood, Kingsgrove, Marrickville, and Panania.

Parramatta Eels

The St. George Illawarra Dragons and Parramatta Eels rivalry stretched back to 1977 when the St. George Dragons and Parramatta played out the first ever drawn Grand Final result. Parramatta, seeking their first minor premiership after they finished the season on the top of the ladder at the end of the regular season, were beaten 22–0 in the Grand Final Rematch by St. George, who won their first Grand Final since 1966.

There were many controversial matches between St. George Illawarra and Parramatta. Firstly, in Round 18 2005, Parramatta won 40–14 in a match which saw Trent Barrett and PJ Marsh trade blows after Marsh's crude charge-down attempt at Barrett, sparking an all-in brawl whitest, Parramatta's Wade McKinnon sprinted to score a match-turning 80 metre try.

A less memorable match saw no points scored between the two teams in Round 13 2006 in the first 70 minutes of play before Parramatta slotted a field goal with nine minutes remaining, before the Dragons struck back with two one-pointers to take a 2–1 lead. St. George Illawarra then scored a try through Matt Cooper with mere seconds remaining on the clock to claim an 8–1 victory.

In the 2009 NRL Finals Series, St. George Illawarra finished as the Minor Premiership and faced the Parramatta Eels who finished 8th on the ladder, A week earlier at the same venue, St. George Illawarra had defeated Parramatta 37-0 but in the finals game, Parramatta won 25–12 with Parramatta player Jarryd Hayne scoring a brilliant solo try. As of the 2021 NRL season, this has been the last time where St. George Illawarra and Parramatta have met in a finals series.[40]

In 2020 NRL season on the 14/6/2020, St. George Illawarra played there last games under former coach Paul McGregor (rugby league), at CommBank Stadium. The Saints showed a lot of emotion as they won 14-12 unexpectedly against the Parramatta Eels. With Mikaele Ravalawa scoring a double. But Zac Lomax sealed the games with slotting a Penalty goal in the 65th minute.

Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks

St. George Illawarra's fiercest rivalries is with their Southern neighbor, Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. Cronulla-Sutherland originally were part of the St. George juniors area, and Cronulla are often referred to as St George's "little brother".[41]

St. George Illawarra have had the same amount of success as the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, who have also won one premiership. In fact, since St. George Illawarra entered the competition in 1999, both the Saints and Cronulla have finished higher than the other six times apiece.

Cronulla finished the 1999 season as minor premiers, but St. George Illawarra beat them 26–8 in the preliminary final to progress to the 1999 NRL Grand Final at the Sharks' expense. The Saints trailed 0–8 at halftime.

Both clubs have been accused of poaching players from the other, and compete for fans in the same region. In 1999, the Cronulla CEO infamously cut up a St. George Jersey after a match at Toyota Stadium. During the Super League war, Cronulla-Sutherland was one of only three Sydney teams to join the rival competition, entrenching further spite from both the St. George Dragons and the Illawarra Steelers were loyal to the ARL during the Super League War.

In the 2002 finals series, both teams met in the semi-final which Cronulla won 40–24 at the Sydney Football Stadium. The rivalry increased further in 2005 when they met in a qualifying final at a sold out WIN Stadium with the Dragons winning 28–22. As of the 2021 NRL season, this is the last time the two club's have played each other in a finals game.[42]

In 2009, former Dragons captain Trent Barrett switched to Cronulla-Sutherland after two years in the Super League. In his return match to Kogarah in round 3, 2009, Barrett was injured and with him went any hopes Cronulla had of winning the premiership (in the preceding year, the Cronulla club had finished equal-first) that year. Other players to have switched clubs include Lance Thompson and Jeremy Smith (St. George Illawarra to Cronulla), Beau Scott, Sam Isemonger and Matt Bickerstaff (Cronulla to St. George Illawarra) and Colin Best (Cronulla to St. George Illawarra) and then back again, as of 2011. In another match in 2009, Cronulla captain Paul Gallen was found guilty of a racial slur involving then Dragons forward Mickey Paea.

South Sydney Rabbitohs

St. George won 15 premierships before forming a joint-venture with Illawarra. In 2010, they won their first NRL premiership as a joint-venture. South Sydney have won the most premierships with 21, the Sydney Roosters next on 15 premierships. South Sydney and St. George have met several times in grand finals prior to the joint-venture and being the north-eastern neighbours of St. George, had many fierce encounters. One of the biggest matches in this rivalry is the Charity Shield, a pre-season fixture between the two sides that was abandoned after the 1999 match but was revived after Souths were re-admitted to the NRL in 2002.[43]

In 2001, South Sydney chairman and club legend George Piggins said there would be no chance of the Charity Shield being revived if Souths were to be included back into the NRL saying "The Dragons: They sold us out". This was in reference to St. George signing an affidavit at the time which included that it would be detrimental if Souths were returned to the competition.[44]

In 2018, both sides met for the first time in a finals match since 1984. After 80 tense minutes of absorbing action, Souths won a close semi-final 13–12.[45]

Sydney Roosters

 
The pre-match formalities taking place prior to the 2018 Anzac Day clash between the two clubs.

St. George has another fierce rivalry with the Sydney Roosters. St. George's first premiership was a 31–14 victory over Easts in the 1941 NSWRFL season Grand Final.

In 1960 Eastern Suburbs reached their first grand final since 1945 where they faced St. George but were beaten 31–6.[46][47]

In 1975 Eastern Suburbs defeated St. George 38–0 in the grand final which until the 2008 NRL season was the biggest winning margin in a grand final.

During 1995, in the midst of the Super League War, Eastern Suburbs had secret discussions to merge with the St. George club, with St. George's jersey and emblem to disappear. Fans of both clubs were outraged, and the attempt aborted. St. George Illawarra annually contests the Club ANZAC Game against the Sydney Roosters, a tradition dating back to the 1970s, and contested annually since 2002.

After St. George formed a joint venture with the Illawarra Steelers in 1999 to form St. George Illawarra the two clubs have met each other twice in finals matches, the first coming in 1999 which St. George Illawarra won and in the 2010 NRL Grand Final where St. George Illawarra won its first premiership as a joint venture defeating the Sydney Roosters 32–8 at ANZ Stadium.[48][49]

Brisbane Broncos

Prior to the joint-venture, both St George and Illawarra had created strong rivalries with Brisbane in the early 1990s. St George and Brisbane Broncos contested the 1992 and 1993 Grand Finals, creating a fierce rivalry (see New South Wales Rugby League season 1993). Also, Illawarra had produced some memorable performances against Brisbane, including the infamous 1989 Panasonic Cup Final (which Brisbane won) and the 1992 Tooheys Challenge Cup Final (won by Illawarra).

The St George Illawarra Dragons had the longest winning streak against the Brisbane Broncos than any other club (eight, from round 23, 2005 to round 4, 2009 inclusive, including one final in 2006), across five years. With former Brisbane Broncos coach Wayne Bennett at the helm of St George Illawarra, and Wendell Sailor, a popular face in the NRL and a former Bronco, the rivalry only increased. In 2009, the Dragons defeated the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium early, and were then beaten in Wollongong by the Broncos later on in the season. One game a piece, the two sides met up in Brisbane in the finals, where they lost to the Broncos 24–10, thus ending the Dragons season and also that of Wendell Sailor's career. Ironically, his first and last games for the Dragons were both against the Broncos.

Some memorable matches between the Dragons and the Broncos have included:

  • Round 11, 2002: Brisbane were at the top of the ladder undefeated at the time until they ran into the Dragons at Aussie Stadium on a sunny Sunday afternoon. The Dragons won 28–20 to inflict Brisbane's first defeat of the season, but in round 17 the Broncos got them back with a 34–22 victory at ANZ Stadium.
  • Round 26, 2003: The Dragons were out of finals contention and the Broncos the previous week had lost a then club-record breaking sixth straight loss when the two teams came together at Suncorp Stadium in the final round of the 2003 season. The second-string Dragons side, without more than half of its first grade side stunned the Broncos 26–25 with hooker Mark Riddell kicking an improbable penalty goal with just over 90 seconds remaining. This condemned the Broncos to their seventh loss in succession and gave Dragons fans some hope for the 2004 season.
  • Round 12, 2004: Not even an early try from Mark Gasnier (who was dropped from the New South Wales State of Origin team for disciplinary issues) could inspire the Dragons as they lost by just two points, 24–22.
  • Round 23, 2005: In a potential Grand Final preview, scores were locked at 0–0 for the majority of the first half before the Dragons broke away in the second half to record a 24–4 win and instigate Brisbane's then-traditional late-season poor form.
  • Round 15, 2006: With the Dragons trailing 16–12 with two minutes remaining, Dragons winger Brett Morris scored his first-ever first grade try in the corner in the dying minutes after catching a Mathew Head bomb. The try was allowed, leaving Dragons hooker Aaron Gorrell (in a twist of irony, he later went on to play for the Broncos) with the sideline conversion to win the game. Gorrell nailed it and the Dragons won the match 18–16.
  • 2nd Qualifying Final, 2006: The Dragons upset the Broncos 20–4, the third time the Dragons defeated Brisbane in that year. The Broncos ultimately went on to win the premiership.
  • Round 13, 2008: Wendell Sailor played his first game for the Dragons against the Broncos, but was rested just before halftime following a jaw injury suffered in the first half. The Dragons won 34–16.
  • Round 23, 2008: Sailor marked his return to Suncorp Stadium with his first try since coming back to rugby league in a win to the Dragons, 24–20.
  • Round 4, 2009: Wayne Bennett, Darius Boyd and a host of others opposed the Broncos for the first time in their lives. Despite conceding an early try to Israel Folau, the Dragons won 25–12 with Wendell Sailor appropriately scoring the match winning try.
  • 2nd Semi-Final, 2009: The Broncos ended the Dragons season with a 24–10 win, and the Dragons became the first minor premiers in 16 years to be eliminated in just the 2nd round of the Finals.
  • 2nd Semi-Final, 2011: The Broncos beat the Dragons 13–12 field goal kicked by Darren Lockyer in overtime, Darren won the game with a fractured cheekbone that he received late in the game, this also turned out to be Darren Lockyer's last game for the Broncos and Wayne Bennett (coaching) and Mark Gasnier's last for the Dragons.
  • Round 1, 2018: In the season opener, Ben Hunt played his first game for the Dragons after leaving the Broncos the year before, the Dragons beat the Broncos 34–12 with Hunt scoring an intercept try off a poor pass from Broncos recruit Matt Lodge.
  • 2nd Elimination Final, 2018: In their first finals meeting in seven years, the Broncos were widely tipped to beat the Dragons, after an arm wrestle for most of the 1st half, the Dragons inspired by a Tariq Sims hat trick went on to hand the Broncos their worst finals loss at Suncorp winning 48–18 and eliminating the Broncos in the process. It was also Ben Hunt's first game in Brisbane since leaving the Broncos for St George Illawarra.
  • Round 3, 2019: In their only meeting for 2019, both sides struggled to get the upper hand until former Bronco Corey Norman slotted a field goal right on full time to give the Dragons a 25–24 win after Jamayne Isaako missed a field goal attempt only moments earlier.
  • Round 25, 2022: The Dragons were out of finals contention while Brisbane had to win to play finals. The Dragons won the game 22–12 condemning the Broncos to a third consecutive year without a finals appearance which allowed the Canberra Raiders to advance into the finals at the expense of the Broncos.

Players who played for the Dragons who have won premierships with Brisbane include Darius Boyd and Luke Priddis, who also won a premiership with Penrith in 2003. Others of note include Nick Emmett who was brought to the club by Wayne Bennett, and Neville Costigan, who was sacked just before the Broncos' 2006 success.

Melbourne Storm

These two teams played against each other in the 1999 NRL Grand Final. It is remembered for the penalty try conceded by St. George Illawarra winger Jamie Ainscough that cost the club the premiership. It was the club's first NRL Grand Final appearance as a joint-venture and Melbourne's first Grand Final appearance in just its second year in existence. St. George Illawarra had led 14–0 at halftime only for Melbourne to come back and claim a controversial 20–18 win following the penalty try two minutes from time.

The two teams have also had some memorable, not to mention controversial matches in the decade that followed, none more so than the Grand Final rematch in 2000 which saw Melbourne beat St. George Illawarra 70–10 at the MCG (this remains St George Illawarra's biggest defeat as a joint-venture to date).

In the lead up to that match, then-Saints five-eighth Anthony Mundine had claimed that the Melbourne club were not worthy premiers, sparking anger from Melbourne's fans and players, thus the catalyst for the huge win. St. George Illawarra however did claim revenge later that year with a 50–4 win at WIN Stadium (that also remains Melbourne's worst ever defeat to date).[50]

The 2009 season opened with these two teams going head-to-head in another much talked about match. St. George Illawarra five-eighth Jamie Soward was labelled a 'rag doll' in defence whilst trying to stop Melbourne's Greg Inglis scoring a try, however ever since that match Soward's game has matured. The club lost 17–16 in extra time, with Inglis scoring the match winning field goal. In the return match, Soward was also the centre of attention as he used his foot to prevent Inglis again from scoring, resulting in an eight-point try and Soward being put on report (he was reprimanded for this). St. George Illawarra won this match 26–12. In round 4, 2010, St. George Illawarra were the last team to lose premiership points to Melbourne before their salary cap scandal was revealed.

St. George Illawarra were also involved in a controversial loss to Melbourne at the start of the 2014 season. In their round 6 game at AAMI Park, a refereeing and timekeeping error resulted in Melbourne scoring a try after the siren had gone, to win them the match. In the 80th minute, St. George Illawarra were ahead 24–22. The full-time siren sounded in the 80th minute, prior to a Melbourne player in possession being tackled. After the tackle was completed, the referees allowed play to continue, rather than ending the match, which gave Melbourne the chance to spread the ball in an elongated play, which resulted in a try and conversion in the 81st minute, giving them the win, 28–24.[51]

Newcastle Knights and Canberra Raiders

Due to the merger with Illawarra, the St George Illawarra Dragons hold a NSW Regional City rivalry with both the Canberra Raiders and fellow steel city side, Newcastle Knights. These are extenuations of such rivalries the Illawarra Steelers held with each side due to the Steelers' (side of the Joint Venture) locality in the NSW City of Wollongong. The rivalry the Steelers held with their Wollongong cousin, the Newcastle Knights, was quite often dubbed the Steel City showdown due to 2 cities, Newcastle and Wollongong, being industrious with BHP Steel. The St George Illawarra Dragons wore their away jersey in 2018 in their match against the Knights at WIN Stadium; given the greater amount of red on the jersey, it brought back that traditional rivalry.

In 2022, the St George Illawarra Dragons wore their heritage Illawarra Steelers commemorative jersey against the Canberra Raiders at WIN Stadium. This also commemorated the inception of the 2 clubs in 1982 and their Regional City rivalry from that year forward.

Club records

(As of the end of the 2022 season)

Player records

  • Bold- Active

Head-to-head records

Opponent Played Won Drawn Lost Win %
  Warriors 34 24 0 10 70.59
  Knights 42 29 0 13 69.05
  Sea Eagles 33 22 0 11 66.67
  Titans 28 18 0 10 64.29
  Panthers 37 20 0 17 54.05
  Tigers 42 22 0 20 52.38
  Rabbitohs 38 18 0 20 47.37
  Sharks 51 23 1 27 46.00
  Cowboys 37 17 0 20 45.95
  Roosters 47 21 1 25 45.1
  Broncos 45 20 0 25 44.44
  Eels 40 17 2 21 42.50
  Bulldogs 43 17 0 26 39.53
  Raiders 36 13 1 22 36.11
  Storm 40 11 1 28 27.50
  Dolphins 1 1 0 0 100.00

Since the foundation of the St. George Illawarra Dragons, the club has achieved the following Win/Loss Record:[52]

Games Wins Drawn Loss Points For Points Against +/- Win %
580 287 6 287 12,216 11,593 +623 49.48

Honours

Women's team

 
Members of the NRL Women's team assembling outside Jubilee Oval during a promotional appearance in August 2018.

In December 2017, the St. George Illawarra Dragons expressed their interest in applying for a licence to participate in the inaugural NRL Women's season.[53] In March 2018, they were awarded one of four licences for the league's inaugural season, to commence in September of the same year.[54] Daniel Lacey was appointed to coach the side.[55]

In June 2018, Sam Bremner, Kezie Apps and Talesha Quinn were unveiled as the club's first three signings.[56]

Current squad

2021 NRLW Coaching Staff

Head coach



Legend:
  • (c) Captain(s)
  • (vc) Vice captain(s)

Updated: 27 February 2022
Source(s): St George Illawarra

Season summaries

Competition Games
Played
(FINALS)
Games
Won
(FINALS)
Games
Drawn
(FINALS)
Games
Lost
(FINALS)
Ladder
Position
P R M F W NRL Nines Coach Captain Notes
2018 NRL Women's season 3 1 0 2 4/4 X Daniel Lacey Sam Bremner
2019 NRL Women's season 3(1) 2 0 1(1) 2/4 X X Runners Up
2020 NRL Women's season 3 0 0 3 4/4 X X X X X Winners Sam Bremner, Kezie Apps
2021 NRL Women's season 3(2) 4(1) 0 1(1) 1/6 X X X Jamie Soward Kezie Apps, Keeley Davis Runners Up

See also

References

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External links

  • Official website

Supporter sites

  • Dragons Lair – St George Illawarra Dragons Fan Discussion Forum

george, illawarra, dragons, confused, with, george, dragons, saint, george, disambiguation, australian, professional, rugby, league, football, club, representing, both, illawarra, george, regions, south, wales, club, competed, national, rugby, league, since, 1. Not to be confused with St George Dragons or Saint George disambiguation The St George Illawarra Dragons are an Australian professional rugby league football club representing both the Illawarra and St George regions of New South Wales The club has competed in the National Rugby League since 1999 after a joint venture was formed between the St George Dragons est 1921 and the Illawarra Steelers est 1982 1 The club officially formed as the game s first joint venture club on 23 September 1998 and remains the only inter city team in the NRL 2 The team has its headquarters and leagues clubs in both Wollongong and the Sydney suburb of Kogarah and trains and plays games regularly at WIN Stadium in Wollongong as well as at Jubilee Oval in Kogarah From 1999 to 2006 the club was jointly owned by the St George Dragons 50 and Illawarra Steelers 50 In 2006 WIN Corporation purchased 50 of the Illawarra Steelers stake in the club before purchasing the rest of the Illawarra Steelers share in August 2018 St George Illawarra DragonsClub informationFull nameSt George Illawarra Dragons Rugby League Football ClubNickname s Dragons Saints Red VColours White RedFounded23 September 1998 24 years ago 1998 09 23 joint venture of the St George Dragons and Illawarra Steelers Websitedragons com auCurrent detailsGround s WIN Stadium Wollongong 22 000 Jubilee Oval Kogarah 20 500 CEORyan WebbCoachVacant NRL Jamie Soward NRLW CaptainBen Hunt NRL Kezie Apps NRLW CompetitionNational Rugby League2022 season10th NRL 3rd NRLW Current seasonUniformsHome coloursAway coloursRecordsPremierships1 2010 Runners up1 1999 Minor premiership2 2009 2010 World Club Challenge1 2011 Most capped273 Ben HornbyHighest try scorer124 Matt CooperHighest points scorer977 Jamie SowardThe Dragons reached the grand final in their first season in 1999 losing to the Melbourne Storm St George Illawarra is one of only two clubs the other being the Sydney Roosters in 1908 to finish runner up in its inaugural season St George Illawarra also fields teams in local competitions within the St George and Illawarra regions In 2010 the Dragons won their second successive minor premiership and became the first team to be awarded the J J Giltinan Shield in consecutive years since the National Rugby League was formed in 1998 The Dragons won the 2010 NRL Grand Final against the Sydney Roosters 32 8 at ANZ Stadium Sydney They then won the 2011 World Club Challenge defeating the Wigan Warriors 21 15 at DW Stadium in the UK With its World Club Challenge victory the club became the first Australian team since the Brisbane Broncos in 1992 3 to win the minor premiership premiership and World Club Challenge simultaneously Contents 1 History 1 1 David Waite and Andrew Farrar 1999 2002 1 2 Nathan Brown 2003 2008 1 3 Wayne Bennett 2009 2011 1 4 Steve Price and Paul McGregor 2012 2020 1 5 Anthony Griffin 2021 2 Season summaries 2 1 Finals appearances 3 Colours and jerseys 3 1 Name and emblem 3 2 Jerseys 4 Home grounds 4 1 Right Game Right Venue Strategy 5 Current squad 6 2023 Signings amp Transfers 7 Coaches 8 Leagues clubs 8 1 St George Dragons 8 2 Illawarra Steelers 9 Supporters 9 1 Notable Supporters 10 Rivalries 10 1 Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs 10 2 Parramatta Eels 10 3 Cronulla Sutherland Sharks 10 4 South Sydney Rabbitohs 10 5 Sydney Roosters 10 6 Brisbane Broncos 10 7 Melbourne Storm 10 8 Newcastle Knights and Canberra Raiders 11 Club records 11 1 Player records 12 Head to head records 13 Honours 14 Women s team 14 1 Current squad 14 2 Season summaries 15 See also 16 References 17 External linksHistory EditSee also St George Dragons and Illawarra Steelers In the wake of the Super League war of the mid 1990s and the resulting split competition of 1997 the Illawarra Steelers found themselves struggling financially and seemed unlikely to survive past 1999 The St George Dragons largely financed a proposal for a joint venture which would see the St George Illawarra Dragons playing in both Kogarah and Wollongong Essentially St George would provide the money while Illawarra would provide a broader junior and fan base With the NRL s intention to rationalise the competition from 20 teams down to 14 teams and with a 4M incentive and a relaxing of salary cap requirements for a joint venture the Dragons and the Steelers ensured their survival by forming the League s first joint venture on 23 September 1998 3 David Waite and Andrew Farrar 1999 2002 Edit A joint venture entity being a new concept in Australian rugby league the public watched closely in anticipation of success or failure No one was certain how the top players sourced from the two clubs would perform when they ran out onto the field They were unsuccessful in their first outing losing to the Parramatta Eels 20 10 but by the 4th round they had started to form some cohesion and would go on to achieve a top eight position on the competition ladder by the end of the regular season In the semi finals the Dragons won against the Melbourne Storm at Olympic Park before returning to Sydney to dispose of the Sydney Roosters and the Cronulla Sutherland Sharks to reach the Grand Final In the 1999 Grand Final the club were leading by 14 0 at the break in front of a world record crowd of 107 999 A fairytale of a title in their first year as a joint venture seemed destined to come true something of an advertisement to any other clubs considering the option of a joint venture but Melbourne recovered from their poor start and went into the final minutes of the game with St George Illawarra leading by 18 12 The Dragons were forced to perform a drop kick from their own goal line and on the fifth tackle Brett Kimmorley kicked high towards St George Illawarra s corner of the field As Melbourne s winger Craig Smith caught the ball over the goal line he was knocked unconscious in a tackle by Jamie Ainscough and lost the ball Referee Bill Harrigan deferred to the video referee who ruled a penalty try on the grounds that contact had been made with the head giving Melbourne a 20 18 lead and the premiership title In the 2000 NRL season though they had a rough start and in Round 5 St George Illawarra recorded their worst defeat for the club losing 70 10 against the Melbourne Storm This was the first game these two teams played against each other since the 1999 grand final and was played at the MCG On 3 May to the surprise and shock of fans and club officials Anthony Mundine announced his retirement from the club and rugby league in general with immediate effect to pursue a career in boxing The Dragons were not going well in the first half of the 2000 season and the main coach David Waite was replaced with assistant coach Andrew Farrar Soon after the replacement of coaches St George Illawarra recorded their best ever win They defeated the New Zealand Warriors 54 0 in round 14 at WIN Stadium with debutant Amos Roberts scoring a record 22 points one try and nine goals for any first grade player on debut St George Illawarra however missed out of the finals series and came 9th Despite their poor season Trent Barrett was awarded with the Dally M Medal Nathan Brown 2003 2008 Edit In 2003 Nathan Brown the joint venture s first number 9 achieved the position of coach becoming the youngest non playing coach in premiership history at the age of 29 St George Illawarra finished the season 10th Nathan Brown was also involved in a sideline incident when he had slapped Trent Barrett in Wollongong during a game against Manly and was issued a 5000 fine 2004 saw the final season of the try scoring talent Nathan Blacklock An extraordinary scoreline was seen in the round 25 clash with Manly Trailing 34 10 after 53 minutes the club came back to win the match 36 34 This was the second biggest comeback in Australian Rugby League history Finishing 5th the club were eliminated in the first round of the finals after losing in a thrilling game 30 31 to 4th placed Penrith In 2005 after their worst start to a season yet losing 5 of their first 6 games the St George Illawarra side finished second in a close season on the ladder at completion of the 2005 NRL season just behind minor premiers the Parramatta Eels on points difference After progressing to the finals they defeated local rivals the Cronulla Sutherland Sharks 28 22 in the quarter final of the finals series though the Dragons eventually fell 12 20 to eventual champions the Wests Tigers in the Preliminary Final The club broke the ground record at WIN Stadium twice in the 2005 season First against rivals the Sydney Roosters and then at their home quarter final game against the Cronulla Sutherland Sharks In early 2006 WIN Television Network bought a 25 stake in the Illawarra Steelers Club for 6 5 million erasing most of the debt Illawarra had to St George This formalised the strong support the network has shown for the Steelers in years gone by and ensured that Wollongong continued to host world class rugby league matches After a bad start to the 2006 NRL season the club put on a midseason seven game winning streak This was followed by a form slump with a record five consecutive losses only to return to form with a victory over the Wests Tigers and continue this positive form leading into the finals The club ended the regular season in sixth position In the finals campaign St George Illawarra faced the Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium in the first round St George Illawarra won the game 20 4 In the second round they met the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles at the Sydney Football Stadium winning 28 0 In the grand final qualifier they played the Melbourne Storm where the club went down 24 10 bowing out of season 2006 St George Illawarra could take solace from the fact that they did defeat the eventual premiers Brisbane three times during the 2006 season 26 12 at Wollongong in Round 4 18 16 at Suncorp Stadium in Round 15 and the aforementioned qualifying final match Season 2007 saw an early injury to Mark Gasnier in the Charity Shield match against South Sydney Rabbitohs creating another poor start for the Dragons Combined with the loss of key players such as Luke Bailey Trent Barrett and Shaun Timmins in the off season the Dragons faced NRL newcomers the Gold Coast Titans in Round 1 The joint venture club won the historic match 20 18 however lost 6 more matches after that leaving the Saints sitting in 15th place on the NRL Ladder This was a very inexperienced Dragons team that seemed destined for a poor injury plagued season However in Round 17 vs Canberra Raiders at WIN Stadium the Saints scored four times more points than their previous game average winning the match 58 16 equalling their highest ever score and their largest victory in three years The club s season ended with a 28 24 loss to the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles at Brookvale Oval finishing in 13th place their lowest finish to date 2008 saw the end of an era with coach Nathan Brown s contract not renewed after yet another poor start to the season winning one of their first six matches The club received a boost in May when former dual code international player Wendell Sailor joined the team Several notable players departed at the end of the year including Jason Ryles 4 and captain Mark Gasnier The club finished the season in 7th place however they lost in the first round of the finals to eventual premiers Manly whom they defeated 20 18 in round 11 34 6 at Brookvale Oval ending yet another disappointing season The era under Brown was one of frustration for Dragons fans as there were high expectations for the strong side but ultimately no premierships Wayne Bennett 2009 2011 Edit 2009 a new season a new coach and ground sponsor WIN at Jubilee Oval Several new faces joined the club including Jeremy Smith Darius Boyd Neville Costigan Michael Weyman and Luke Priddis The season opener against the Storm ended in a thrilling golden point extra time loss 17 16 Round 3 set a new crowd record with the victorious return to WIN Jubilee against Cronulla They were consistently placed first on the competition ladder in 2009 contributed by a continuous winning streak of seven games since their win against the North Queensland Cowboys on 14 June They lost first position after a three game losing streak while the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs won all games in that period but remain in the top three However in the final round of the 2009 regular season St George Illawarra defeated in form Parramatta Eels 37 0 a game in which winger Brett Morris obtained a hat trick and man of the match honours while Canterbury lost 34 12 to the Wests Tigers In the same game St George Illawarra five eighth Jamie Soward surpassed Harry Bath s record for most points in a season by a St George player As a result St George Illawarra won the minor premiership for the 2009 and Wayne Bennett s first season at the club but the team was eliminated from the finals after losing both their finals matches therefore becoming the first minor premiers since 1993 In the first match they were humbled in front of a packed Jubilee Stadium before traveling to face Bennett s former team Brisbane defeated the Saints Season 2010 saw the club lose seven matches the same tally as in the 2009 home and away season against eventual wooden spooners the Melbourne Storm 2008 premiers the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles their perennial bogey team the Canberra Raiders 2003 premiers the Penrith Panthers in round 17 the Gold Coast Titans in extra time in round 20 Bennett s old team the Brisbane Broncos in round 21 and a second time to the Canberra Raiders in round 24 The team has been placed first since round five The team won its second minor premiership in succession the first NRL team to do so since the inception of the NRL in 1998 with victory against the Newcastle Knights in the penultimate round of the 2010 NRL season The joint venture club had led the competition from round five right through to the final round spending 21 consecutive weeks on top of the ladder and therefore spending the longest period of time on top of the ladder in NRL history not including the Melbourne Storm St George Illawarra met Manly in the first week of the 2010 finals and produced a 28 0 victory St George Illawarra then defeated Wests Tigers 13 12 with Jamie Soward kicking the winning field goal for a place in the 2010 NRL Grand Final In the 2010 NRL Grand Final St George Illawarra defeated the Sydney Roosters 32 8 to secure the club s first grand final victory The club overcame a poor first half performance to pull a thrilling victory out of the hat This victory made Wayne Bennett s grand final record at 7 wins from 8 and thus continuing Brian Smith s poor grand final record of 4 losses from 4 Darius Boyd won a premiership with Bennett and the Brisbane Broncos in 2006 won the Clive Churchill Medal for best on ground in the match The Grand Final victory also ended 31 years of hurt for St George fans as the club had lost previous finals in 1985 1992 1993 1996 and 1999 5 St George Illawarra began their 2011 Season with pre season wins in trials over Canterbury and South Sydney in the Charity Shield The club also claimed its first World Club Challenge Championship defeating Wigan Warriors 21 15 at DW Stadium As of Round 14 2011 the Dragons have won 10 straight excluding a 14 14 draw against Parramatta in Round 13 It was announced in March 2011 that Bennett would leave St George Illawarra after the 2011 NRL season signing a four year deal with the Newcastle Knights from the 2012 season onwards Steve Price was named as his successor Steve Price and Paul McGregor 2012 2020 Edit The club s cheer squad The Flames performing during the Dragons Anzac Day match against the Roosters in 2018 2012 saw the club with a new coach St George Illawarra narrowly missed out on a Finals spot finishing up in 9th position Several notable players departed from the club at the end of the season including Ben Hornby and Dean Young who both retired from the sport The start of the 2013 NRL season saw the arrival of few key acquisitions namely Gerard Beale from the Broncos and Tyson Frizell from the Cronulla Sutherland Sharks The season was plagued by inconsistent form alongside injuries and speculation regarding Price s future at the club After winning three straight matches on the lead up to the annual Anzac Day clash with the Sydney Roosters it was announced that Price would be signed for another year with an option for a second at the clubs disposal Despite the clubs faith in Price as well as the arrival of star fullback Josh Dugan from Canberra in a mid season transfer the club was unable to string together consistent performances and finished the year at 14th position Star five eighth Gareth Widdop joined the club for 2014 but by late May 2014 just after the star signing of Benji Marshall the board sacked Price as coach due to some embarrassing defeats to start the season Assistant coach Paul McGregor was named as his replacement until the end of the season and was eventually employed full time following improved results This culminated in the club returning to the finals in 2015 and enjoying a successful year In the 2017 NRL season St George Illawarra lead the competition after the first eight rounds before a dramatic slide which saw the club record only six wins for the rest of the season In the final match of the regular season St George Illawarra played against Canterbury with a win guaranteeing them a finals spot and jumping ahead of North Queensland With under ten minutes to play St George Illawarra were ahead on the scoreboard before two quick tries gave Canterbury a 26 20 victory 6 7 8 The 2018 NRL season saw the arrival of two star signings English international James Graham 9 and the Australian and Queensland halfback Ben Hunt 10 These signings and a successful season culminated in the club returning to the finals in 2018 and enjoyed a successful year On 9 September 2018 St George Illawarra Dragons won their first qualifying final in 8 years defeating the Brisbane Broncos 48 18 at Suncorp Stadium 11 The following week St George Illawarra played against South Sydney in week 2 of the finals series and were defeated 13 12 in a tight game The match was also the first time since 1984 that the two clubs had played each other in the finals 12 The Intrust Super Premiership NSW St George Illawarra also had a strong year finishing second at the end of the regular season were they made the preliminary final but were defeated 28 26 by Canterbury 13 In August 2018 WIN Corporation purchased the Illawarra Steelers remaining 25 stake in the club for a commercially in confidence sum The St George Dragons and WIN Corporation now have a 50 stake each WIN Corporation has paid off the 6 million debt the St George Illawarra Dragons owed the NRL The club s home venues will continue to be WIN Stadium and Jubilee Stadium 14 Before the start of the 2019 NRL season St George Illawarra were expected by many to reach the finals and continue their good form from the previous year A few weeks out from the club s first match Jack de Belin was stood down indefinitely by the NRL in relation to an incident which happened in December 2018 On 18 April 2019 McGregor was granted a two year contract extension by St George Illawarra keeping him at the club as the head coach until the end of the 2021 NRL season after the side had won four of their first six games 15 16 17 St George Illawarra would then go to only win three of their next 17 matches which left them second last on the table above the last placed Gold Coast On 2 September 2019 it was revealed that McGregor s position at head coach would be coming under review following the conclusion of the season St George Illawarra finished 15th on the ladder and did not qualify for the finals after having a horror season 18 On 13 August 2020 McGregor was terminated as head coach of St George Illawarra after a poor start to the season left the club with four wins in thirteen games he was subsequently replaced by Dean Young 19 At the end of the 2020 NRL season the club finished a disappointing 12th on the table and missed out on the finals 20 Anthony Griffin 2021 Edit On 7 September 2020 Anthony Griffin was appointed the coach for 2021 NRL season on a two year deal 21 On 1 June 2021 it was announced that Jack de Belin would return from his 987 day hiatus after charges against him were dropped 22 On 5 July 2021 the NRL handed out a total of 305 000 in fines to 13 players of the club after they attended Paul Vaughan s property for a party in the midst of Covid 19 restrictions which were in breach of the code s bio security protocols 23 The season finished with the club finishing in 11th place 24 missing out on finals for the third consecutive year The season started with four wins from the first five games however over the next 19 games the club only obtained another four victories with the club losing eight matches in a row to close out the season after the infamous barbeque It capped off a mediocre first year under Griffin s reign 25 St George Illawarra finished the 2022 NRL season in 10th place and missed the finals Between round 17 to round 22 the club managed to win only one match which saw them go from 8th to 11th on the table St George Illawarra would win their last three matches of the season to finish in 10th position 26 Before the start of the 2023 NRL season many experts and pundits predicted St George Illawarra to finish with the Wooden Spoon After having a bye in the first round the club defeated the Gold Coast in round 2 by a score of 32 18 In March 2023 it was revealed that Griffin had been told by club officials that they were looking for a potential coaching replacement in 2024 and that Griffin would have to re apply for his position 27 28 Season summaries EditMain article List of St George Illawarra Dragons seasons P Premiers R Runners Ups M Minor Premierships F Finals Appearance W Wooden Spoons Brackets Represent Finals Games Competition GamesPlayed FINALS GamesWon FINALS GamesDrawn FINALS GamesLost FINALS LadderPosition P R M F W NRL Nines Coach Captain Notes Details1999 NRL Season 24 4 15 3 0 9 1 6 17 X X David WaiteAndrew Farrar Paul McGregor Runners Up 1999 St George Illawarra Dragons season2000 NRL Season 26 12 0 14 9 14 Craig Smith Barrett receives Dally M medal 2000 St George Illawarra Dragons season2001 NRL Season 26 2 12 1 2 12 1 7 14 X Andrew Farrar Ainscough and Barrett represent NSW 2001 St George Illawarra Dragons season2002 NRL Season 24 2 9 1 3 12 1 7 15 X Trent Barrett Barrett new captain 2002 St George Illawarra Dragons season2003 NRL Season 24 11 0 13 10 15 Nathan Brown Nathan Brown becomes coach 2003 St George Illawarra Dragons season2004 NRL Season 24 1 14 0 10 1 5 15 X Dragons have a 24 point comeback 2004 St George Illawarra Dragons season2005 NRL Season 24 2 16 1 0 8 1 2 15 X Gasnier Centre of the year 2005 St George Illawarra Dragons season2006 NRL Season 24 3 14 2 0 10 1 6 15 X Gasnier Centre of the year 2006 St George Illawarra Dragons season2007 NRL Season 24 9 0 15 13 16 Various Sign Jamie Soward 2007 St George Illawarra Dragons season2008 NRL Season 24 1 13 0 11 1 7 16 X Mark Gasnier Nathan Brown not renewed as coach for 2009 2008 St George Illawarra Dragons season2009 NRL Season 24 2 17 0 7 2 1 16 X X Wayne Bennett Ben Hornby 29 Minor Premiers 2009 St George Illawarra Dragons season2010 NRL Season 24 3 17 3 0 7 1 16 X X X Minor Premiers Premiers 2010 St George Illawarra Dragons season2011 NRL season 24 2 14 1 9 2 5 16 X World Club Challenge Champions 2011 St George Illawarra Dragons season2012 NRL season 24 11 0 13 9 16 Steve Price 2012 St George Illawarra Dragons season2013 NRL season 24 7 0 17 14 16 Ben Creagh Sign Josh Dugan 2013 St George Illawarra Dragons season2014 NRL season 24 11 0 13 11 16 Pool Stage Price gt McGregor Sign Gareth Widdop Benji Marshall 2014 St George Illawarra Dragons season2015 NRL season 24 1 12 0 12 1 8 16 X Pool Stage Paul McGregor Made Top 8 Finals for the first time since 2011 2015 St George Illawarra Dragons season2016 NRL season 24 10 0 14 11 16 Pool Stage Gareth Widdop Sign Tim Lafai Tariq Sims 2016 St George Illawarra Dragons season2017 NRL season 24 12 0 12 9 16 Pool Stage Sign Paul Vaughan Nene MacDonald Cameron McInnes 2017 St George Illawarra Dragons season2018 NRL season 24 2 15 1 0 9 1 7 16 X Sign Ben Hunt James Graham 2018 St George Illawarra Dragons season2019 NRL season 24 8 0 16 15 16 Sign Corey Norman Korbin Sims 2019 St George Illawarra Dragons season2020 NRL season 20 7 0 13 12 16 McGregor gt Young Cameron McInnes Sign Trent Merrin McGregor resigns as coach 2020 St George Illawarra Dragons season2021 NRL season 24 8 0 16 11 16 Anthony Griffin Ben Hunt Sign Jack Bird Andrew McCullough Josh McGuire 2021 St George Illawarra Dragons season2022 NRL season 24 12 0 12 10 16 Anthony Griffin Ben Hunt and Andrew McCullough Sign Moses Mbye Jayden Su a Aaron Woods 2022 St George Illawarra Dragons seasonFinals appearances Edit 12 1999 2001 2002 2004 2005 2006 2008 2009 2010 2011 2015 2018 Colours and jerseys EditName and emblem Edit The team colours of the St George Illawarra Dragons are red and white colours shared by both the St George Dragons and Illawarra Steelers The merged entity s logo was taken directly from that of St George with the addition of Illawarra to the bottom of the emblem The emblem reflected the rich history of the St George Dragons including an unprecedented and unmatched 11 consecutive premierships from 1956 to 1966 and the future strength of the club with the Illawarra The club name Dragons is a shortened version of Dragonslayers the original nickname of St George The emblem features a red shield with a silhouette of St George overlaid with a white stylised Dragon with the words ST GEORGE and ILLAWARRA above and below the shield respectively It was originally intended for St George to face right and the Dragon to face left Jerseys Edit When the St George Illawarra Dragons were formed in 1998 it was decided that the jersey of St George first used in 1945 the famous Red V on white would become the main jersey for the new club The red used was changed to the scarlet tone used by the Steelers The alternate jersey initially used by the club was red and white horizontal stripes similar to the 1921 St George Jersey known as the blood and bandages Since 2006 this Jersey has been reserved for use as the St George Illawarra Heritage Jersey for special occasions This Jersey is worn during Heritage Round when the Dragons confront fierce local rivals the Bulldogs RLFC In 2004 and 2005 the club used a jersey similar to the Steelers main jersey for Heritage matches acknowledging the rugby league history of the Illawarra region though not as a full time alternate strip This jersey was predominantly red with white stripes on the sleeves With Adidas producing the club s official merchandise from 2006 a generic Adidas design predominantly red with three white stripes down the sleeves was adopted as the full time alternate strip before another re design in 2008 which better reflected the old Steelers jersey Reebok produced supporter and team kits from the 2010 season until 2013 Again the Red V was the Main jersey and the Alternate jersey was a red design with white slash marks ISC became St George Illawarra s apparel partner in 2014 until 2017 XBlades became the main supplier for the 2018 season and ended their contract in 2020 Classic Sportswear currently produce the club s team kits and supporter gear St George Illawarra Dragons Jerseys 1999 2005 2006 Home grounds Edit Inside Jubilee Oval Inside WIN Stadium The Dragons have two home grounds reflecting the joint nature of the club WIN Stadium 1999 present Jubilee Oval 1999 2003 07 2009 present Half of the Dragons home matches are played at WIN Stadium previously the home ground of the Illawarra Steelers and the half at Jubilee Oval previously the home of the St George Dragons The club has previously played Sydney home games out of the Sydney Football Stadium 2000 2002 and Stadium Australia 2008 as well as the Sydney Cricket Ground on special occasions The club has taken their home ground advantage away from their usual home grounds to the Sydney Football Stadium for the Club ANZAC Game against the Sydney Roosters in the 2004 2006 2010 2012 2014 2016 and 2018 seasons In 2002 when the match was first held the Sydney Football Stadium was at the time one of the Dragons main home grounds whilst in 2008 the match was played at ANZ Stadium a very unpopular move amongst supporters Outside Jubilee Oval that includes a Walk of Fame Right Game Right Venue Strategy Edit In 2013 the club entered into a four year agreement with the NRL to move 4 of their 12 home games to one of the major Sydney stadiums Allianz Stadium Sydney Cricket Ground ANZ Stadium The strategic intent was to replicate the success of the annual game played against Sydney Roosters on ANZAC day As part of this initiative the club and the NRL sought to introduce an annual Heritage Round game against South Sydney at the Sydney Cricket Ground In 2017 the club announced that the NRL had only provided three appropriate games to support this initiative for the 2017 season It was announced that from the 2018 NRL season that all games except for the ANZAC clash Vs the Sydney Roosters and one other round would be shared equally between Kogarah and Wollongong Stadium records Highest Attendances at WIN Jubilee Oval Crowd Against Date20 847 St George Illawarra v Cronulla 29 March 200919 892 St George Illawarra v Wests Tigers 29 May 201119 319 St George Illawarra v Parramatta 1 May 201119 173 St George Illawarra v Melbourne 6 May 201818 415 St George Illawarra v Canterbury 15 May 2009 Highest attendances at WIN Stadium Crowd Against Date26 110 St George Illawarra v Wests Tigers 1 May 202219 608 St George Illawarra v Cronulla 10 September 200519 512 St George Illawarra v Sydney Roosters 29 June 200519 501 St George Illawarra v Canterbury 28 July 200718 980 St George Illawarra v South Sydney 31 July 2011Current squad EditSt George Illawarra Dragons 2023 Squadviewtalkedit Top 30 Squad 2023 Season Development Players Coaching StaffJunior Amone FE HB Jack Bird LK SR Billy Burns SR Toby Couchman LK Jack de Belin LK PR Mat Feagai WG Max Feagai CE WG Viliami Fifita PR Tyrell Fuimaono LK PR Ben Hunt c HB HK Jaiyden Hunt SR PR Josh Kerr PR Blake Lawrie PR Jacob Liddle HK Zac Lomax CE Nick Lui Toso PR Moses Mbye HK Tautau Moga CE WG Francis Molo PR Michael Molo PR LK Ben Murdoch Masila SR Zane Musgrove PR Cody Ramsey FB Mikaele Ravalawa WG Tyrell Sloan FB Jaydn Su A SR Moses Suli CE Jayden Sullivan FE HB Paul Turner FB HB Josh Coric PR Sione Finau WG Connor Muhleisen HK FE Jackson Shereb SR CE Alec Tu itavake PR ManagerBen Haran General Manager of Football Head coach Anthony GriffinAssistant coaches Ben Woolf Ryan Carr Bronx Goodwin NSW Cup Coach Aaron Hertsch Jersey Flegg Coach Russell Aitken Pathways amp Development Coach Willie Talau Pathways amp Development Jamie Soward NRLW amp Specialist Coach Medical Professionals Tony Guilfoyle Physical Performance Manager Managers Ian Millward Pathways Director Legend c Captain s vc Vice captain s Updated 7 March 2023Source s Dragons Team Profiles2023 Signings amp Transfers EditGains Jacob Liddle Wests Tigers Nick Lui Toso Northern Pride Ben Murdoch Masila New Zealand Warriors Zane Musgrove Wests Tigers Paul Turner Gold Coast Titans Losses George Burgess Retired Poasa Faamausili Dolphins Jackson Ford New Zealand Warriors Jack Gosiewski North Queensland Cowboys Andrew McCullough Retirement Josh McGuire Warrington Wolves Shalom O Ofou Wynnum Manly Seagulls Jonathon Reuben Norths Devils Tariq Sims Melbourne StormCoaches EditMain article List of St George Illawarra Dragons coaches David Waite 1999 2000 Andrew Farrar 1999 2002 Nathan Brown 2003 2008 Wayne Bennett 2009 2011 Steve Price 2012 2014 Paul McGregor 2014 2020 Dean Young 2020 Anthony Griffin 2021 presentLeagues clubs Edit St George Leagues Club Beverley Park Sydney As well as having two administrative offices St George Illawarra are supported by two separate Leagues clubs one in each of the St George and Illawarra areas St George Dragons Edit The St George Leagues Club is located on the Princes Highway at Beverley Park close to the northern home ground of Jubilee Oval at Carlton Established in 1963 St George was one of the first Super Leagues clubs developed in the 60s and was commonly referred to as the Taj Mahal because of the use of white marble in the original building 30 Very little of the original building is still there today after extensive refurbishing and redesigning the entire club to make it one of the most superbly fitting clubs in Australia Illawarra Steelers Edit Situated in the middle of the City Beach precinct the Steelers Club is located adjacent to WIN Entertainment Centre and WIN Stadium It is directly across the road from the grounds Western Grandstand Established in 1990 the club has struggled financially against much larger and more popular leagues clubs in Wollongong such as Collegians Dapto Leagues Club Wests Illawarra Leagues Club and Shellharbour Workers Club in Shellharbour However after a major restructure of its operations the Steelers Club traded profitably Twenty percent of the club premises were sold to Bermuda based Billionaire and owner of WIN Corp Bruce Gordon The sale fetched 2 6 million 31 Supporters EditMany supporters of the Dragons mainly come from the club s local areas the suburbs of the St George district in Sydney the Hurstville Bayside and Kogarah Council regions and the Illawarra on the south coast of NSW The St George Illawarra Dragons also have a huge following in south east Queensland as a significant number of the club s Red V memberships are from people in this area The Dragons also have a large number of supporters from all over NSW with the club receiving record crowds at away games at Stadium Australia at Sydney Olympic Park Notable Supporters Edit Notable Dragons SupportersBryan Brown actor Mike Dalton Nine News journalist Billy Dib boxer Jihad Dib politician Sally Fitzgibbons professional surfer Mick Fuller 32 NSW Police commissioner Dave Gleeson lead singer of The Screaming Jets and The Angels Geoff Harvey musician Josh Hazlewood bowler for the Australian national cricket team Moises Henriques captain of Sydney Sixers John Hewson former Liberal Party of Australia leader John Howard 33 25th Prime Minister of Australia Morris Iemma 40th Premier of New South Wales Stephen Jones politician Matthew Jurman professional soccer player for Newcastle Jets FC Neel Kolhatkar 34 comedian Mark Latham 35 politician Brett Lee 36 former Australian national cricker Stephanie Magiros snowboarder Robert McClelland 35 politician Ian McNamara radio personality Matt Moran celebrity chef Drew Morphett sports broadcaster Kerry O Keeffe former cricketer and Fox Cricket host Marise Payne 37 former Minister for Foreign Affairs Graham Perrett politician Melissa Perrine para alpine skier Lara Pitt TV host for Fox League Graham Richardson politician Ken Rosewall Grand Slam winning tennis player Bob Simpson cricketer Tony Squires TV host John Stanley talkback radio broadcaster for 2GB Mitchell Starc bowler for the Australian national cricket team Mark Taylor former captain of the Australian national cricket team Barrie Unsworth 36th Premier of New South Wales Alexander Volkanovski mixed martial arts fighter in the UFCRivalries EditDue to St George enjoying great success over the years St George Illawarra have inherited several fierce rivalries while also creating a few new ones since forming the joint venture Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs Edit St George Illawarra has a fierce rivalry with neighbor the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs Canterbury Bankstown were founded in 1935 14 years after St George St George inflicted a RL record 91 6 defeat of Canterbury in 1935 38 but Canterbury enjoyed premiership success first however St George recorded 11 straight premierships in the years following 1956 1966 In the 1942 NSWRFL season the two clubs met in the 1942 grand final with Canterbury Bankstown defeating St George 11 9 in a low scoring affair at the Sydney Cricket Ground 38 It was also Canterbury Bankstown who put an end to their Premiership run in 1967 when Canterbury beat them by one point in the preliminary final to face South Sydney in the Grand Final Since then both clubs have inflicted Premiership defeats on the other St George defeating Canterbury Bankstown in 1979 Canterbury returning the favour in 1985 38 The two teams subsequently met in the 1993 preliminary final which St George won 27 12 They would meet again in the 1995 and 1998 finals series with Canterbury running out winners on both occasions The elimination final in 1998 was also St George s final game as a stand alone entity as the club elected to form a joint venture with Illawarra for the 1999 NRL season Since St George formed a joint venture with Illawarra the two clubs have met each other in the 2001 finals series which St George Illawarra defeated Canterbury 23 22 and in the 2015 finals series which Canterbury won 11 10 at ANZ Stadium In the 2017 NRL season St George Illawarra needed to beat Canterbury in the final game of the regular season to qualify for the finals Canterbury who were already out of contention for the finals defeated St George 26 20 which allowed North Queensland to get the last finals spot and finish 8th North Queensland would then go on to reach the 2017 NRL Grand Final as a result 39 38 The two sides are rivals in the NRL Heritage Round Canterbury and St George Illawarra also unofficially have a territorial rivalry with fans from both teams coming in large amounts around Arncliffe Earlwood Kingsgrove Marrickville and Panania Parramatta Eels Edit The St George Illawarra Dragons and Parramatta Eels rivalry stretched back to 1977 when the St George Dragons and Parramatta played out the first ever drawn Grand Final result Parramatta seeking their first minor premiership after they finished the season on the top of the ladder at the end of the regular season were beaten 22 0 in the Grand Final Rematch by St George who won their first Grand Final since 1966 There were many controversial matches between St George Illawarra and Parramatta Firstly in Round 18 2005 Parramatta won 40 14 in a match which saw Trent Barrett and PJ Marsh trade blows after Marsh s crude charge down attempt at Barrett sparking an all in brawl whitest Parramatta s Wade McKinnon sprinted to score a match turning 80 metre try A less memorable match saw no points scored between the two teams in Round 13 2006 in the first 70 minutes of play before Parramatta slotted a field goal with nine minutes remaining before the Dragons struck back with two one pointers to take a 2 1 lead St George Illawarra then scored a try through Matt Cooper with mere seconds remaining on the clock to claim an 8 1 victory In the 2009 NRL Finals Series St George Illawarra finished as the Minor Premiership and faced the Parramatta Eels who finished 8th on the ladder A week earlier at the same venue St George Illawarra had defeated Parramatta 37 0 but in the finals game Parramatta won 25 12 with Parramatta player Jarryd Hayne scoring a brilliant solo try As of the 2021 NRL season this has been the last time where St George Illawarra and Parramatta have met in a finals series 40 In 2020 NRL season on the 14 6 2020 St George Illawarra played there last games under former coach Paul McGregor rugby league at CommBank Stadium The Saints showed a lot of emotion as they won 14 12 unexpectedly against the Parramatta Eels With Mikaele Ravalawa scoring a double But Zac Lomax sealed the games with slotting a Penalty goal in the 65th minute Cronulla Sutherland Sharks Edit St George Illawarra s fiercest rivalries is with their Southern neighbor Cronulla Sutherland Sharks Cronulla Sutherland originally were part of the St George juniors area and Cronulla are often referred to as St George s little brother 41 St George Illawarra have had the same amount of success as the Cronulla Sutherland Sharks who have also won one premiership In fact since St George Illawarra entered the competition in 1999 both the Saints and Cronulla have finished higher than the other six times apiece Cronulla finished the 1999 season as minor premiers but St George Illawarra beat them 26 8 in the preliminary final to progress to the 1999 NRL Grand Final at the Sharks expense The Saints trailed 0 8 at halftime Both clubs have been accused of poaching players from the other and compete for fans in the same region In 1999 the Cronulla CEO infamously cut up a St George Jersey after a match at Toyota Stadium During the Super League war Cronulla Sutherland was one of only three Sydney teams to join the rival competition entrenching further spite from both the St George Dragons and the Illawarra Steelers were loyal to the ARL during the Super League War In the 2002 finals series both teams met in the semi final which Cronulla won 40 24 at the Sydney Football Stadium The rivalry increased further in 2005 when they met in a qualifying final at a sold out WIN Stadium with the Dragons winning 28 22 As of the 2021 NRL season this is the last time the two club s have played each other in a finals game 42 In 2009 former Dragons captain Trent Barrett switched to Cronulla Sutherland after two years in the Super League In his return match to Kogarah in round 3 2009 Barrett was injured and with him went any hopes Cronulla had of winning the premiership in the preceding year the Cronulla club had finished equal first that year Other players to have switched clubs include Lance Thompson and Jeremy Smith St George Illawarra to Cronulla Beau Scott Sam Isemonger and Matt Bickerstaff Cronulla to St George Illawarra and Colin Best Cronulla to St George Illawarra and then back again as of 2011 In another match in 2009 Cronulla captain Paul Gallen was found guilty of a racial slur involving then Dragons forward Mickey Paea South Sydney Rabbitohs Edit Charity Shield logo St George won 15 premierships before forming a joint venture with Illawarra In 2010 they won their first NRL premiership as a joint venture South Sydney have won the most premierships with 21 the Sydney Roosters next on 15 premierships South Sydney and St George have met several times in grand finals prior to the joint venture and being the north eastern neighbours of St George had many fierce encounters One of the biggest matches in this rivalry is the Charity Shield a pre season fixture between the two sides that was abandoned after the 1999 match but was revived after Souths were re admitted to the NRL in 2002 43 In 2001 South Sydney chairman and club legend George Piggins said there would be no chance of the Charity Shield being revived if Souths were to be included back into the NRL saying The Dragons They sold us out This was in reference to St George signing an affidavit at the time which included that it would be detrimental if Souths were returned to the competition 44 In 2018 both sides met for the first time in a finals match since 1984 After 80 tense minutes of absorbing action Souths won a close semi final 13 12 45 Sydney Roosters Edit The pre match formalities taking place prior to the 2018 Anzac Day clash between the two clubs St George has another fierce rivalry with the Sydney Roosters St George s first premiership was a 31 14 victory over Easts in the 1941 NSWRFL season Grand Final In 1960 Eastern Suburbs reached their first grand final since 1945 where they faced St George but were beaten 31 6 46 47 In 1975 Eastern Suburbs defeated St George 38 0 in the grand final which until the 2008 NRL season was the biggest winning margin in a grand final During 1995 in the midst of the Super League War Eastern Suburbs had secret discussions to merge with the St George club with St George s jersey and emblem to disappear Fans of both clubs were outraged and the attempt aborted St George Illawarra annually contests the Club ANZAC Game against the Sydney Roosters a tradition dating back to the 1970s and contested annually since 2002 After St George formed a joint venture with the Illawarra Steelers in 1999 to form St George Illawarra the two clubs have met each other twice in finals matches the first coming in 1999 which St George Illawarra won and in the 2010 NRL Grand Final where St George Illawarra won its first premiership as a joint venture defeating the Sydney Roosters 32 8 at ANZ Stadium 48 49 Brisbane Broncos Edit Prior to the joint venture both St George and Illawarra had created strong rivalries with Brisbane in the early 1990s St George and Brisbane Broncos contested the 1992 and 1993 Grand Finals creating a fierce rivalry see New South Wales Rugby League season 1993 Also Illawarra had produced some memorable performances against Brisbane including the infamous 1989 Panasonic Cup Final which Brisbane won and the 1992 Tooheys Challenge Cup Final won by Illawarra The St George Illawarra Dragons had the longest winning streak against the Brisbane Broncos than any other club eight from round 23 2005 to round 4 2009 inclusive including one final in 2006 across five years With former Brisbane Broncos coach Wayne Bennett at the helm of St George Illawarra and Wendell Sailor a popular face in the NRL and a former Bronco the rivalry only increased In 2009 the Dragons defeated the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium early and were then beaten in Wollongong by the Broncos later on in the season One game a piece the two sides met up in Brisbane in the finals where they lost to the Broncos 24 10 thus ending the Dragons season and also that of Wendell Sailor s career Ironically his first and last games for the Dragons were both against the Broncos Some memorable matches between the Dragons and the Broncos have included Round 11 2002 Brisbane were at the top of the ladder undefeated at the time until they ran into the Dragons at Aussie Stadium on a sunny Sunday afternoon The Dragons won 28 20 to inflict Brisbane s first defeat of the season but in round 17 the Broncos got them back with a 34 22 victory at ANZ Stadium Round 26 2003 The Dragons were out of finals contention and the Broncos the previous week had lost a then club record breaking sixth straight loss when the two teams came together at Suncorp Stadium in the final round of the 2003 season The second string Dragons side without more than half of its first grade side stunned the Broncos 26 25 with hooker Mark Riddell kicking an improbable penalty goal with just over 90 seconds remaining This condemned the Broncos to their seventh loss in succession and gave Dragons fans some hope for the 2004 season Round 12 2004 Not even an early try from Mark Gasnier who was dropped from the New South Wales State of Origin team for disciplinary issues could inspire the Dragons as they lost by just two points 24 22 Round 23 2005 In a potential Grand Final preview scores were locked at 0 0 for the majority of the first half before the Dragons broke away in the second half to record a 24 4 win and instigate Brisbane s then traditional late season poor form Round 15 2006 With the Dragons trailing 16 12 with two minutes remaining Dragons winger Brett Morris scored his first ever first grade try in the corner in the dying minutes after catching a Mathew Head bomb The try was allowed leaving Dragons hooker Aaron Gorrell in a twist of irony he later went on to play for the Broncos with the sideline conversion to win the game Gorrell nailed it and the Dragons won the match 18 16 2nd Qualifying Final 2006 The Dragons upset the Broncos 20 4 the third time the Dragons defeated Brisbane in that year The Broncos ultimately went on to win the premiership Round 13 2008 Wendell Sailor played his first game for the Dragons against the Broncos but was rested just before halftime following a jaw injury suffered in the first half The Dragons won 34 16 Round 23 2008 Sailor marked his return to Suncorp Stadium with his first try since coming back to rugby league in a win to the Dragons 24 20 Round 4 2009 Wayne Bennett Darius Boyd and a host of others opposed the Broncos for the first time in their lives Despite conceding an early try to Israel Folau the Dragons won 25 12 with Wendell Sailor appropriately scoring the match winning try 2nd Semi Final 2009 The Broncos ended the Dragons season with a 24 10 win and the Dragons became the first minor premiers in 16 years to be eliminated in just the 2nd round of the Finals 2nd Semi Final 2011 The Broncos beat the Dragons 13 12 field goal kicked by Darren Lockyer in overtime Darren won the game with a fractured cheekbone that he received late in the game this also turned out to be Darren Lockyer s last game for the Broncos and Wayne Bennett coaching and Mark Gasnier s last for the Dragons Round 1 2018 In the season opener Ben Hunt played his first game for the Dragons after leaving the Broncos the year before the Dragons beat the Broncos 34 12 with Hunt scoring an intercept try off a poor pass from Broncos recruit Matt Lodge 2nd Elimination Final 2018 In their first finals meeting in seven years the Broncos were widely tipped to beat the Dragons after an arm wrestle for most of the 1st half the Dragons inspired by a Tariq Sims hat trick went on to hand the Broncos their worst finals loss at Suncorp winning 48 18 and eliminating the Broncos in the process It was also Ben Hunt s first game in Brisbane since leaving the Broncos for St George Illawarra Round 3 2019 In their only meeting for 2019 both sides struggled to get the upper hand until former Bronco Corey Norman slotted a field goal right on full time to give the Dragons a 25 24 win after Jamayne Isaako missed a field goal attempt only moments earlier Round 25 2022 The Dragons were out of finals contention while Brisbane had to win to play finals The Dragons won the game 22 12 condemning the Broncos to a third consecutive year without a finals appearance which allowed the Canberra Raiders to advance into the finals at the expense of the Broncos Players who played for the Dragons who have won premierships with Brisbane include Darius Boyd and Luke Priddis who also won a premiership with Penrith in 2003 Others of note include Nick Emmett who was brought to the club by Wayne Bennett and Neville Costigan who was sacked just before the Broncos 2006 success Melbourne Storm Edit These two teams played against each other in the 1999 NRL Grand Final It is remembered for the penalty try conceded by St George Illawarra winger Jamie Ainscough that cost the club the premiership It was the club s first NRL Grand Final appearance as a joint venture and Melbourne s first Grand Final appearance in just its second year in existence St George Illawarra had led 14 0 at halftime only for Melbourne to come back and claim a controversial 20 18 win following the penalty try two minutes from time The two teams have also had some memorable not to mention controversial matches in the decade that followed none more so than the Grand Final rematch in 2000 which saw Melbourne beat St George Illawarra 70 10 at the MCG this remains St George Illawarra s biggest defeat as a joint venture to date In the lead up to that match then Saints five eighth Anthony Mundine had claimed that the Melbourne club were not worthy premiers sparking anger from Melbourne s fans and players thus the catalyst for the huge win St George Illawarra however did claim revenge later that year with a 50 4 win at WIN Stadium that also remains Melbourne s worst ever defeat to date 50 The 2009 season opened with these two teams going head to head in another much talked about match St George Illawarra five eighth Jamie Soward was labelled a rag doll in defence whilst trying to stop Melbourne s Greg Inglis scoring a try however ever since that match Soward s game has matured The club lost 17 16 in extra time with Inglis scoring the match winning field goal In the return match Soward was also the centre of attention as he used his foot to prevent Inglis again from scoring resulting in an eight point try and Soward being put on report he was reprimanded for this St George Illawarra won this match 26 12 In round 4 2010 St George Illawarra were the last team to lose premiership points to Melbourne before their salary cap scandal was revealed St George Illawarra were also involved in a controversial loss to Melbourne at the start of the 2014 season In their round 6 game at AAMI Park a refereeing and timekeeping error resulted in Melbourne scoring a try after the siren had gone to win them the match In the 80th minute St George Illawarra were ahead 24 22 The full time siren sounded in the 80th minute prior to a Melbourne player in possession being tackled After the tackle was completed the referees allowed play to continue rather than ending the match which gave Melbourne the chance to spread the ball in an elongated play which resulted in a try and conversion in the 81st minute giving them the win 28 24 51 Newcastle Knights and Canberra Raiders Edit Due to the merger with Illawarra the St George Illawarra Dragons hold a NSW Regional City rivalry with both the Canberra Raiders and fellow steel city side Newcastle Knights These are extenuations of such rivalries the Illawarra Steelers held with each side due to the Steelers side of the Joint Venture locality in the NSW City of Wollongong The rivalry the Steelers held with their Wollongong cousin the Newcastle Knights was quite often dubbed the Steel City showdown due to 2 cities Newcastle and Wollongong being industrious with BHP Steel The St George Illawarra Dragons wore their away jersey in 2018 in their match against the Knights at WIN Stadium given the greater amount of red on the jersey it brought back that traditional rivalry In 2022 the St George Illawarra Dragons wore their heritage Illawarra Steelers commemorative jersey against the Canberra Raiders at WIN Stadium This also commemorated the inception of the 2 clubs in 1982 and their Regional City rivalry from that year forward Club records EditFurther information List of St George Illawarra Dragons records As of the end of the 2022 season Player records Edit Most Games for the Dragons Player GamesBen Hornby 273Ben Creagh 270Jason Nightingale 266Matt Cooper 243Dean Young 209Jack de Belin 189Mark Gasnier 174Brett Morris 169Jason Ryles 156Tyson Frizell 165Trent Barrett 154Most Points in a Season Player Points Games Year Tries Goals F GJamie Soward 234 24 2009 12 90 6Gareth Widdop 205 22 2018 4 94 1Jamie Soward 197 26 2010 6 84 5Gareth Widdop 191 21 2017 10 71 1Gareth Widdop 182 21 2015 9 73 0Zac Lomax 178 20 2020 13 63 0Zac Lomax 167 24 2022 6 71 1Mark Riddell 166 24 2003 7 69 0Wayne Bartrim 162 25 1999 5 79 0Jamie Soward 157 23 2011 4 68 5Gareth Widdop 137 24 2014 3 61 3Most Points for the Dragons 300 Player Points Tries Goals F GJamie Soward 977 39 398 25Gareth Widdop 912 33 387 6Mark Riddell 517 30 198 1Zac Lomax 503 22 124 0Matt Cooper 496 124 0 0Brett Morris 448 112 0 0Jason Nightingale 440 110 0 0Nathan Blacklock 428 100 14 0Mark Gasnier 420 92 26 0Wayne Bartrim 374 8 171 0Ben Hornby 262 59 12 2Top 10 Try Scorers Player Tries GamesMatt Cooper 124 243Brett Morris 112 151Jason Nightingale 110 266Nathan Blacklock 100 114Mark Gasnier 92 174Ben Hornby 59 273Ben Creagh 54 270Trent Barrett 47 154Matthew Dufty 44 80Mikaele Ravalawa 43 65 Top 10 Goal Kickers Player GoalsJamie Soward 398Gareth Widdop 387Mark Riddell 198Zac Lomax 195Wayne Bartrim 171Mathew Head 95Aaron Gorrell 94Wes Naiqama 48Michael Ennis 44Mark Gasnier 26Most Tries in a Season Player Tries Games YearNathan Blacklock 27 28 2001Brett Morris 25 24 2009Nathan Blacklock 25 26 2000Nathan Blacklock 24 26 1999Brett Morris 20 25 2010Colin Best 20 26 2005Lee Hookey 18 25 2002Matt Cooper 17 23 2004Anthony Mundine 17 23 1999Jason Nightingale 17 23 2014Top 10 Most Points in a Match Player Points Tries Goals F GGareth Widdop 22 1 9 0Gareth Widdop 22 2 7 0Amos Roberts 22 1 9 0Jamie Soward 22 1 9 0Gareth Widdop 22 1 9 0Zac Lomax 22 2 7 0Jamie Soward 21 2 6 1Gareth Widdop 20 1 8 0Aaron Gorrell 20 1 8 0Aaron Gorrell 20 1 8 0Jamie Soward 20 1 8 0 Bold ActiveHead to head records EditOpponent Played Won Drawn Lost Win Warriors 34 24 0 10 70 59 Knights 42 29 0 13 69 05 Sea Eagles 33 22 0 11 66 67 Titans 28 18 0 10 64 29 Panthers 37 20 0 17 54 05 Tigers 42 22 0 20 52 38 Rabbitohs 38 18 0 20 47 37 Sharks 51 23 1 27 46 00 Cowboys 37 17 0 20 45 95 Roosters 47 21 1 25 45 1 Broncos 45 20 0 25 44 44 Eels 40 17 2 21 42 50 Bulldogs 43 17 0 26 39 53 Raiders 36 13 1 22 36 11 Storm 40 11 1 28 27 50 Dolphins 1 1 0 0 100 00Since the foundation of the St George Illawarra Dragons the club has achieved the following Win Loss Record 52 Games Wins Drawn Loss Points For Points Against Win 580 287 6 287 12 216 11 593 623 49 48Biggest winning margins Margin Score Opponent Venue Date54 54 0 Auckland Warriors WIN Stadium 6 May 200050 50 0 Wests Tigers Jubilee Oval 20 June 200446 50 4 Melbourne Storm WIN Stadium 4 June 200046 54 8 Gold Coast Titans Clive Berghofer Stadium 25 March 2018Most consecutive wins 9 27 March 2011 29 May 2011 8 17 July 2005 10 September 2005 7 17 May 2008 5 July 2008 7 14 June 2009 7 August 2009 Biggest comeback 24 points Trailed Manly Sea Eagles 34 10 after 57 minutes to win 36 34 at Jubilee Stadium 19 August 2004 Biggest losing margins Margin Score Opponent Venue Date60 10 70 Melbourne Storm MCG 3 March 200048 6 54 Newcastle Knights WIN Stadium 8 April 200646 4 50 North Queensland Cowboys Dairy Farmers Stadium 29 April 200038 0 38 Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs Jubilee Oval 26 August 201836 0 36 Parramatta Eels Parramatta Stadium 17 May 2014Most consecutive losses 8 16 July 2021 4 September 2021 7 8 June 2015 2 August 2015 6 27 July 2013 2 September 2013 5 5 September 2004 2 April 2005 5 14 July 13 August 2006 5 23 March 30 April 2007 Worst collapse 20 points Led South Sydney Rabbitohs 20 0 after 35 minutes to lose 34 24 at WIN Stadium 31 July 2011 Honours EditFurther information St George Illawarra Dragons HonoursWomen s team EditMain article St George Illawarra Dragons Women Members of the NRL Women s team assembling outside Jubilee Oval during a promotional appearance in August 2018 In December 2017 the St George Illawarra Dragons expressed their interest in applying for a licence to participate in the inaugural NRL Women s season 53 In March 2018 they were awarded one of four licences for the league s inaugural season to commence in September of the same year 54 Daniel Lacey was appointed to coach the side 55 In June 2018 Sam Bremner Kezie Apps and Talesha Quinn were unveiled as the club s first three signings 56 Current squad Edit St George Illawarra Dragons NRLW Squadviewtalkedit 2021 NRLW Coaching StaffElsie Albert PR Kezie Apps c PR SR Madison Bartlett WG Shaylee Bent SR CE Teagan Berry WG Keele Browne CE Jaime Chapman CE FB Keeley Davis HK Quincy Dodd HK Tegan Dymock LK Tahliah Fuimaono FE Talei Holmes SR Kody House SR CE Shellie Long CE Page McGregor CE Aliti Namoce Sagano PR Rachael Pearson HB Matilda Power HB Alexandra Sulusi LK Renee Targett HB Emma Tonegato FB Chantel Tugaga SR Holli Wheeler LK SR Janelle Williams PR Head coach Jamie Soward Legend c Captain s vc Vice captain s Updated 27 February 2022Source s St George IllawarraSeason summaries Edit Competition GamesPlayed FINALS GamesWon FINALS GamesDrawn FINALS GamesLost FINALS LadderPosition P R M F W NRL Nines Coach Captain Notes2018 NRL Women s season 3 1 0 2 4 4 X Daniel Lacey Sam Bremner2019 NRL Women s season 3 1 2 0 1 1 2 4 X X Runners Up2020 NRL Women s season 3 0 0 3 4 4 X X X X X Winners Sam Bremner Kezie Apps2021 NRL Women s season 3 2 4 1 0 1 1 1 6 X X X Jamie Soward Kezie Apps Keeley Davis Runners UpSee also Edit Sports portalIllawarra Steelers St George DragonsReferences Edit Warne Smith Drew 2 October 2010 Saints face test with nerves of Steelers The Australian Archived from the original on 14 September 2012 Retrieved 24 July 2011 Wilson Andy 3 October 2010 Wigan prepare to slay Dragons after crushing St Helens in Grand Final The Guardian Old Trafford Archived from the original on 3 January 2014 Retrieved 24 July 2011 NRL predicts more teams to seek 4m merger bonus Illawarra Mercury Fairfax 29 September 1998 p 44 Retrieved 14 July 2021 via Newsbank Australia Webster Andrew 21 June 2008 Ryles quits Dragons Illawarra Mercury Archived from the original on 10 August 2014 Retrieved 4 April 2021 Crawford Adrian 3 October 2010 Dragons romp to sweet 16th ABC News Australian Broadcasting Corporation Archived from the original on 30 October 2016 Did the Dragons really choke The Daily Telegraph Retrieved 18 February 2020 Brundson Simon 3 September 2017 Dragons v Bulldogs NRL 2017 finals series Will Hopoate stats Fox Sports Archived from the original on 23 September 2017 Retrieved 2 November 2017 Parkinson Andrew 4 September 2017 St George Illawarra Dragons captain Gareth Widdop labels 2017 season a failure St George amp Sutherland Shire Leader Archived from the original on 19 July 2018 Retrieved 19 July 2018 Stanton Tanisha 2 March 2018 Graham giving Dragons pack extra beef and belief National Rugby League Archived from the original on 13 September 2018 Retrieved 18 February 2020 Ryan Nathan 20 January 2017 Brisbane halfback Ben Hunt accepts St George Illawarra s lengthy multi million dollar deal offer Fox Sports Australia Archived from the original on 6 March 2017 Retrieved 18 February 2020 Chammas Michael 9 September 2018 Sims stars as battered Dragons upset Broncos National Rugby League Archived from the original on 31 December 2018 Retrieved 18 February 2020 NRL finals South Sydney Rabbitohs pip St George Illawarra Dragons with late field ABC News Australian Broadcasting Corporation AAP 15 September 2018 Archived from the original on 17 September 2018 Retrieved 18 February 2020 Buxton Matt 16 September 2018 Cleeland Steers Bulldogs To Grand Final After Two Years Of Heartbreak New South Wales Rugby League Archived from the original on 17 September 2018 Retrieved 18 February 2020 What the changes mean for St George Illawarra The Daily Telegraph Retrieved 20 August 2018 Walter Brad 18 April 2019 Why McGregor s the man to lead Red V to glory National Rugby League Archived from the original on 14 May 2019 Retrieved 5 September 2019 De Belin proclaims innocence after being stood down National Rugby League 28 February 2019 Archived from the original on 28 February 2019 Retrieved 28 February 2019 ARL Commission announces no fault stand down policy for players facing serious charges NRL com 28 February 2019 Archived from the original on 28 February 2019 Retrieved 28 February 2019 Chisholm Ed 2 September 2019 Paul McGregor facing the axe as St George Illawarra Dragons coach following horror season Sporting News Archived from the original on 1 October 2019 Retrieved 5 September 2019 St John Mark 13 August 2020 I wasn t dealing with it Sacked Mary breathes fire at Dragons over selection fiasco Fox Sports Archived from the original on 13 August 2020 Retrieved 13 August 2020 O Loughlin Liam 5 October 2020 NRL 2020 Season Review How will your side fare next season Sporting News Archived from the original on 5 October 2020 Retrieved 4 October 2020 Otto Tyson 7 September 2020 NRL 2020 Dragons name Anthony Griffin coach beginning in 2021 news com au Archived from the original on 9 September 2020 Retrieved 7 September 2020 Jack de Belin named in Dragons squad for NRL return against Broncos The Guardian Australian Associated Press 1 June 2021 Archived from the original on 5 September 2021 Retrieved 5 September 2021 Walter Brad 6 July 2021 Dragons hit with 305 000 in fines Vaughan banned eight weeks National Rugby League Archived from the original on 5 July 2021 Retrieved 6 July 2021 Kennedy Chris 25 October 2021 Dragons 2021 season by the numbers National Rugby League Archived from the original on 3 December 2021 Retrieved 1 October 2022 Brunsdon Simon 28 August 2021 Luckless Cowboy ends 14 game losing streak Dragons find their new No 6 3 Big Hits Fox Sports Archived from the original on 28 August 2021 Retrieved 22 September 2021 NRL 2022 St George Illawarra Dragons season review www sportingnews com Put a noose around his neck Griffin a dead man walking as Dragons blasted for coach hunt www foxsports com au Dragons put off season from hell behind them as Titans fall into old habits 3 Big Hits www foxsports com au Wayne Bennett appoints Ben Hornby as captain of St George Illawarra Fox Sports AAP 5 March 2009 Archived from the original on 30 December 2012 Retrieved 5 March 2009 Trembath Murray 18 July 2013 St George Taj Mahal hits half century St George amp Sutherland Shire Leader Archived from the original on 14 June 2018 Retrieved 19 July 2018 Thompson Angela 27 October 2008 Steelers Club approves 2 6 million bailout Illawarra Mercury Fairfax Media Archived from the original on 19 March 2014 Retrieved 10 July 2009 Top NSW cop Mick Fuller tipped to fill remaining position on ARLC commission Nine s Wide World of Sports 18 February 2021 Retrieved 29 September 2021 Former PM John Howard sounded out to overhaul rugby league chair commission The Australian News Limited Paul Toole New South Wales Deputy Premier 7 October 2009 Archived from the original on 9 October 2009 Retrieved 7 October 2009 088 Neel Kolhatkar What the future holds podcast Comedy in Australia Podcast Retrieved 2 September 2020 a b Dodson Louise 24 August 2004 Latham has a stack of influential support The Sydney Morning Herald Fairfax Digital Archived from the original on 29 October 2007 Retrieved 20 October 2009 Lee Brett 5 October 2003 Bat and ball We re all talkin league today Sydney Morning Herald Fairfax Digital Archived from the original on 7 November 2012 Retrieved 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Widdop becomes Dragons skipper National Rugby League 14 January 2020 Archived from the original on 25 February 2021 Retrieved 15 July 2021 McDonald Margie 16 September 2018 Easy as 1 2 3 Reynolds sinks Dragons National Rugby League Archived from the original on 25 September 2018 Retrieved 29 September 2018 Premiership Records National Rugby League Archived from the original on 16 April 2019 Retrieved 15 July 2021 SCG Trust 16 March 2016 Dragons Win 1960 Premiership St George Illawarra Dragons Archived from the original on 15 July 2021 Retrieved 15 July 2021 Wilson Andy 3 October 2010 St George Illawarra Dragons beat Sydney Roosters in NRL Grand Final The Guardian Archived from the original on 22 November 2020 Retrieved 15 July 2021 Fagan Sean Rugby League amp ANZAC Day RL1908 Archived from the original on 1 June 2009 Retrieved 8 July 2009 Elbra Tim 29 November 2018 The day Anthony Mundine blew the most watched moment of his career Wide World of Sports Archived from the original on 19 January 2021 NRL admits Dragons were robbed Perth Now 15 April 2014 Archived from the original on 7 August 2021 Retrieved 17 August 2021 St George Illawarra Dragons Win loss records Rugby League Tables amp Statistics Archived from the original on 26 January 2018 Retrieved 19 July 2018 Dragons confirm interest in women s competition St George Illawarra Dragons 6 December 2017 Archived from the original on 15 December 2017 Retrieved 7 December 2017 Dragons granted NRL Women s Premiership licence St George Illawarra Dragons 27 March 2018 Archived from the original on 27 March 2018 Retrieved 27 March 2018 Dragons confirm key Women s Premiership staff appointments St George Illawarra Dragons 22 March 2018 Archived from the original on 27 March 2018 Retrieved 27 March 2018 Stanton Tanisha 5 June 2018 Dragons trio ready to light up NRL Women s Premiership National Rugby League Archived from the original on 12 June 2018 Retrieved 5 June 2018 External links EditOfficial websiteSupporter sites Dragons Lair St George Illawarra Dragons Fan Discussion Forum Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title St George Illawarra Dragons amp oldid 1154138691, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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