- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
As St George Illawarra languish in second last place on the ladder, questions need to be asked about how the Dragons could go from world champions one day, to possible wooden spooners by the end of this season.
As a lifelong Dragons fan, it was heartbreaking seeing the team get thrashed 36-0 by the red-hot Sydney Roosters on Saturday night.
The sight of the club’s most loyal fans leaving Kogarah Oval with almost a quarter of the match to go was also sickening.
What must be remembered is that this was the team the Dragons beat to win the premiership in 2010.
It was also the perfect way to serve up revenge for the last time these two teams met in a grand final, when the Roosters thrashed the Dragons 38-0 to cap off what was a very dominant season from the tri-colours in 1975.
Saturday night’s match saw a virtual repeat of that bloodbath from 38 years ago which no Dragons fan will want to remember.
It was the worst performance the Dragons have produced in recent history, and this will go down as one of the worst ever defeats the joint-venture have suffered at their traditional home of Kogarah Oval, surpassing a 42-8 loss to Newcastle in the penultimate round of the 2003 season.
This is a far cry from three years ago, when the club won the premiership on the back of solid, hard defence which Wayne Bennett employed in his three-year stint at the Dragons.
Some could say that the Dragons were aided by the Melbourne Storm’s salary cap breach, which cost them two premierships, three minor premierships and the right to play for anything that year.
After all, the Storm had beaten the Dragons in their only meeting that year, though that came shortly before the Storm’s salary cap breaches were exposed.
But history will say that the Dragons didn’t fluke that premiership victory – they finished the season as minor premiers and were the most dominant team all season.
They led the competition for all but three rounds of the entire season (including from Round 5 onwards), lost only seven matches and were the best defensive side of the competition.
The Dragons have since failed to replicate that success in subsequent years and after a respectable ninth-place finish last year, the club now appears doomed to the likely prospect of winning the wooden spoon this year.
Only the Parramatta Eels, their poor percentage and the fact that they have served their two byes this season are keeping the Dragons above the bottom of the ladder.
The Dragons have their second bye of the season this coming round, which could give them a two-game gap on themselves and the Eels (pending the results of their next two matches against the Sea Eagles and the Panthers).
The Eels themselves aren’t improving either, but they insist that this is part of a rebuilding process that their coach, Ricky Stuart, has put in place.
The Dragons’ latest thrashing at the hands of the Sydney Roosters marks yet another low point for the club this season.
Bookmakers had them short-priced to win the wooden spoon this season, and the future of coach Steve Price was unclear.
Many believed the Dragons had to reach the finals this year for him to earn a contract extension.
Also, prior to the beginning of this season the club lost its long-serving captain, Ben Hornby, to retirement.
After losing their first three matches of the season, the Dragons appeared to be on the improve and won their next four matches after that to stand at a respectable 3-3 after Round 6.
Then, on the eve of the club’s ANZAC Day clash against the Sydney Roosters, his contract was extended.
But since then, the Dragons have won just two matches (against Parramatta in Round 10 and Newcastle in Round 13) and, regardless of the outcome of the Manly versus Parramatta match on Monday night, will finish this round second last on the ladder.
The club is also reeling from the sudden departure of Jamie Soward, whose decision to sign with Penrith for the 2014 season led to the club deciding to drop him to the lower grades, before he was eventually released last month.
Prior to his departure, though, the Dragons signed Josh Dugan after he was sacked by Canberra earlier this month for repeated off-field indiscretions.
He immediately made an impact on his Dragons debut, scoring two tries as the Dragons defeated the Eels in Round 10.
A month later, he was selected for New South Wales for Game 2 of the State of Origin series but the Blues copped a 26-6 hiding from Queensland at Suncorp Stadium.
Since then, Dugan has gotten into trouble on the field and was suspended from the Dragons’ thrashing at the hands of the Roosters over the weekend.
Mathematically, finals is still a distinct possibility, but if the Dragons keep playing at this rate (or the way they played against the Roosters) then they can completely forget about September and start planning for 2014.
So, what could be to blame for the Dragons’ slide down the ladder in the years that have followed the 2010 premiership?
Was Steve Price re-signed too early, after the Dragons won three matches in a row earlier this season? Did the management pay too much faith in him?
Also, could Jamie Soward signing with the Panthers have an impact not only on his performances, but also, that of the team’s? And has the signing of Josh Dugan paid off, or has it backfired?
But if there is any light at the end of the tunnel, it’s that the Dragons have embarked on a signing spree over the last few months.
The Dragons will welcome Gareth Widdop, Joel Thompson and Dylan Farrell to the club next season.
Widdop is an English international and a Melbourne Storm premiership player but he is out for the remainder of this season after suffering a hip injury in the Storm’s loss to the Gold Coast Titans last month.
He could be seen as the perfect replacement for Jamie Soward at five-eighth/halfback, but whether he can regain his fitness and training before the beginning of next season remains to be seen.
Thompson has proven his worth for the Canberra Raiders and has played over 80 games for the club over six seasons.
His experience will be very worthy for the currently inexperienced Dragons squad.
And finally, Dylan Farrell, who had proven to be a revelation for the South Sydney Rabbitohs since his debut in 2010 but has since struggled to maintain a place in the Rabbitohs’ starting line-up, only managing five appearances so far this season.
Dragons fans may remember him for the damage he caused during a match between the Dragons and Rabbitohs in late 2011.
Farrell scored a hat-trick for the Rabbitohs in a 34-24 victory over the then-reigning premiers.
This came almost a year after he scored a hat-trick in his first grade debut for the Rabbitohs in a thrilling golden-point victory over the Wests Tigers, whereby he scored the match winning try in the final minute of the golden point period.
Now, Dragons fans are appearing ready to welcome him, along with Widdop and Thompson to the club, as they desperately seek to rebuild a playing list that will be strong enough to return them to finals football in 2014.
But for now, Dragons fans will be left to ponder the saddening prospect of their team finishing last for the first time since 1938. The fans, seemingly, cannot wait for this season to be over.
Let’s just hope though that the fans can remain loyal as they seek a quick return to the top half of the competition next year.
With the signings of those three key players for next season, there is hope for the club that has a very rich and proud history.
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.