St George Illawarra Dragons
Encyclopedia
The St George Illawarra Dragons is an Australian professional rugby league football club, representing the St. George and Illawarra
regions. They have competed in the National Rugby League
since 1999 as a joint venture between Sydney's historic St. George Dragons
club and 1982 expansion club, the Illawarra Steelers
. They officially formed as the game's first joint venture on 23 September 1998 and remain the only cross-city team in the NRL. The team has its headquarters and leagues clubs in both Wollongong
and the Sydney suburb of Kogarah
, and train and play games regularly at WIN Stadium in Wollongong as well as at WIN Jubilee Oval in Kogarah.
The Dragons reached the grand final in their first season in 1999, losing to the Melbourne Storm
. In 13 seasons, the Dragons have made the finals ten times. The St. George Illawarra Dragons also field teams in local competitions within the St. George
and Illawarra
regions. With their round 25 win over the Newcastle Knights in 2010, the Dragons secured their second successive minor premiership and become the only team to be awarded the J. J. Giltinan Shield consecutively since the National Rugby League
was formed in 1998.
The Dragons won the 2010 NRL Grand Final
against the Sydney Roosters
, defeating them 32–8 at ANZ Stadium, Sydney
, Australia
. They are the current World Club Champions having defeated the Wigan Warriors
21–15 at DW Stadium – UK, in the 2011 World Club Challenge
. 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.
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 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 joint ventures, the Dragons and the Steelers ensured their survival by forming the League's first joint venture on 23 September 1998.
In early 2006, WIN Television Network bought a 25% share in the St. George Illawarra club for $6.5 million (half of Illawarra's share), 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 will continue to host world class rugby league matches. WIN Corp can only sell their stake back to the Steelers, should they wish to withdraw their involvement, thus ensuring Illawarra are properly represented in the joint venture.
20–10, but by the 4th round they had started to form some cohesion and would go on to achieve a top 8 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 Sharks
to reach the Grand Final.
In the 1999 Grand Final the Dragons were leading by 14–0 at the break in front of a world record crowd of 107,999. A fairytale of a maiden title in their first year seemed destined to come true; something of an advertisement to any other clubs considering the option of a joint venture, but the Storm recovered from their poor start and went into the final minutes of the game with the Dragons leading by 18–14. The Dragons were forced to perform a drop kick from their own goal line, and on the fifth tackle Brett Kimmorley
kicked high towards the Dragon's corner of the field. As the Storm's winger Craig Smith caught the ball over the try-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 season though they had a rough start and were quoted to "suck, the Dragons recorded their worst defeat for the club, losing 70–10 against the Melbourne Storm in round 5. 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, the Dragons recorded their best ever win. They beat the Warriors 54–0 in round 14 at Win Stadium. The Dragons, however, missed out of the finals series, and came 9th.
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 Dragons came back to win the match 36–34. This was the second biggest comeback in Australian Rugby League history. Finishing 5th, the Dragons 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 season, just behind minor premiers the Parramatta Eels
on points difference. After progressing to the finals they defeated local rivals the Cronulla 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 Dragons 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 Sharks.
After a bad start to the 2006 season, the Dragons put on a mid season 7 game winning streak. This was followed by an unfortunate form slump, with a record five consecutive losses, only to return to form with a victory over the Tigers
, and continue this positive form leading into the finals. The Dragons 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, the Dragons 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 Dragons went down 24–10 bowing out of season 2006. The Dragons can 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 Dragons won the historic match 20–18, however lost 6 more matches after that leaving the Dragons 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 Dragons 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 Dragons season ended with a 28–24 loss to the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
at Brookvale Oval, finishing at 13th place, which to date is their lowest finish thus far.
2008 saw the end of an era, with coach Nathan Brown's contract not renewed after yet another poor start to the season, winning 1 of their first 6 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
and captain Mark Gasnier
. The Dragons 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.
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 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 the Bulldogs 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, the Dragons 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 travelling to face Bennett's former team. The Broncos defeated the Dragons. 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 only 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 Dragons 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. The Dragons then defeated Wests Tigers 13–12 for a place in the 2010 NRL Grand Final.
In the 2010 NRL Grand Final, the Dragons defeated the Sydney Roosters 32–8, to secure the clubs first grand final victory. The Dragons 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, who had won a premiership with Bennett and the Brisbane Broncos in 2006, won the Clive Churchill Medal for best on ground in the match.
St George 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 will leave the Dragons after the 2011 season, signing a four year deal with the Newcastle Knights
from the 2012 season onwards. Steve Price was named his successor.
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. It is one of the most recognisable logos in Australian sport.
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 will produce supporter and team kits from the 2010 season. Again the Red V was the Main jersey and the Alternate jersey was a red design with white slash marks. Referred by supporters as the Wolverine
jersey. In 2011 St George Illawarra Dragons again use an Illawarra Steelers styled Alternate jersey when they are not wearing the famous Red V.
The Dragons have two home grounds, reflecting the joint nature of the club;
Half of the Dragons home matches are played at Jubilee Oval (previously the home of the St George Dragons), while the remainder of their home matches are played at the Wollongong Showground (previously the home ground of the Illawarra Steelers).
The club has previously played Sydney home games out of the Sydney Cricket Ground
(2011), Sydney Football Stadium (2000–2002) and Stadium Australia (2008), due to redevelopment or unavailability of Jubilee Oval.
The club has taken their home ground advantage away from their usual home grounds to the Sydney Football Stadium for the ANZAC Day Clash against the Sydney Roosters
in 2004, 2006 and 2010 seasons.
Stadium records
Highest Attendances at WIN Jubilee Oval
Highest attendances at WIN Stadium
Transfers/Leaving
Transfers/leaving
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 Leagues Club:
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 60's and was commonly referred to as the Taj Mahal
because of the use of white marble in the original building. 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. It is currently ranked 9th (out of 10) of the best Leagues Clubs in Sydney.
Steelers Club:
Situated in the heart of the vibrant City Beach precinct, the Steelers Club is ideally 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 has trading profitably over the last 12 months. 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 dollars.
. Notably there is also a large Dragons following in Victoria, based around Melbourne and Geelong. It is understood that the club receives support from NRL fans in other states as well, mostly due to the Dragons' world famous run of eleven consecutive premierships in the 1950s and 1960s.
Some notable supporters of the team include John Howard
, Mark Latham
Robert McClelland
and Brett Lee
.
In 2010 the Dragons won both matches convincingly, keeping the Bulldogs to just one try in both matches whilst scoring 26 and 19 of their own in rounds 2 and 10 respectively. This rivalry is fuelled even more with the Morris twins playing for both clubs, Brett
for the Dragons and Josh
for the Bulldogs.
In 2011 the Dragons had a convincing 25–6 victory at the Sydney Cricket Ground
in round five followed by an epic 15–10 victory just five weeks later in round ten. This result ensured that the Dragons remained unbeaten by the Bulldogs during the Wayne Bennett era with the famous red and white club. In fact, the Bulldogs remain winless against the great Red V since Round 6, 2008.
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 3 Sydney teams to join the rival competition, entrenching further spite from Dragons fans (Both the St George Dragons and the Illawarra Steelers
were loyal to the ARL during the Super League War
). The Dragons won the four clashes across 2009–2010, winning 10–6, 26–4, 38–0 and 22–4. However, in Round 2 of the 2011 season, the Sharks caused a major upset winning 16–10.
In 2009, former Dragons captain Trent Barrett
switched to the Sharks after two years in the European 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 Sharks had finished equal-first) that year. Other players to have switched clubs include Lance Thompson and Jeremy Smith (Dragons to Sharks), Beau Scott, Sam Isemonger and Matt Bickerstaff (Sharks to Dragons) and Colin Best (Sharks to Dragons and then back again, as of 2011). In another match in 2009, Sharks captain Paul Gallen
was found guilty of a racial slur involving then Dragons forward Mickey Paea
.
The South Sydney Rabbitohs have won the most premierships with 20, the Sydney Roosters next on 12 premierships.
The Rabbitohs and Dragons met several times in grand finals prior to the joint venture and being the north-eastern neighbours of St George, had many fierce encounters. The most significant match of this rivalry is the Charity Shield
, a pre-season fixture between the two sides that was abandoned during the 90's but was revived after Souths were re-admitted to the NRL in 2002.
http://www.rabbitohs.com.au/News/Club-News/Rabbitohs-and-Dragons-Launch-25th-Charity-Shield.html
. St George's first premiership was a 31–14 victory over Easts in the 1941 NSWRFL season Grand Final. During 1995, the Roosters had secret discussions to merge with the Dragons, with the Dragons jersey and emblem to disappear. Fans were outraged, and the attempt aborted. St George Illawarra annually contests the Club ANZAC Game
against the Roosters, a tradition dating back to the 1970s, but has been contested regularly since 2002.http://www.rl1908.com/clubcomps/ANZAC-Day.htm The Dragons achieved their first NRL premiership by defeating the Roosters 32–8 in the hotly contested 2010 NRL Grand Final
contested the 1992 and 1993 Grand Final
s, 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) game for the Dragons were both against the Broncos.
Some memorable matches between the Dragons and the Broncos have included:
The honours were divided in 2010 with the Dragons winning 34–16 in round 5 in Darius Boyd
's 100th game (73 for the Broncos and 27 for the Dragons) but the Broncos got them back 10–6 at Suncorp Stadium in round 21 with the Dragons not scoring until just before full-time.
Players currently playing 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.
that cost the Dragons the premiership. It was the Dragons' first NRL Grand Final appearance as a joint venture and the Storm's first Grand Final appearance in just its second year in existence. The Dragons 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. To date, this remains Melbourne's only premiership after the Storm had been stripped of its 2007 and 2009 titles following mass salary cap breaches.
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 the Storm annihilate the Dragons 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-Dragons five-eighth Anthony Mundine
had claimed that the Storm were not worthy premiers, sparking anger from the Storm's fans and players, thus the catalyst for the huge win. The Dragons however did claim revenge later that year with a 50–4 win at WIN Stadium (that also remains the Storm's worst ever defeat to date).
Melbourne won 24–16 in round 12, 2005, capping a horror weekend for both the red-and-white teams in Melbourne (the other team, the AFL's Sydney Swans
, got thrashed by the night before).
The 2009 season opened with these two teams going head to head in another much talked about match. Dragons five-eighth Jamie Soward
was labelled a 'rag doll' in defence whilst trying to stop the Storm's Greg Inglis
scoring a try, however ever since that match Soward's game has matured. The Dragons 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). The Dragons won this match 26–12. In round 4, 2010, the Dragons were the last team to lose premiership points to the Storm before their salary cap scandal was revealed. In fact, St. George Illawarra had been placed first right throughout the Storm's punishment (the Dragons had led the competition from round five right through to the final round).
(updated as of End of season 2010.)
Most Points in a Season
Most Points for the Dragons
Top 5 Try Scorers
Top 5 Goal Kickers
Most Tries in a Season
Top 5 Most Points in a Match
Biggest winning margins
Most consecutive wins
Biggest comeback
Biggest losing margins
Most consecutive losses
Worst collapse
Minor (Icon) Sponsors
All official Dragons merchandise is produced by Reebok as of 2010.
News items
Illawarra
Illawarra is a region in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is a coastal region situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the Shoalhaven or South Coast region. It encompasses the cities of Wollongong, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven and the town of Kiama. The central region contains Lake...
regions. They have competed in the National Rugby League
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
since 1999 as a joint venture between Sydney's historic St. George Dragons
St. George Dragons
The St George Dragons was an Australian Rugby league football club in St George, Sydney, New South Wales that played in Australia's top-level Rugby league competition from New South Wales Rugby Football League in 1921 until 1998; in 1999 they formed a joint venture with the Illawarra Steelers,...
club and 1982 expansion club, the Illawarra Steelers
Illawarra Steelers
The Illawarra Steelers are an Australian rugby league football club based in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales. The club competed in Australia's top-level Rugby League competition from 1982, when they, along with the Canberra Raiders, were admitted into the then New South Wales Rugby Football...
. They officially formed as the game's first joint venture on 23 September 1998 and remain the only cross-city team in the NRL. The team has its headquarters and leagues clubs in both Wollongong
Wollongong, New South Wales
Wollongong is a seaside city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It lies on the narrow coastal strip between the Illawarra Escarpment and the Pacific Ocean, 82 kilometres south of Sydney...
and the Sydney suburb of Kogarah
Kogarah, New South Wales
Kogarah is a suburb of southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Kogarah is located 14 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is considered to be the centre of the St George area...
, and train and play games regularly at WIN Stadium in Wollongong as well as at WIN Jubilee Oval in Kogarah.
The Dragons reached the grand final in their first season in 1999, losing to the Melbourne Storm
Melbourne Storm
The Melbourne Storm are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the city of Melbourne. They are the first fully professional rugby league team based in the Australian rules football-dominated state of Victoria....
. In 13 seasons, the Dragons have made the finals ten times. The St. George Illawarra Dragons also field teams in local competitions within the St. George
St George, New South Wales
St George Area is an unofficial name applied to a group of southern suburbs in Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The area includes all the suburbs in the local government areas of the City of Hurstville, the City of Rockdale and the Municipality of Kogarah...
and Illawarra
Illawarra
Illawarra is a region in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is a coastal region situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the Shoalhaven or South Coast region. It encompasses the cities of Wollongong, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven and the town of Kiama. The central region contains Lake...
regions. With their round 25 win over the Newcastle Knights in 2010, the Dragons secured their second successive minor premiership and become the only team to be awarded the J. J. Giltinan Shield consecutively since the National Rugby League
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
was formed in 1998.
The Dragons won the 2010 NRL Grand Final
2010 NRL Grand Final
The 2010 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2010 NRL season. Played on Sunday, 3 October at Sydney's ANZ Stadium, the match was contested by the St. George Illawarra Dragons and the Sydney Roosters. It was the first time the two sides met in a grand final. They...
against the Sydney Roosters
Sydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
, defeating them 32–8 at ANZ Stadium, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. They are the current World Club Champions having defeated the Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
21–15 at DW Stadium – UK, in the 2011 World Club Challenge
2011 World Club Challenge
The 2011 World Club Challenge was contested by Super League XV champions, Wigan Warriors, and 2010 NRL Premiers, the St. George Illawarra Dragons...
. With its World Club Challenge victory, the club became the first Australian team since the Brisbane Broncos
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
in 1992-3 to win the minor premiership, premiership and World Club Challenge simultaneously.
History
In the wake of the Super League warSuper League war
The Super League war is the common name given to the corporate dispute that was fought in and out of court during the mid-1990s between the Rupert Murdoch and News Corporation-backed Super League and the Kerry Packer and Optus Vision-backed Australian Rugby League organisations over broadcasting...
of the mid-1990s, and the resulting split competition of 1997
Australian Rugby League season 1997
The 1997 Australian Rugby League season was the 90th season of professional rugby league football in Australia, and the third season run by the Australian Rugby League...
, the Illawarra Steelers
Illawarra Steelers
The Illawarra Steelers are an Australian rugby league football club based in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales. The club competed in Australia's top-level Rugby League competition from 1982, when they, along with the Canberra Raiders, were admitted into the then New South Wales Rugby Football...
found themselves struggling financially and seemed unlikely to survive past 1999. The St. George Dragons
St. George Dragons
The St George Dragons was an Australian Rugby league football club in St George, Sydney, New South Wales that played in Australia's top-level Rugby league competition from New South Wales Rugby Football League in 1921 until 1998; in 1999 they formed a joint venture with the Illawarra Steelers,...
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 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 joint ventures, the Dragons and the Steelers ensured their survival by forming the League's first joint venture on 23 September 1998.
In early 2006, WIN Television Network bought a 25% share in the St. George Illawarra club for $6.5 million (half of Illawarra's share), 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 will continue to host world class rugby league matches. WIN Corp can only sell their stake back to the Steelers, should they wish to withdraw their involvement, thus ensuring Illawarra are properly represented in the joint venture.
David Waite and Andrew Farrar (1999–2002)
Joint ventures 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 joint venture's two feeder clubs would perform when they ran out onto the field. They were unsuccessful in their first outing, losing to the Parramatta EelsParramatta Eels
The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, with their First Grade side playing their first season in the New South Wales Rugby Football League...
20–10, but by the 4th round they had started to form some cohesion and would go on to achieve a top 8 position on the competition ladder by the end of the regular season. In the semi-finals the Dragons won against the Melbourne Storm
Melbourne Storm
The Melbourne Storm are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the city of Melbourne. They are the first fully professional rugby league team based in the Australian rules football-dominated state of Victoria....
at Olympic Park, before returning to Sydney to dispose of the Sydney Roosters
Sydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
and the Cronulla Sharks
Cronulla Sharks
The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales...
to reach the Grand Final.
In the 1999 Grand Final the Dragons were leading by 14–0 at the break in front of a world record crowd of 107,999. A fairytale of a maiden title in their first year seemed destined to come true; something of an advertisement to any other clubs considering the option of a joint venture, but the Storm recovered from their poor start and went into the final minutes of the game with the Dragons leading by 18–14. The Dragons were forced to perform a drop kick from their own goal line, and on the fifth tackle Brett Kimmorley
Brett Kimmorley
Brett "Noddy" Kimmorley was an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs of the NRL. He has previously played for five other clubs and has also represented his country and state on several occasions...
kicked high towards the Dragon's corner of the field. As the Storm's winger Craig Smith caught the ball over the try-line he was knocked unconscious in a tackle by Jamie Ainscough
Jamie Ainscough
Jamie Ainscough , is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. He played for the Western Suburbs Magpies, Newcastle Knights, St George Illawarra Dragons, New South Wales and for the Australian national rugby league team.-Club career:Before 1989 Ainscough...
and lost the ball. Referee Bill Harrigan
Bill Harrigan
-External links:**http://www.billharrigan.com.au/Referee-career-pg2853.html*http://www.mediaman.com.au/profiles/harrigan.html*http://www.abc.net.au/queensland/conversations/stories/s1766903.htm*http://www.claxtonspeakers.com.au/speakers_profile/134...
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 season though they had a rough start and were quoted to "suck, the Dragons recorded their worst defeat for the club, losing 70–10 against the Melbourne Storm in round 5. This was the first game these two teams played against each other since the 1999 grand final, and was played at the MCG
McG
Joseph McGinty Nichol , better known as McG, is an American director and producer of film and television, as well as a former record producer....
. On 3 May to the surprise and shock of fans and club officials, Anthony Mundine
Anthony Mundine
Anthony Mundine is an Australian professional boxer and former rugby league footballer.He is the current interim WBA Light Middleweight Champion boxer, former two-time WBA Super Middleweight Champion, former IBO Middleweight Champion and New South Wales State of Origin representative footballer....
announced his retirement from the club and rugby league in general with immediate effect to pursue a career in boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
. The Dragons were not going well in the first half of the 2000 season, and the main coach David Waite
David Waite
David Waite is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach. He has also coached Great Britain in the Rugby League Tri-Nations.Waite holds a British passport, courtesy of his father being born in Leicester....
was replaced with assistant coach, Andrew Farrar
Andrew Farrar
Andrew Farrar is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach. He played for the Canterbury Bulldogs, Western Suburbs Magpies, Wigan Warriors and Illawarra Steelers. Farrar also played for New South Wales in the State of Origin on several occasions and played for Australia in the 1988...
. Soon after the replacement of coaches, the Dragons recorded their best ever win. They beat the Warriors 54–0 in round 14 at Win Stadium. The Dragons, however, missed out of the finals series, and came 9th.
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. The Dragons 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
Nathan Blacklock
Nathan Blacklock is an Australian former rugby league and rugby union player who primarily played as a winger.-Playing career:...
. An extraordinary scoreline was seen in the round 25 clash with Manly. Trailing 34–10 after 53 minutes the Dragons came back to win the match 36–34. This was the second biggest comeback in Australian Rugby League history. Finishing 5th, the Dragons 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 season, just behind minor premiers the Parramatta Eels
Parramatta Eels
The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, with their First Grade side playing their first season in the New South Wales Rugby Football League...
on points difference. After progressing to the finals they defeated local rivals the Cronulla Sharks
Cronulla Sharks
The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales...
28–22 in the quarter final of the finals series though the Dragons eventually fell 12–20 to eventual champions the Wests Tigers
Wests Tigers
The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Sydney's mid-western suburbs. They have competed in the National Rugby League since they were formed at the end of the 1999 season as a joint-venture club between the Balmain Tigers and the Western Suburbs...
in the Preliminary Final. The Dragons broke the ground record at WIN Stadium
WIN Stadium
Wollongong Showground is a rectangular multi-purpose stadium located in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. The stadium was officially opened in 1911. From 1982 until 1998 it played host to every home match for the Illawarra Steelers NRL team...
twice in the 2005 season. First against rivals the Sydney Roosters
Sydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
and then at their home quarter final game against the Cronulla Sharks.
After a bad start to the 2006 season, the Dragons put on a mid season 7 game winning streak. This was followed by an unfortunate form slump, with a record five consecutive losses, only to return to form with a victory over the Tigers
Wests Tigers
The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Sydney's mid-western suburbs. They have competed in the National Rugby League since they were formed at the end of the 1999 season as a joint-venture club between the Balmain Tigers and the Western Suburbs...
, and continue this positive form leading into the finals. The Dragons ended the regular season in sixth position.
In the finals campaign, St George Illawarra faced the Brisbane Broncos
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
at Suncorp Stadium
Suncorp Stadium
Lang Park is the original name of the site located in the Brisbane suburb of Milton, Queensland, Australia, now occupied by the major sports facility known by its sponsorship name, Suncorp Stadium...
in the first round, the Dragons won the game 20–4. In the second round, they met the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
The Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League's Telstra Premiership, the premier rugby league competition of Australasia...
at the Sydney Football Stadium winning 28–0. In the grand final qualifier, they played the Melbourne Storm
Melbourne Storm
The Melbourne Storm are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the city of Melbourne. They are the first fully professional rugby league team based in the Australian rules football-dominated state of Victoria....
, where the Dragons went down 24–10 bowing out of season 2006. The Dragons can 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
Mark Gasnier
Mark Gasnier is an Australian former rugby league player, a state and national representative centre three-quarter. He played eleven top-grade seasons with the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the NRL, interrupted by two seasons of rugby union played with the French club Stade Français. He was a...
in the Charity Shield
Rugby League Charity Shield (Australia)
Regarded as the unofficial start to the National Rugby League season, the Charity Shield has been in operation since 1982 ....
match against South Sydney Rabbitohs
South Sydney Rabbitohs
The South Sydney Rabbitohs are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in Redfern, a suburb of South-central Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League premiership and are one of nine existing teams from the state capital...
creating another poor start for the Dragons. Combined with the loss of key players such as Luke Bailey, Trent Barrett
Trent Barrett
Trent Barrett is an Australian retired professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s...
and Shaun Timmins
Shaun Timmins
Shaun Timmins is an Australian retired professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s...
in the off-season, the Dragons faced NRL newcomers, the Gold Coast Titans
Gold Coast Titans
Gold Coast Titans are an Australian professional rugby league football club, based in the Gold Coast, Queensland. The club competes in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership. It is the newest of the sixteen clubs in the league, having commenced its...
, in Round 1. The Dragons won the historic match 20–18, however lost 6 more matches after that leaving the Dragons 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
Canberra Raiders
The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership since 1982...
at WIN Stadium
WIN Stadium
Wollongong Showground is a rectangular multi-purpose stadium located in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. The stadium was officially opened in 1911. From 1982 until 1998 it played host to every home match for the Illawarra Steelers NRL team...
), the Dragons 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 Dragons season ended with a 28–24 loss to the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
The Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League's Telstra Premiership, the premier rugby league competition of Australasia...
at Brookvale Oval, finishing at 13th place, which to date is their lowest finish thus far.
2008 saw the end of an era, with coach Nathan Brown's contract not renewed after yet another poor start to the season, winning 1 of their first 6 matches. The club received a boost in May when former dual-code international player Wendell Sailor
Wendell Sailor
Wendell Jermaine Sailor is an Australian former professional rugby football player who represented his country in both rugby league and rugby union – a dual code international. He is an Australian Torres Strait Islander.Sailor's large frame and bullocking style changed the way wingers played rugby...
joined the team. Several notable players departed at the end of the year including Jason Ryles
Jason Ryles
Jason Ryles is an Australian rugby league player. He has played in the National Rugby League for the Sydney Roosters and the St. George Illawarra Dragons and in Europe's Super League for the Catalans Dragons. He is contracted to play for the Melbourne Storm from 2012...
and captain Mark Gasnier
Mark Gasnier
Mark Gasnier is an Australian former rugby league player, a state and national representative centre three-quarter. He played eleven top-grade seasons with the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the NRL, interrupted by two seasons of rugby union played with the French club Stade Français. He was a...
. The Dragons finished the season in 7th place, however they lost in the first round of the finals to eventual premiers Manly
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
The Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League's Telstra Premiership, the premier rugby league competition of Australasia...
(whom they defeated 20–18 in round 11) 34–6 at Brookvale Oval
Brookvale Oval
Brookvale Oval is a sporting ground located within Brookvale Park at Brookvale, New South Wales, Australia. The ground is owned by Warringah Council and is primarily used by the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles rugby league team...
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 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 the Bulldogs 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, the Dragons 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 travelling to face Bennett's former team. The Broncos defeated the Dragons. 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 only 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 Dragons 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. The Dragons then defeated Wests Tigers 13–12 for a place in the 2010 NRL Grand Final.
In the 2010 NRL Grand Final, the Dragons defeated the Sydney Roosters 32–8, to secure the clubs first grand final victory. The Dragons 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, who had won a premiership with Bennett and the Brisbane Broncos in 2006, won the Clive Churchill Medal for best on ground in the match.
St George 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
World Club Challenge
The World Club Challenge is an annual rugby league football match held between the champions of the Australasian National Rugby League and the European Super League competitions to determine the world's best rugby league club...
Championship, defeating Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
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 will leave the Dragons after the 2011 season, signing a four year deal with the Newcastle Knights
Newcastle Knights
The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. They compete in Australasia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...
from the 2012 season onwards. Steve Price was named his successor.
Season summaries
| Competition | Games Played | Games Won | Games Drawn | Games Lost | Ladder Position | |R | |F | 1999 NRL Season National Rugby League season 1999 The 1999 NRL season was the 92nd season of professional rugby league football in Australia, and the second to be run by the National Rugby League. Seventeen teams competed for the NRL Premiership during the season which culminated in a grand final between the first grand final played at Stadium... | 24 (4) | 15 (3) | 0 | 9 (1) | 6 / 17 | |
|
David Waite David Waite is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach. He has also coached Great Britain in the Rugby League Tri-Nations.Waite holds a British passport, courtesy of his father being born in Leicester.... Andrew Farrar Andrew Farrar Andrew Farrar is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach. He played for the Canterbury Bulldogs, Western Suburbs Magpies, Wigan Warriors and Illawarra Steelers. Farrar also played for New South Wales in the State of Origin on several occasions and played for Australia in the 1988... |
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| National Rugby League season 2000 The 2000 NRL season was the 93rd season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the third to be run by the National Rugby League... |
26 | 12 | 0 | 14 | 9 / 14 | |
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| National Rugby League season 2001 The 2001 NRL season was the 94th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the fourth run by the National Rugby League. The Newcastle Knights claimed their second premiership in five seasons, defeating minor premiers Parramatta Eels in the first ever night-time grand... |
26 (2) | 12 (1) | 2 | 12 (1) | 7 / 14 | |
Andrew Farrar Andrew Farrar is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach. He played for the Canterbury Bulldogs, Western Suburbs Magpies, Wigan Warriors and Illawarra Steelers. Farrar also played for New South Wales in the State of Origin on several occasions and played for Australia in the 1988... |
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| National Rugby League season 2002 The 2002 NRL season was the 95th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the fifth to be run by the National Rugby League... |
24 (2) | 9 (1) | 3 | 12 (1) | 7 / 15 | |
Trent Barrett Trent Barrett is an Australian retired professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s... |
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| National Rugby League season 2003 The 2003 NRL premiership was the 96th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the sixth run by the National Rugby League. Fifteen teams competed, with the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles returning in place of their failed joint-venture club, the Northern Eagles... |
24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 10 / 15 | |
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| National Rugby League season 2004 The year 2004 NRL season was the 97th season of professional rugby league football in Australia, and the seventh run by the National Rugby League. Fifteen clubs competed for the Telstra Premiership... |
24 (1) | 14 | 0 | 10 (1) | 5 / 15 | |
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| National Rugby League season 2005 The 2005 NRL season was the 98th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the eighth run by the National Rugby League. The lineup of clubs remained unchanged from the previous year, with fifteen clubs contesting the 2005 Telstra Premiership, which culminated in a grand final... |
24 (2) | 16 (1) | 0 | 8 (1) | 2 / 15 | |
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| National Rugby League season 2006 The 2006 NRL season was the 99th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the ninth run by the National Rugby League. The lineup of teams remained unchanged from the previous year, with fifteen clubs competing for the 2006 Telstra Premiership... |
24 (3) | 14 (2) | 0 | 10 (1) | 6 / 15 | |
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| National Rugby League season 2007 The 2007 NRL season was the one hundredth season of professional rugby league football club competition in Australia, and the tenth run by the National Rugby League... |
24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 13 / 16 | |
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| National Rugby League season 2008 The 2008 NRL season was the 101st season of professional rugby league club competition in Australia, and the eleventh run by the National Rugby League. For the second year, sixteen teams competed for the 2008 Telstra Premiership title. The season commenced with the first matches played on 14 March... |
24 (1) | 13 | 0 | 11 (1) | 7 / 16 | |
Mark Gasnier Mark Gasnier is an Australian former rugby league player, a state and national representative centre three-quarter. He played eleven top-grade seasons with the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the NRL, interrupted by two seasons of rugby union played with the French club Stade Français. He was a... |
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| National Rugby League season 2009 The 2009 NRL season was the 102nd season of professional rugby league football club competition in Australia, and the twelfth run by the National Rugby League. For the third consecutive year, sixteen teams competed for the 2009 Telstra Premiership title. The season commenced with the first match... |
24 (2) | 17 | 0 | 7 (2) | 1 / 16 | |
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Ben Hornby Ben Hornby is an Australian Naruto loving professional rugby league footballer who currently captains the St George Illawarra Dragons of the National Rugby League... |
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24 (3) | 17 (3) | 0 | 7 | 1 / 16 | |
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| 2011 NRL season The 2011 NRL season was the 105th season of professional rugby league football club competition in Australia, and the fourteenth run by the National Rugby League. The NRL's main championship, called the 2011 Telstra Premiership due to sponsorship from Telstra, was contested by sixteen teams for the... |
24 (2) | 14 | 1 | 9 (2) | 5 / 16 | |
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| 2012 NRL season The 2012 NRL season will be the 106th season of professional rugby league football club competition in Australia, and the fifteenth run by the National Rugby League. The NRL will be contested by sixteen teams for the sixth consecutive year... |
Steve Price Steve Price is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played for the New Zealand Warriors and Canterbury Bulldogs in the National Rugby League... |
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 joint venture'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 incredible 11 consecutive premierships, 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
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
, 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. It is one of the most recognisable logos in Australian sport.
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
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
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 will produce supporter and team kits from the 2010 season. Again the Red V was the Main jersey and the Alternate jersey was a red design with white slash marks. Referred by supporters as the Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
jersey. In 2011 St George Illawarra Dragons again use an Illawarra Steelers styled Alternate jersey when they are not wearing the famous Red V.
Home grounds
- Jubilee Oval (1999, 2003–07, 2009 – present)
- WIN StadiumWIN StadiumWollongong Showground is a rectangular multi-purpose stadium located in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. The stadium was officially opened in 1911. From 1982 until 1998 it played host to every home match for the Illawarra Steelers NRL team...
(1999 – present)
Half of the Dragons home matches are played at Jubilee Oval (previously the home of the St George Dragons), while the remainder of their home matches are played at the Wollongong Showground (previously the home ground of the Illawarra Steelers).
The club has previously played Sydney home games out of the Sydney Cricket Ground
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
(2011), Sydney Football Stadium (2000–2002) and Stadium Australia (2008), due to redevelopment or unavailability of Jubilee Oval.
The club has taken their home ground advantage away from their usual home grounds to the Sydney Football Stadium for the ANZAC Day Clash against the Sydney Roosters
Sydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
in 2004, 2006 and 2010 seasons.
Stadium records
Highest Attendances at WIN Jubilee Oval
| Crowd | Against | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 20,847 | Dragons v Sharks Cronulla Sharks The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales... |
29 Mar 2009 |
| 19,892 | Dragons v Wests Tigers Wests Tigers The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Sydney's mid-western suburbs. They have competed in the National Rugby League since they were formed at the end of the 1999 season as a joint-venture club between the Balmain Tigers and the Western Suburbs... |
29 May 2011 |
| 19,319 | Dragons v Eels Parramatta Eels The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, with their First Grade side playing their first season in the New South Wales Rugby Football League... |
1 May 2011 |
| 18,415 | Dragons v Bulldogs | 15 May 2009 |
| 18,274 | Dragons vs Rabbitohs South Sydney Rabbitohs The South Sydney Rabbitohs are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in Redfern, a suburb of South-central Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League premiership and are one of nine existing teams from the state capital... |
5 Sep 2010 |
Highest attendances at WIN Stadium
| Crowd | Against | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 19,608 | Dragons v Sharks Cronulla Sharks The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales... |
10 Sep 2005 |
| 19,512 | Dragons v Roosters Sydney Roosters The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League... |
29 Jun 2005 |
| 19,501 | Dragons v Bulldogs | 28 Jul 2007 |
| 18,980 | Dragons V Rabbitohs South Sydney Rabbitohs The South Sydney Rabbitohs are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in Redfern, a suburb of South-central Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League premiership and are one of nine existing teams from the state capital... |
31 Jul 2011 |
| 18,947 | Dragons v Manly | 27 Jun 2011 |
St George Illawarra Dragons 2012 squad
2011 Signings/Transfers
New Signings- Adam CuthbertsonAdam CuthbertsonAdam Cuthbertson, born 24 February 1985 is an Australian rugby league player, currently playing for the Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby League. His position is usually in the forwards, able to play in both the front-row and second-row, he can also play lock-forward.-Playing...
from Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks - Daniel PeneseDaniel PeneseDaniel Penese born 1 December 1989 in New Zealand is a Rugby League player for the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the National Rugby League competition....
from Penrith PanthersPenrith PanthersThe Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, the top rugby league football competition in Australasia. For the 2012 NRL season they will be coached by Ivan... - David GowerDavid Gower (rugby league)David Neil Gower is an Australian/English professional rugby league footballer for the St George Illawarra Dragons of the National Rugby League ....
from Wests TigersWests TigersThe Wests Tigers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Sydney's mid-western suburbs. They have competed in the National Rugby League since they were formed at the end of the 1999 season as a joint-venture club between the Balmain Tigers and the Western Suburbs...
Transfers/Leaving
- Neville CostiganNeville CostiganNeville Costigan is a professional rugby league footballer for the Newcastle Knights of the National Rugby League. A Queensland State of Origin and Papua New Guinea international representative, Costigan previously played for the Brisbane Broncos, Canberra Raiders and most recently, the St...
to Newcastle KnightsNewcastle KnightsThe Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. They compete in Australasia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership... - Jeremy SmithJeremy Smith (rugby league 2)Jeremy Jon Oscar Smith is a professional rugby league footballer who currently plays for the Cronulla Sutherland Sharks of the National Rugby League...
to Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks - Jarrod SaffyJarrod SaffyJarrod Saffy is an Australian professional rugby union player. He played league for St George Illawarra Dragons , before switching to rugby to the train with the Melbourne Rebels in preparation for the 2011 Super Rugby season.-Early career:Saffy moved to Australia as a 15-year-old and continued...
to Melbourne RebelsMelbourne RebelsThe Melbourne Rebels are a professional rugby union team based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. They made their debut in SANZAR's Super Rugby tournament in 2011. They are the first privately owned professional rugby union team in Australia... - Ricky ThorbyRicky ThorbyRicky Thorby is a rugby league player for the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League. He previously played for the St. George Illawarra Dragons.His positions of choice are in the second-row or at Prop....
to North Queensland CowboysNorth Queensland CowboysThe North Queensland Cowboys are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, Queensland. They compete in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership... - Michael LettMichael LettMichael Lett is an Australian professional rugby league player with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. His position of choice is in the centres.-Career:...
to Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs - Beau HenryBeau HenryBeau Henry is a rugby league footballer for the Gold Coast Titans of the National Rugby League. He plays at five eighth and halfback.-Early career:...
to Newcastle KnightsNewcastle KnightsThe Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. They compete in Australasia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership... - Kalifa Fai-Fai LoaKalifa Fai-Fai LoaKalifa Faifai Loa is a New Zealand rugby league player. He currently plays for the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League and has played in one Test for New Zealand...
to North Queensland CowboysNorth Queensland CowboysThe North Queensland Cowboys are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, Queensland. They compete in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership... - Junior PauloJunior PauloJunior Paulo is a New Zealand professional rugby league player who currently plays for the Penrith Panthers in the National Rugby League . His position is prop, though he also plays in the second-row-Life:...
to Penrith PanthersPenrith PanthersThe Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, the top rugby league football competition in Australasia. For the 2012 NRL season they will be coached by Ivan... - Luke PriddisLuke PriddisLuke Priddis is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s...
Retired
2012 Signings/Transfers
New Signings- Chase StanleyChase StanleyChase Stanley is a professional rugby league player who currently plays for the Melbourne Storm in the National Rugby League competition and has represented New Zealand in international competition...
from Melbourne StormMelbourne StormThe Melbourne Storm are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the city of Melbourne. They are the first fully professional rugby league team based in the Australian rules football-dominated state of Victoria.... - Daniel Vidot from Canberra RaidersCanberra RaidersThe Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership since 1982...
- Josh MillerJosh Miller (rugby league)Josh Miller is a rugby league footballer who plays for the Canberra Raiders in the NRL. He operates as a second row or as a prop. In 2005 he, along with Troy Thompson, won the Raiders' player of the year award and he won the award again in 2009 alongside Josh Dugan...
from Canberra RaidersCanberra RaidersThe Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership since 1982... - Leeson Ah MauLeeson Ah MauLeeson Ah Mau is a New Zealand rugby league player in the National Rugby League . He is signed to play for the St George Illawarra Dragons in 2012, having previously played in the NRL for the North Queensland Cowboys and the New Zealand Warriors. He is a forward...
from North Queensland CowboysNorth Queensland CowboysThe North Queensland Cowboys are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, Queensland. They compete in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership... - Atelea VeaAtelea VeaAtelea Vea is a Tongan professional rugby league footballer who currently plays for the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the National Rugby League . He is by preference a second-row but can also play at loose forward. He has previously played for the Melbourne Storm and the Cronulla Sharks. He made...
from Melbourne StormMelbourne StormThe Melbourne Storm are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the city of Melbourne. They are the first fully professional rugby league team based in the Australian rules football-dominated state of Victoria.... - Jeremy LatimoreJeremy LatimoreJeremy Latimore is a rugby league player who currently plays for the New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby League.-Playing career:...
from New Zealand WarriorsNew Zealand WarriorsThe New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership and are the League's only team from outside Australia... - Will MatthewsWill Matthews (rugby league)Will Matthews is a rugby league player for the Gold Coast Titans in the National Rugby League. He plays as a prop and as back-rower.While attending Palm Beach Currumbin State High School, Matthews played for the Australian Schoolboys team in 2006....
from Gold Coast TitansGold Coast TitansGold Coast Titans are an Australian professional rugby league football club, based in the Gold Coast, Queensland. The club competes in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership. It is the newest of the sixteen clubs in the league, having commenced its... - Denan KempDenan KempDenan Kemp is an Australian professional rugby footballer who currently plays rugby league for the St George Illawarra Dragons in the National Rugby League . A speedy winger, he has previously played in the NRL for the Brisbane Broncos and the New Zealand Warriors before a brief stint in rugby...
from Southern Districts Rugby ClubSouthern Districts Rugby ClubSouthern Districts Rugby Club is a rugby union club based in southern Sydney, New South Wales. The club currently competes in the New South Wales Rugby Union competitions, the Shute Shield and Tooheys New Cup...
Transfers/leaving
- Darius BoydDarius BoydDarius Boyd is an Australian professional rugby league footballer currently playing for the Newcastle Knights in the NRL. Boyd plays at fullback, however he is also very capable as a three-quarter back, as proven by his selection for Australia and Queensland as a winger...
to Newcastle KnightsNewcastle KnightsThe Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. They compete in Australasia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership... - Jon GreenJon GreenJon Green is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the St George Illawarra Dragons of the National Rugby League. He has also previously played for the Bulldogs....
to Cronulla SharksCronulla SharksThe Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales... - Michael GreenfieldMichael Greenfield (rugby league)Michael Greenfield is a rugby league player who currently plays for the Melbourne Storm in the NRL. He has previously played for the Cronulla Sharks, South Sydney Rabbitohs and the St George Illawarra Dragons. He plays as a Prop or in the Second Row...
to Melbourne StormMelbourne StormThe Melbourne Storm are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the city of Melbourne. They are the first fully professional rugby league team based in the Australian rules football-dominated state of Victoria.... - Adam CuthbertsonAdam CuthbertsonAdam Cuthbertson, born 24 February 1985 is an Australian rugby league player, currently playing for the Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby League. His position is usually in the forwards, able to play in both the front-row and second-row, he can also play lock-forward.-Playing...
to Newcastle KnightsNewcastle KnightsThe Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. They compete in Australasia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership... - Peni TagivePeni TagiveRatu Peni Tagive is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays for the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the Australian National Rugby League competition. Tagive primarily plays on the wing...
to Sydney RoostersSydney RoostersThe Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League... - Daniel PeneseDaniel PeneseDaniel Penese born 1 December 1989 in New Zealand is a Rugby League player for the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the National Rugby League competition....
to Parramatta EelsParramatta EelsThe Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, with their First Grade side playing their first season in the New South Wales Rugby Football League... - Jack BosdenJack BosdenJack Bosden is a rugby league player for the St George-Illawarra Dragons.-Playing career:Originally a Cronulla-Caringbah junior, Jack Bosden made his debut for the St George-Illawarra Dragons in round 9 of the 2011 NRL Season...
to Sydney RoostersSydney RoostersThe Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League... - Mark GasnierMark GasnierMark Gasnier is an Australian former rugby league player, a state and national representative centre three-quarter. He played eleven top-grade seasons with the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the NRL, interrupted by two seasons of rugby union played with the French club Stade Français. He was a...
Retired - Reece SimmondsReece SimmondsReece Simmonds is a retired Australian rugby league player, who played in the National Rugby League for the St George Illawarra Dragons and the South Sydney Rabbitohs .-Career:...
Retired
Coaches
- David WaiteDavid WaiteDavid Waite is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach. He has also coached Great Britain in the Rugby League Tri-Nations.Waite holds a British passport, courtesy of his father being born in Leicester....
1999–2000 - Andrew FarrarAndrew FarrarAndrew Farrar is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach. He played for the Canterbury Bulldogs, Western Suburbs Magpies, Wigan Warriors and Illawarra Steelers. Farrar also played for New South Wales in the State of Origin on several occasions and played for Australia in the 1988...
1999–2002 - Nathan Brown 2003–2008
- Wayne Bennett 2009 – 2011
- Steve PriceSteve Price (coach)Steven Price is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and former player. He is the current head coach for the St. George Illawarra Dragons of the NRL.-Playing career:...
2012 – 2013
Leagues clubs
St. George Leagues Club:
The St. George Leagues Club is located on the Princes Highway
Princes Highway
The Princes Highway extends from Sydney to Port Augusta via the coast through the states of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, a distance of 1941 km or 1898 km via the former alignments of the highway ....
at Beverley Park
Beverley Park, New South Wales
Beverley Park is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Beverley Park is located 15 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district, in the Municipality of Kogarah and is part of the St George area....
close to the northern home ground of Jubilee Oval
Oki Jubilee Stadium
Jubilee Oval is one of two home stadiums used by the St. George Illawarra Dragons team, a rugby league club that plays in Australasia's National Rugby League. The R2K entity was instrumental in ensuring that NRL matches were played at Kogarah from 2003 onwards...
at Carlton
Carlton, New South Wales
Carlton is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Carlton is located 15 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the St George area. Carlton lies across the boundary of two local government areas, the Municipality of Kogarah and the...
. Established in 1963, St. George was one of the first Super Leagues clubs developed in the 60's and was commonly referred to as the Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal is a white Marble mausoleum located in Agra, India. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal...
because of the use of white marble in the original building. 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. It is currently ranked 9th (out of 10) of the best Leagues Clubs in Sydney.
Steelers Club:
Situated in the heart of the vibrant City Beach precinct, the Steelers Club is ideally located adjacent to WIN Entertainment Centre and WIN Stadium
WIN Stadium
Wollongong Showground is a rectangular multi-purpose stadium located in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. The stadium was officially opened in 1911. From 1982 until 1998 it played host to every home match for the Illawarra Steelers NRL team...
. 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 has trading profitably over the last 12 months. 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 dollars.
Supporters
Supporters of the Dragons mainly come from the club's local areas, the suburbs of the St. George district in Sydney (the Hurstville, Rockdale, 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 supporters from all over NSW, with the club receiving record crowds at away games at ANZ Stadium (Stadium Australia) at Sydney Olympic ParkSydney Olympic Park
Sydney Olympic Park is a suburb in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Sydney Olympic Park is located 16 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Auburn Council....
. Notably there is also a large Dragons following in Victoria, based around Melbourne and Geelong. It is understood that the club receives support from NRL fans in other states as well, mostly due to the Dragons' world famous run of eleven consecutive premierships in the 1950s and 1960s.
Some notable supporters of the team include John Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
, Mark Latham
Mark Latham
Mark William Latham , an author and former Australian politician, was leader of the Federal Parliamentary Australian Labor Party and Leader of the Opposition from December 2003 to January 2005....
Robert McClelland
Robert McClelland (Australian politician)
Robert Bruce McClelland is the Attorney-General of Australia. He has been an Australian Labor Party member of theAustralian House of Representatives since March 1996, representing the Division of Barton, New South Wales...
and Brett Lee
Brett Lee
Brett Lee is an Australian cricketer.After breaking into the Australian Test team, Lee was recognised as one of the fastest bowlers in world cricket...
.
Rivalries
Due to St George enjoying great success over the years, the St George Illawarra Dragons 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 neighbour the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. The Bulldogs were founded in 1935, 14 years after St George. St. George inflicted a RL record 91–6 defeat of Canterbury in 1935 but Canterbury enjoyed premiership success first, however St.George recorded 11 straight premierships in the years following (1955–1966). It was also the Bulldogs who put an end to their Premiership run in 1967, when the Bulldogs beat them by 1 point in the preliminary final to face the Rabbitohs in the Grand Final. Since then, both clubs have inflicted Premiership defeats on the other, St George defeating the Bulldogs in 1979, Canterbury returning the favour in 1985.http://www.rl1908.com/Clubs/Canterbury-Bulldogs.htm The two sides are rivals in the NRL Heritage Round.In 2010 the Dragons won both matches convincingly, keeping the Bulldogs to just one try in both matches whilst scoring 26 and 19 of their own in rounds 2 and 10 respectively. This rivalry is fuelled even more with the Morris twins playing for both clubs, Brett
Brett Morris
Brett Morris is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the St. George Illawarra Dragons of the National Rugby League. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative winger, he is the son of St...
for the Dragons and Josh
Josh Morris
Josh Morris is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the National Rugby League competition. A New South Wales State of Origin representative backline player, Josh is the twin brother of Brett Morris who plays first grade for his previous club...
for the Bulldogs.
In 2011 the Dragons had a convincing 25–6 victory at the Sydney Cricket Ground
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
in round five followed by an epic 15–10 victory just five weeks later in round ten. This result ensured that the Dragons remained unbeaten by the Bulldogs during the Wayne Bennett era with the famous red and white club. In fact, the Bulldogs remain winless against the great Red V since Round 6, 2008.
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Another one of St George Illawarra's fiercest rivalries is with their Southern neighbour, Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. The Sharks originally were part of the St George juniors area, and the Sharks are often referred to as St George's "little brother".http://www.rl1908.com/Clubs/Cronulla-Sharks.htm The Dragons have enjoyed more success than the Sharks, who remain premiership-less after 43 years. In fact, since the Dragons entered the competition in 1999, both the Dragons and Sharks have finished higher than the other six times apiece. The rivalry increased in 2005 when they met in a final at a sold out WIN Stadium; the Dragons winning 28–22. Cronulla finished the 1999 season as minor premiers, but the Dragons beat them 26–8 in the preliminary final to progress to the 1999 NRL Grand Final at the Sharks' expense. The Dragons 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 3 Sydney teams to join the rival competition, entrenching further spite from Dragons fans (Both the St George Dragons and the Illawarra Steelers
Illawarra Steelers
The Illawarra Steelers are an Australian rugby league football club based in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales. The club competed in Australia's top-level Rugby League competition from 1982, when they, along with the Canberra Raiders, were admitted into the then New South Wales Rugby Football...
were loyal to the ARL during the Super League War
Super League war
The Super League war is the common name given to the corporate dispute that was fought in and out of court during the mid-1990s between the Rupert Murdoch and News Corporation-backed Super League and the Kerry Packer and Optus Vision-backed Australian Rugby League organisations over broadcasting...
). The Dragons won the four clashes across 2009–2010, winning 10–6, 26–4, 38–0 and 22–4. However, in Round 2 of the 2011 season, the Sharks caused a major upset winning 16–10.
In 2009, former Dragons captain Trent Barrett
Trent Barrett
Trent Barrett is an Australian retired professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s...
switched to the Sharks after two years in the European Super League
Super League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
. 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 Sharks had finished equal-first) that year. Other players to have switched clubs include Lance Thompson and Jeremy Smith (Dragons to Sharks), Beau Scott, Sam Isemonger and Matt Bickerstaff (Sharks to Dragons) and Colin Best (Sharks to Dragons and then back again, as of 2011). In another match in 2009, Sharks captain Paul Gallen
Paul Gallen
Paul Gallen is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks of the National Rugby League. Gallen's position of choice is lock and occasionally at Prop. He is an Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative...
was found guilty of a racial slur involving then Dragons forward Mickey Paea
Mickey Paea
Mickey Paea is an Australian rugby league player of Tongan descent who currently plays for the Hull Kingston Rovers in the Super League competition.-Playing career:...
.
South Sydney Rabbitohs
St George won 15 premierships before merging with Illawarra. In 2010 they won their first NRL premiership as the joint venture.The South Sydney Rabbitohs have won the most premierships with 20, the Sydney Roosters next on 12 premierships.
The Rabbitohs and Dragons met several times in grand finals prior to the joint venture and being the north-eastern neighbours of St George, had many fierce encounters. The most significant match of this rivalry is the Charity Shield
Rugby League Charity Shield (Australia)
Regarded as the unofficial start to the National Rugby League season, the Charity Shield has been in operation since 1982 ....
, a pre-season fixture between the two sides that was abandoned during the 90's but was revived after Souths were re-admitted to the NRL in 2002.
http://www.rabbitohs.com.au/News/Club-News/Rabbitohs-and-Dragons-Launch-25th-Charity-Shield.html
Sydney Roosters
St George has another strong rivalry with the Sydney RoostersSydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
. St George's first premiership was a 31–14 victory over Easts in the 1941 NSWRFL season Grand Final. During 1995, the Roosters had secret discussions to merge with the Dragons, with the Dragons jersey and emblem to disappear. Fans were outraged, and the attempt aborted. St George Illawarra annually contests the Club ANZAC Game
Club ANZAC Game
The Club ANZAC Game is an annual Rugby league football match played between National Rugby League clubs Sydney Roosters and St. George Illawarra Dragons. It is played on Anzac Day, the 25 April, each year. The match has taken place since the 2002 season, the ANZAC day clash with two traditional...
against the Roosters, a tradition dating back to the 1970s, but has been contested regularly since 2002.http://www.rl1908.com/clubcomps/ANZAC-Day.htm The Dragons achieved their first NRL premiership by defeating the Roosters 32–8 in the hotly contested 2010 NRL Grand Final
2010 NRL Grand Final
The 2010 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2010 NRL season. Played on Sunday, 3 October at Sydney's ANZ Stadium, the match was contested by the St. George Illawarra Dragons and the Sydney Roosters. It was the first time the two sides met in a grand final. They...
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 BroncosBrisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
contested the 1992 and 1993 Grand Final
Grand Final
Grand Final is a predominantly Australian sport term used to describe a match that decides a league champion.It originated in Victoria and South Australia and has become specifically significant Australian culture...
s, creating a fierce rivalry (see New South Wales Rugby League season 1993
New South Wales Rugby League season 1993
The 1993 NSWRL season was the eighty-sixth season of professional rugby league football in Australia. The New South Wales Rugby League's sixteen teams competed for the J. J...
). 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
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
coach Wayne Bennett at the helm of St George Illawarra, and Wendell Sailor
Wendell Sailor
Wendell Jermaine Sailor is an Australian former professional rugby football player who represented his country in both rugby league and rugby union – a dual code international. He is an Australian Torres Strait Islander.Sailor's large frame and bullocking style changed the way wingers played rugby...
, a popular face in the NRL and a former Bronco, the rivalry only increased. In 2009, the Dragons defeated the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium
Suncorp Stadium
Lang Park is the original name of the site located in the Brisbane suburb of Milton, Queensland, Australia, now occupied by the major sports facility known by its sponsorship name, Suncorp Stadium...
early, and were then beaten in Wollongong
Wollongong, New South Wales
Wollongong is a seaside city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It lies on the narrow coastal strip between the Illawarra Escarpment and the Pacific Ocean, 82 kilometres south of Sydney...
by the Broncos later on in the season. One game a piece, the two sides met up in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
in the finals, where they lost to the Broncos 24–10, thus ending the Dragons season and also that of Wendell Sailor
Wendell Sailor
Wendell Jermaine Sailor is an Australian former professional rugby football player who represented his country in both rugby league and rugby union – a dual code international. He is an Australian Torres Strait Islander.Sailor's large frame and bullocking style changed the way wingers played rugby...
's career. Ironically, his first (and last) game 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 StadiumQueensland Sport and Athletics CentreThe Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre , more commonly known by its former names ANZ Stadium or QE II, is a major sporting facility on the south side of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia...
. - 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 RiddellMark RiddellMark Robert Riddell is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 2000s and 2010s...
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 GasnierMark GasnierMark Gasnier is an Australian former rugby league player, a state and national representative centre three-quarter. He played eleven top-grade seasons with the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the NRL, interrupted by two seasons of rugby union played with the French club Stade Français. He was a...
(who was dropped from the New South Wales State of Origin teamNew South Wales rugby league teamThe New South Wales rugby league team has represented the Australian state of New South Wales in rugby league football since the sport's beginnings there in 1907. Administered by the New South Wales Rugby League, the team competes in the annual State of Origin series against arch-rivals, the...
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 MorrisBrett MorrisBrett Morris is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the St. George Illawarra Dragons of the National Rugby League. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative winger, he is the son of St...
scored his first-ever first grade try in the corner in the dying minutes after catching a Mathew HeadMathew HeadMathew Head is an Australian professional rugby league player for the St. George Illawarra Dragons. He previously played for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League and Hull in Super League. He primarily plays at half-back.-St. George Illawarra Dragons:Head's career has been plagued by...
bomb. The try was allowed, leaving Dragons hooker Aaron GorrellAaron GorrellAaron Gorrell is a former Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Brisbane Broncos of the NRL. He has previously played for the St George Illawarra Dragons before a spell with Catalans Dragons of Europe's Super League...
(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 SailorWendell SailorWendell Jermaine Sailor is an Australian former professional rugby football player who represented his country in both rugby league and rugby union – a dual code international. He is an Australian Torres Strait Islander.Sailor's large frame and bullocking style changed the way wingers played rugby...
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 BoydDarius BoydDarius Boyd is an Australian professional rugby league footballer currently playing for the Newcastle Knights in the NRL. Boyd plays at fullback, however he is also very capable as a three-quarter back, as proven by his selection for Australia and Queensland as a winger...
and a host of others opposed the Broncos for the first time in their lives. Despite conceding an early try to Israel FolauIsrael FolauIsrael Folau is a professional Australian rules footballer currently listed with the Greater Western Sydney Football Club in the Australian Football League . He previously played Rugby league for the Melbourne Storm in the National Rugby League from 2007 to 2008 where he broke the record for most...
, 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's last for the Dragons.
The honours were divided in 2010 with the Dragons winning 34–16 in round 5 in Darius Boyd
Darius Boyd
Darius Boyd is an Australian professional rugby league footballer currently playing for the Newcastle Knights in the NRL. Boyd plays at fullback, however he is also very capable as a three-quarter back, as proven by his selection for Australia and Queensland as a winger...
's 100th game (73 for the Broncos and 27 for the Dragons) but the Broncos got them back 10–6 at Suncorp Stadium in round 21 with the Dragons not scoring until just before full-time.
Players currently playing for the Dragons who have won premierships with Brisbane include Darius Boyd
Darius Boyd
Darius Boyd is an Australian professional rugby league footballer currently playing for the Newcastle Knights in the NRL. Boyd plays at fullback, however he is also very capable as a three-quarter back, as proven by his selection for Australia and Queensland as a winger...
and Luke Priddis
Luke Priddis
Luke Priddis is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s...
, who also won a premiership with Penrith
Penrith Panthers
The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, the top rugby league football competition in Australasia. For the 2012 NRL season they will be coached by Ivan...
in 2003. Others of note include Nick Emmett
Nick Emmett
Nick Emmett is an Australian professional rugby league player for the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the National Rugby League...
who was brought to the club by Wayne Bennett, and Neville Costigan
Neville Costigan
Neville Costigan is a professional rugby league footballer for the Newcastle Knights of the National Rugby League. A Queensland State of Origin and Papua New Guinea international representative, Costigan previously played for the Brisbane Broncos, Canberra Raiders and most recently, the St...
, who was sacked just before the Broncos' 2006 success.
Melbourne Storm
These two teams played in the Grand Final in 1999. It is remembered for the penalty try conceded by Dragons winger Jamie AinscoughJamie Ainscough
Jamie Ainscough , is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. He played for the Western Suburbs Magpies, Newcastle Knights, St George Illawarra Dragons, New South Wales and for the Australian national rugby league team.-Club career:Before 1989 Ainscough...
that cost the Dragons the premiership. It was the Dragons' first NRL Grand Final appearance as a joint venture and the Storm's first Grand Final appearance in just its second year in existence. The Dragons 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. To date, this remains Melbourne's only premiership after the Storm had been stripped of its 2007 and 2009 titles following mass salary cap breaches.
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 the Storm annihilate the Dragons 70–10 at the MCG
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
(this remains St George Illawarra's biggest defeat as a joint-venture to date). In the lead up to that match, then-Dragons five-eighth Anthony Mundine
Anthony Mundine
Anthony Mundine is an Australian professional boxer and former rugby league footballer.He is the current interim WBA Light Middleweight Champion boxer, former two-time WBA Super Middleweight Champion, former IBO Middleweight Champion and New South Wales State of Origin representative footballer....
had claimed that the Storm were not worthy premiers, sparking anger from the Storm's fans and players, thus the catalyst for the huge win. The Dragons however did claim revenge later that year with a 50–4 win at WIN Stadium (that also remains the Storm's worst ever defeat to date).
Melbourne won 24–16 in round 12, 2005, capping a horror weekend for both the red-and-white teams in Melbourne (the other team, the AFL's Sydney Swans
Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
, got thrashed by the night before).
The 2009 season opened with these two teams going head to head in another much talked about match. Dragons five-eighth Jamie Soward
Jamie Soward
Jamie Soward is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the St. George Illawarra Dragons of National Rugby League...
was labelled a 'rag doll' in defence whilst trying to stop the Storm's Greg Inglis
Greg Inglis
Greg Inglis is an Australian professional rugby league player for the South Sydney Rabbitohs. A Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative outside back, Inglis joined the Rabbitohs in 2011 after much controversy.Inglis is a versatile back, having played in several...
scoring a try, however ever since that match Soward's game has matured. The Dragons 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). The Dragons won this match 26–12. In round 4, 2010, the Dragons were the last team to lose premiership points to the Storm before their salary cap scandal was revealed. In fact, St. George Illawarra had been placed first right throughout the Storm's punishment (the Dragons had led the competition from round five right through to the final round).
Club records
(updated as of End of season 2010.)
Player records
Most Games for the Dragons| Player | Games |
|---|---|
| Ben Hornby Ben Hornby Ben Hornby is an Australian Naruto loving professional rugby league footballer who currently captains the St George Illawarra Dragons of the National Rugby League... |
249 |
| Matt Cooper | 220 |
| Dean Young | 187 |
| Ben Creagh Ben Creagh Ben Creagh is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the St George Illawarra Dragons of the National Rugby League... |
178 |
| Mark Gasnier Mark Gasnier Mark Gasnier is an Australian former rugby league player, a state and national representative centre three-quarter. He played eleven top-grade seasons with the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the NRL, interrupted by two seasons of rugby union played with the French club Stade Français. He was a... |
174 |
Most Points in a Season
| Player | Points | Games | Year | Tries | Goals | F/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jamie Soward Jamie Soward Jamie Soward is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the St. George Illawarra Dragons of National Rugby League... |
234 | 24 | 2009 | 12 | 90 | 6 |
| Jamie Soward Jamie Soward Jamie Soward is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the St. George Illawarra Dragons of National Rugby League... |
197 | 26 | 2010 | 6 | 84 | 5 |
| Mark Riddell Mark Riddell Mark Robert Riddell is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 2000s and 2010s... * |
166 | 24 | 2003 | 7 | 69 | 0 |
| Wayne Bartrim Wayne Bartrim Wayne Bartrim , is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. He was selected to represent Australia and Queensland during his career, which he spent playing for the Gold Coast Seagulls, St. George Dragons and St. George Illawarra Dragons in Australia and... * |
162 | 25 | 1999 | 5 | 79 | 0 |
| Jamie Soward Jamie Soward Jamie Soward is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the St. George Illawarra Dragons of National Rugby League... |
157 | 23 | 2011 | 4 | 68 | 5 |
Most Points for the Dragons
| Player | Points | Tries | Goals | F/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jamie Soward Jamie Soward Jamie Soward is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the St. George Illawarra Dragons of National Rugby League... |
848 | 40 | 335 | 18 |
| Mark Riddell Mark Riddell Mark Robert Riddell is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 2000s and 2010s... * |
517 | 30 | 198 | 1 |
| Matt Cooper | 464 | 116 | 0 | 0 |
| Nathan Blacklock Nathan Blacklock Nathan Blacklock is an Australian former rugby league and rugby union player who primarily played as a winger.-Playing career:... * |
428 | 100 | 14 | 0 |
| Mark Gasnier Mark Gasnier Mark Gasnier is an Australian former rugby league player, a state and national representative centre three-quarter. He played eleven top-grade seasons with the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the NRL, interrupted by two seasons of rugby union played with the French club Stade Français. He was a... |
396 | 86 | 26 | 0 |
| Wayne Bartrim Wayne Bartrim Wayne Bartrim , is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. He was selected to represent Australia and Queensland during his career, which he spent playing for the Gold Coast Seagulls, St. George Dragons and St. George Illawarra Dragons in Australia and... * |
374 | 8 | 171 | 0 |
Top 5 Try Scorers
| Player | Tries | Games |
|---|---|---|
| Matt Cooper | 116 | 220 |
| Nathan Blacklock Nathan Blacklock Nathan Blacklock is an Australian former rugby league and rugby union player who primarily played as a winger.-Playing career:... |
100 | 114 |
| Mark Gasnier Mark Gasnier Mark Gasnier is an Australian former rugby league player, a state and national representative centre three-quarter. He played eleven top-grade seasons with the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the NRL, interrupted by two seasons of rugby union played with the French club Stade Français. He was a... |
92 | 174 |
| Brett Morris Brett Morris Brett Morris is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the St. George Illawarra Dragons of the National Rugby League. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative winger, he is the son of St... |
75 | 107 |
| Ben Hornby Ben Hornby Ben Hornby is an Australian Naruto loving professional rugby league footballer who currently captains the St George Illawarra Dragons of the National Rugby League... |
57 | 249 |
Top 5 Goal Kickers
| Player | Goals |
|---|---|
| Jamie Soward Jamie Soward Jamie Soward is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the St. George Illawarra Dragons of National Rugby League... |
335 |
| Mark Riddell Mark Riddell Mark Robert Riddell is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 2000s and 2010s... * |
198 |
| Wayne Bartrim Wayne Bartrim Wayne Bartrim , is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. He was selected to represent Australia and Queensland during his career, which he spent playing for the Gold Coast Seagulls, St. George Dragons and St. George Illawarra Dragons in Australia and... * |
171 |
| Mathew Head Mathew Head Mathew Head is an Australian professional rugby league player for the St. George Illawarra Dragons. He previously played for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League and Hull in Super League. He primarily plays at half-back.-St. George Illawarra Dragons:Head's career has been plagued by... * |
95 |
| Aaron Gorrell Aaron Gorrell Aaron Gorrell is a former Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Brisbane Broncos of the NRL. He has previously played for the St George Illawarra Dragons before a spell with Catalans Dragons of Europe's Super League... * |
94 |
Most Tries in a Season
| Player | Tries | Games | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nathan Blacklock Nathan Blacklock Nathan Blacklock is an Australian former rugby league and rugby union player who primarily played as a winger.-Playing career:... * |
27 | 28 | 2001 |
| Nathan Blacklock Nathan Blacklock Nathan Blacklock is an Australian former rugby league and rugby union player who primarily played as a winger.-Playing career:... * |
25 | 26 | 2000 |
| Nathan Blacklock Nathan Blacklock Nathan Blacklock is an Australian former rugby league and rugby union player who primarily played as a winger.-Playing career:... * |
24 | 16 | 1999 |
| Brett Morris Brett Morris Brett Morris is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the St. George Illawarra Dragons of the National Rugby League. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative winger, he is the son of St... |
25 | 22 | 2009 |
| Brett Morris Brett Morris Brett Morris is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the St. George Illawarra Dragons of the National Rugby League. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative winger, he is the son of St... |
25 | 23 | 2010 |
| Colin Best Colin Best Colin Best is an Australian rugby league player for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the National Rugby League competition.-Career:... * |
20 | 26 | 2005 |
| Lee Hookey* | 18 | 25 | 2002 |
Top 5 Most Points in a Match
| Player | Points | Tries | Goals | F/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amos Roberts Amos Roberts Amos Roberts is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for English club Wigan Warriors of Super League. A country New South Wales representative prolific try-scoring back, he previously played in Australasia's National Rugby League for the St... * |
22 | 1 | 9 | 0 |
| Jamie Soward Jamie Soward Jamie Soward is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the St. George Illawarra Dragons of National Rugby League... |
22 | 1 | 9 | 0 |
| Jamie Soward Jamie Soward Jamie Soward is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the St. George Illawarra Dragons of National Rugby League... |
21 | 2 | 6 | 1 |
| Jamie Soward Jamie Soward Jamie Soward is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the St. George Illawarra Dragons of National Rugby League... |
20 | 1 | 8 | 0 |
| Aaron Gorrell Aaron Gorrell Aaron Gorrell is a former Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Brisbane Broncos of the NRL. He has previously played for the St George Illawarra Dragons before a spell with Catalans Dragons of Europe's Super League... * |
20 | 1 | 8 | 0 |
- (*) Player no longer at St. George Illawarra.
Head to head record
Since the foundation of the St. George Illawarra Dragons, the club has achieved the following Win/Loss Record:| Games | Wins | Drawn | Loss | Points For | Points Against | +/- | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 310 | 168 | 5 | 137 | 7178 | 6077 | +1101 | 55% |
Biggest winning margins
| Margin | Score | Opponent | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 54 | 54–0 | Auckland Warriors New Zealand Warriors The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership and are the League's only team from outside Australia... |
WIN Stadium WIN Stadium Wollongong Showground is a rectangular multi-purpose stadium located in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. The stadium was officially opened in 1911. From 1982 until 1998 it played host to every home match for the Illawarra Steelers NRL team... |
6 May 2000 |
| 50 | 50–0 | Wests Tigers Wests Tigers The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Sydney's mid-western suburbs. They have competed in the National Rugby League since they were formed at the end of the 1999 season as a joint-venture club between the Balmain Tigers and the Western Suburbs... |
Jubilee Oval Oki Jubilee Stadium Jubilee Oval is one of two home stadiums used by the St. George Illawarra Dragons team, a rugby league club that plays in Australasia's National Rugby League. The R2K entity was instrumental in ensuring that NRL matches were played at Kogarah from 2003 onwards... |
20 June 2004 |
| 46 | 50–4 | Melbourne Storm Melbourne Storm The Melbourne Storm are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the city of Melbourne. They are the first fully professional rugby league team based in the Australian rules football-dominated state of Victoria.... |
WIN Stadium WIN Stadium Wollongong Showground is a rectangular multi-purpose stadium located in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. The stadium was officially opened in 1911. From 1982 until 1998 it played host to every home match for the Illawarra Steelers NRL team... |
4 June 2000 |
| 46 | 48–2 | Newcastle Knights Newcastle Knights The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. They compete in Australasia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership... |
WIN Stadium WIN Stadium Wollongong Showground is a rectangular multi-purpose stadium located in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. The stadium was officially opened in 1911. From 1982 until 1998 it played host to every home match for the Illawarra Steelers NRL team... |
4 April 2004 |
Most 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 | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | 10–70 | Melbourne Storm Melbourne Storm The Melbourne Storm are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the city of Melbourne. They are the first fully professional rugby league team based in the Australian rules football-dominated state of Victoria.... |
MCG Melbourne Cricket Ground The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light... |
3 March 2000 |
| 48 | 6–54 | Newcastle Knights Newcastle Knights The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. They compete in Australasia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership... |
WIN Stadium WIN Stadium Wollongong Showground is a rectangular multi-purpose stadium located in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. The stadium was officially opened in 1911. From 1982 until 1998 it played host to every home match for the Illawarra Steelers NRL team... |
8 April 2006 |
| 46 | 4–50 | North Queensland Cowboys North Queensland Cowboys The North Queensland Cowboys are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, Queensland. They compete in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership... |
Dairy Farmers Stadium Dairy Farmers Stadium The Willows Sports Complex, currently known as Dairy Farmers Stadium due to sponsorship rights, is a grass football stadium situated in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It has historically been used mainly for rugby league, and is the home ground of the National Rugby League club the North... |
29 April 2000 |
| 36 | 4–40 | Cronulla Sharks Cronulla Sharks The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales... |
Toyota Park Toyota Park (Cronulla) Endeavour Field, currently known as Toyota Stadium due to sponsorship rights, is a rugby league stadium in the suburb of Woolooware, New South Wales, Australia. It is the home ground for the Cronulla Sharks rugby league team, which represents the Cronulla and Sutherland Shire area... |
9 April 2007 |
Most consecutive losses
- 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 RabbitohsSouth Sydney RabbitohsThe South Sydney Rabbitohs are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in Redfern, a suburb of South-central Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League premiership and are one of nine existing teams from the state capital...
20–0 after 35 minutes to lose 34–24 at WIN StadiumWIN StadiumWollongong Showground is a rectangular multi-purpose stadium located in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. The stadium was officially opened in 1911. From 1982 until 1998 it played host to every home match for the Illawarra Steelers NRL team...
(31 July, 2011)
Sponsorship
Major Sponsors- St. George BankSt. George BankSt.George Bank is a subsidiary of Westpac Banking Corporation trading primarily in New South Wales but with growing representation across a number of industry and business segments in Queensland and Western Australia. St.George also operates in South Australia and the Northern Territory under its...
(Major Sponsor) - ReebokReebokReebok International Limited, a subsidiary of the German sportswear company Adidas since 2005, is a producer of Athletic shoes, apparel, and accessories. The name comes from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a type of African antelope or gazelle...
(Jersey Supplier) - Southern Cross Construction (Sleeve Sponsor)
- AVS Security (Shorts Sponsor)
- Cellarbrations Liquor ("Back of Jersey" Sponsor)
Minor (Icon) Sponsors
- TelstraTelstraTelstra Corporation Limited is an Australian telecommunications and media company, building and operating telecommunications networks and marketing voice, mobile, internet access and pay television products and services....
- Bundaberg RumBundaberg RumBundaberg Rum is a dark rum produced in Bundaberg, Australia, often referred to as "Bundy".The Bundaberg Distilling Company owns its own cola-producing facility, which supplies the cola for its ready-to-drink Bundaberg Rum and Cola products.-History:...
- WIN CorporationWIN CorporationThe WIN Corporation is a Wollongong based media company, that owns the WIN Television network, NWS, and STW in Australia.It began broadcasting in Wollongong with one station in 1963. Bruce Gordon acquired control of the company in 1979 and initiated a period of growth which has seen the Network...
- Coca-ColaCoca-ColaCoca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
- VBVictoria BitterVictoria Bitter is one of the many iconic beers manufactured in the Australian state of Victoria. VB currently maintains the highest market share of all beer sold in Australia, both on tap and packaged...
- Tynan Motors
- Illawarra MercuryIllawarra MercuryThe Illawarra Mercury is the only daily newspaper in Wollongong, the third largest city in the State of New South Wales, Australia. It has been published since 1855, making it one of Australia's oldest newspapers...
- CentrebetCentrebetCentrebet is an Australian bookmaker licensed in the Northern Territory.Centrebet originated from Alice Springs, Northern Territory and was the first bookmaker to be licensed in Australia in 1993 and the first bookmaker to go online in the Southern Hemisphere. Centrebet was acquired by its biggest...
- McDonald'sMcDonald'sMcDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
- Arrive Alive
- SX Projects
- Crystal Bears
- i98 FM
- DealsDirect
- Coastwide
All official Dragons merchandise is produced by Reebok as of 2010.
External links
Official NRL SitesNews items