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{{Rugby league squad player|nat=Australia|pos=LK|name=[[Dean Young (rugby league)|Dean Young]]}}
{{Rugby league squad player|nat=Australia|pos=LK|name=[[Dean Young (rugby league)|Dean Young]]}}
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{{Rugby league squad end}}

Coached by [[Wayne Bennett]].


==Colours and Jerseys==
==Colours and Jerseys==

Revision as of 22:01, 31 May 2009

St. George Illawarra Dragons
File:St George Illawarra Dragons logo.jpg
Club information
Full nameSt George Illawarra Dragons
Rugby League Football Club
Nickname(s)Saints, Red V, Red and Whites
Founded23 September 1998
Current details
Ground(s)
CEOPeter Doust
CoachWayne Bennett
CaptainBen Hornby
CompetitionNational Rugby League
Home jersey
Home colours
 Away jersey
Away colours
Current season
Records
Premierships0 (0)
Runners-up1 (1999)
Minor premierships0 (0)
Wooden spoons0 (0)
Most capped177 – Ben Hornby
Highest points scorer517 – Mark Riddell

The St. George Illawarra Dragons are an Australian professional rugby league football club that compete in the National Rugby League. The club entered the NRL competition in 1999 as a joint venture between the St. George Dragons and the Illawarra Steelers. They officially formed as the game’s first joint venture on September 23, 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 Jubilee Oval in Kogarah.

The Dragons reached the grand final in their first season in 1999, losing to the Melbourne Storm. They have yet to make another grand final appearance, however have only failed to reach the finals 3 times since their first season. The St. George Illawarra Dragons also field teams in local competitions within the St. George and Illawarra regions.

History

Forming the Joint Venture

In the wake of the Super League war of the mid-1990s, and the resulting split competition of 1997, the Illawarra Steelers found themselves struggling financially and seemed unlikely to survive past 1999. The St. George Dragons largely financed a proposal for a joint venture which would see the St George Illawarra Dragons playing in both Kogarah and Wollongong. Essentially, St George would provide the money while the 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 substantial financial incentives 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 September 23, 1998.

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 Eels 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 Cronulla 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, 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. 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.

Nathan Brown era (2003-2008)

In 2003, Nathan Brown, the joint ventures 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.

2004 saw the final season of the try scoring talent Nathan Blacklock. An extra-ordinary 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-Sutherland Sharks 28-22 in the quarter final of the finals series though the Dragons eventually fell 12-20 to eventual champions the Wests Tigers in the Preliminary Final. The 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, the St George first faced the Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium, the Dragons winning 20-4. In the second round, they met the Manly 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.

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 Sea Eagles at Brookvale Oval, finishing at 13th place.

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 [1] 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-Warringah Sea Eagles 34-6 at Brookvale Oval ending a disapointing 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.

The Master Coach, Wayne Bennett (2009-present)

2009, a new season a new coach and ground sponsor WIN at Jubilee Oval. Several new faces joined the club, includingJeremy Smith, Darius Boyd, Neville Costigan, Michael Weyman and Luke Priddis. The season opener between the Dragons and the Storm lead to a thrilling golden point extra time loss 17-16. Round 3 set a new crowd record with the victorious return to WIN Jubilee against the old foe Cronulla. The Dragons had shown new strength and a winning attitude, finishing round 6 on top of the ladder.

Season Summaries

P=Premiers, R=Runner-Ups, M=Minor Premierships, F=Finals Appearance, W=Wooden Spoons
(Brackets Represent Finals Games)
Competition Games
Played		 Games
Won		 Games
Drawn		 Games
Lost		 Ladder
Position		 P R M F W Coach Captain Notes
1999 NRL Season
 24 (4) 15 (3) 0 (0) 9 (1) 6 / 17
X
X
David Waite
Andrew Farrar
Paul McGregor
Runner's Up
2000 NRL Season
 26 12 0 14 9 / 14
Craig Smith
Barrett receives Dally M medal
2001 NRL Season
 26 (2) 12 (1) 2 (0) 12 (1) 7 / 14
X
Andrew Farrar
Ainscough and Barrett represent NSW
2002 NRL Season
 24 (2) 9 (1) 3 12 (1) 7 / 15
X
Trent Barrett
Barrett new captain
2003 NRL Season
 24 11 0 13 (0) 10 / 15
Nathan Brown
Nathan Brown becomes coach
2004 NRL Season
 24 (1) 14 (0) 0 (0) 10 (1) 5 / 15
X
Dragons have a 24 point comeback
2005 NRL Season
 24 (2) 16 (1) 0 (0) 8 (1) 2 / 15
X
Gasnier Centre of the year
2006 NRL Season
 24 (3) 14 (2) 0 (0) 10 (1) 6 / 15
X
Gasnier Centre of the year
2007 NRL Season
 24 9 0 15 13 / 16
Mark Gasnier
Ben Hornby
Jason Ryles
Sign Jamie Soward
2008 NRL Season
 24 (1) 13 0 11 (1) 7 / 16
X
Mark Gasnier
Nathan Brown released for 2009
2009 NRL Season
 12 9 0 3 1 / 16 current season
Wayne Bennett
Ben Hornby[2]

Current Squad

The St. George Illawarra Dragons have 31 signed players in First Grade that play in the main competition.

No. Position Player

Darius Boyd – WG Matt Cooper – CE Neville Costigan – SR Ben Creagh – SR Nick Emmett – CE Daniel Fepuleai – HK Jon Green – PR Mathew Head – HB Beau Henry – PR Ben Hornby (captain) – HB Dan Hunt – PR Kane Linnett – CE Michael Lett – WG Jake Marketo – SR Trent Merrin – PR Brett Morris – FB

No. Position Player

Jason Nightingale – WG Mickey Paea – SR Justin Poore – PR Luke Priddis – HK Matt Prior – PR Alex Ranieri – HK Jarrod Saffy – SR Wendell Sailor – WG Beau Scott – PR Jeremy Smith – SR Jamie Soward – FE Chase Stanley – CE Ricky Thorby – PR Michael Weyman – PR Dean Young – LK

Coached by Wayne Bennett.

Colours and Jerseys

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 club name Dragons, is a shortened version of Dragonslayers, the orignial nickname of St George. It is one of the most recognisable logos in Australian sport.

Team Logos

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 and white colours used were changed to those used by the Steelers.

The alternate jersey initially used by the club was red and white horizontal stripes, similar to the original St George Jersey. Since 2006, this Jersey has been used 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. This jersey is predominantly red with white stripes on the sleeves. Due to the popularity of this jersey, the club has adopted it as the alternate jersey.


Club Jerseys

Home Grounds/Stadium Records

Jubilee Stadium and Walk of Fame, Park Street, Carlton, Sydney

Home Grounds

The Dragons have two home grounds. Half of the Dragons home matches are played at the spiritual home of St George, WIN Jubilee Oval, Carlton, Sydney. Half of their matches are played at WIN Stadium, Wollongong, previously the home ground of the Illawara Steelers.

The club has previously played games out of the Sydney Football Stadium (2000 - 2002) and ANZ Stadium (2008), due to redevelopment of Jubilee Oval.

Leagues Clubs

St George Leagues Club, Beverley Park, Sydney

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

St. George 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 marbel 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.

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.

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 Park. Notably there is also a large Dragons following in Victoria, based around Melbourne and Geelong.[3] It is understood that the club receives support from NRL fans in other states as well, mostly due to the Dragons' notable success ever since their debut in the competition.

Records

Further information: St. George Illawarra Dragons Records

(updated as of 13 March 2009.)

Player Records

  • (*) Player no longer in the St. George Illawarra team.

Head to Head record

Since the foundation of the St. George Illawarra Dragons they have got the following Win/Loss Record: [4]

(Correct to the completion of Round 16, 2008)
Games Wins Drawn Loss Points For Points Against +/- Win %
248 128 5 115 5870 5220 +650 52.62%

Representative Players

Representative players include players that were selected before or while they played with the St. George Illawarra Dragons.

Coaches and Captains

Sponsorship

All official Dragons merchandise is produced by Adidas.

External links

Official NRL Sites

Fan sites

News Items

References

  1. ^ Webster, Andrew (2008-06-21). "Ryles quits Dragons". Illawarra Mercury. Retrieved 2008-06-21.
  2. ^ "Wayne Bennett appoints Ben Hornby as captain of St George Illawarra". Fox Sports. 2009-03-05. Retrieved 2009-03-05.
  3. ^ | Melbourne Based Dragons Supporters
  4. ^ Rugby League Tables / Win-Loss Records / St George Illawarra

Template:St George Illawarra

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