Surely you’ve noticed it this week, like we girls here in our morning knitting club have. The mighty Dragons are in the grand final again! The great club side of the 11 in a row fame is once again back on the game’s biggest day!
There have been stories about how Dean Young and Brett Morris hope to emulate their famous fathers by winning a grand final for the Dragons. It would all bring a tear to your eye if wasn’t so plainly false!
The club that Steve Morris and Craig Young won premierships with is dead. It came to a close at the end of the 1998 season. I cried, looked to the heavens, protested at the time, suffered the ridicule and then reluctantly moved on.
In its place, the NRL allowed the entry of a private shelf company known as the St George Illawarra Dragons Pty Ltd. With the aid of plenty of former Illawarra players and a salary cap exemption that would have made the 2009-10 Storm team trivial by comparison, this new Dragons leach like franchise made the grand final.
Then, as now, the media and fans are in a love fest, salivating at the Dragons’ prospects of winning premiership number 16. Illawarra supporters attempted to take some comfort, but in reality there was no mention in Joint Venture of the term ‘Steelers’. Suddenly in 1999, the Joint Venture Entity reference disappeared in the lead up to this ALL SYDNEY grand final.
Recently I read on the internet from a Saints diehard that: “It will be the first premiership for St George Illawarra, on top of the 15 the St George Dragons won between 1921 and 1979.” I checked the NRL website and it stated: “Premierships: 0” (someone forget to tell the NRL marketing department though, as the “Dragons, est 1921” flags are on sale everywhere at the moment). They should read “Joint Venture Company, est 1999”.
I checked the premiership tallies for Balmain and Western Suburbs and despite the Wests Tigers winning in 2005, their tallies haven’t moved, while Wests Tigers has a tally of “Premierships: 1”. Can’t fault that.
It’s a shame, but all of this demonstrates that the fans of the old St George club still haven’t come to a final, and yes tragic, realisation. The St George RLFC club is D-E-A-D!
Before you start bashing at your keyboard in anger, ask yourself these simple questions: Are you a formal club member, with voting rights of “St George” or “St George Illawarra Pty Ltd”. Which entity actually takes the field in the NRL?
You have my sympathies.
Steve
Guest
I thinks its great that St George Illawarra received there first premiership last year under Wayne Bennett! But the much debate is it there 16 title like some of the media are saying after 31 years. I am disgusted with how the NRL handled cutting teams at the end of 1998 and asking sides to merge later the Tigers and Magpies and Manly and Bears. Just look what happened to Manly, while I think they are a dirty club I do think that they should never have been force to merge or the Bears. Think about the history and the teams before NRL started that had won all these premierships. Yet after these mergers they disappear in to thin air. The teams that should have been asked to leave should have be Cowboys, Storm because they had not done anything for the first part of 1921 onwards. But you look at Souths they refuse I say good on them. they get kicked but they survive and come back. You start to think what would have happened to Tigers West, St George and Steelers and the Bears if they fought surely there fans would bring them back at some point! All these clubs that have merged and some split were around for year and foundational clubs. Why can't the NRL with the support from the merged clubs allow premierships and other accomplishments be carried over into the mergers?
loyalsaint
Guest
I was there at kogarah for the last match, it was a final against canterbury and saints got robbed by poor refereeing, an appropriate way to end i thought, much in keeping with the teams history. soon after that match the merger with illawarra came into being, against the wishes of the fans. how it disgusted me to see those same fans turn up to see the new team, and in droves. i wonder if the example of the manly and norths fans in keeping away from gosford and forcing a reversal of that particular merger has been lost on st george fans, norths have sadly gone, however manly fans need only to stroll a few minutes down the road to watch their team play, the team which carries the name of their district and which doesn’t play in another city ! i am so disgusted by the st george club, the fans, everything ,that i shall never return to the game, even if there is a demerger, the club stands for nothing, the fans stand for nothing. i notice everyone rejoicing in “the clubs first premiership since 1979″. well i’ve got news for you, it’s the clubs first premiership full stop, i don’t remember “st george illawarra” lifting the trophy back in 1979, and furthermore you’ll never know what would have happened had melbourne (aka the qld state of origin team) stayed in the competition this year, so enjoy your hollow victory, because i and others like myself shall certainly not ! Forever disgusted ex dragons fanatic
Fez's are cool
Guest
Go easy.... we also wear the Steelers white socks lol
Junior
Roar Guru
- St George Illawarra’s mascot is the Dragon. Not a Steeler. - St George Illawarra is sponsored by the St George Bank. Not the Illawarra Mutual Building Society or BHP Steel. - St George Illawarra still plays mostly in the traditional St George red V jersey. Not the predominantly red with white hoops. - St George Illawarra has an active Red V campaign. Not a White Hoop campaign. - St George Illawarra’s team emblem is still the old St George emblem with the word Illawarra added at the bottom. - People in league circles still have to make a conscious effort to add the word Illawarra when talking about the club and often use Dragons or Saints for simplicity. Irene, you are spot on. Good luck to St George Illawarra Dragons supporters on Sunday. May you win your FIRST premiership EVER.
Todd Dunk
Guest
I'm a 'DRAGONS' supporter, and the 'DRAGONS' have won 15 Premierships and are attempting their 16th on Sunday.
Fez's are cool
Guest
I find it funny that the only people who get frustrated or angry and rant about the St George vs Illawarra thing are fans of other clubs. Steelers fans are 100% Dragons fans these days. Both regions are united behind the club. But for some reason, Bulldogs, Rabbitohs, Eels and especially Sharks fans seem to have a need to call us Steelers, St Merge, Illawarra Dragons or some other rediculous crap. Success breeds jelousy I guess. Especially when your club is nowhere near as famous or successful. Or have as many juniors.
Brett McKay
Guest
Newcastle are, but that could change as soon as someone hands them a blank cheque...
AdamD
Guest
Im sure the Cowboys are?
Dan Dresden
Guest
So how many member based clubs are left in the NRL? I'm not talking about ticket members or supporter club members, but members who collectively "own" 100% of the club and can vote for the club board? None of the teams outside of NSW would be. Raiders are owned by a heap of different local leagues clubs. Manly and Souths are privately owned. The joint venture teams are private companies - Wests Tigers & the Illawarra St George team. Parramatta is run by the leagues club. Canterbury is a football club? Penrith and the Roosters? Newcastle?
Whites
Guest
There was a little box in the Telegraph today saying what the Dragons are doing- "the Dragons went back to Wollongong last night to have a day off today and spend it with family and friends"
AdamD
Guest
Go the Steelers!!!!!!!!!
Brett McKay
Guest
I'm sure the Illawarra Steelers and their fans are rushing to buy you a sympathy card, Irene... YOUR club is in the Grand Final, and with a bloody good chance of winning it. Enjoy Sunday night for what it is......
Fez's are cool
Guest
Irene, you are forgetting the history of the area. Everything south of Wolli Creek was refered to as "Illawarra" early in the last century. In fact, St George Rugby League Football Club was sometimes refered to as the "Illawarra-ites". Also, if you ever come to the St George District, you will find lots of things called "Illawarra" or "Wollongong" - Roads, Tennis Clubs, Nursing Homes, et cetera. The Dragons from 1909 when the club was formed in lower grades (they tried in 1908 but were knocked back for not having enough players) took in St George, Sutherland Shire and Wollongong. Early in their history in first grade (est. 1921) they even took a few games to Wollongong. The Sharks were introduced specifically to break up the dominance of the southern side after the increadible record 11 straight premierships. Many of the players in those sides had ties or were from Wollongong and Sutherland. The point to all this? Before the Steelers ever existed Wollongong was spiritually Dragons. The Dragons dominance was deliberately broken up when the comp started to grow in the 60-80s. Now as we move into an era of a national competition and rationalisation is forced on us to expand in Melbourne, Perth, New Zealand, et cetera, the Southern Districts of Sydney and Wollongong are gravitating back to one club. This will be complete when the Sharks fold or relocate, now just a matter of time. The mighty St George Illawarra Dragons. Proud, Inspired, True. Est. 1921. The real South Sydney club.
st penguin
Guest
What a pity this article is a just a beat up. With a bit more thought the writer could have been an interesting article about how the merger affected the identity St George.
st penguin
Guest
What a pity this article is a just a beat up. With a bit more thought the writer could have been an interesting article about how the merger affected the identity St Geroge.
Ken
Guest
All a technicality - they are the Dragons down to their red-hooped socks regardless of which pty ltd entity is in the fine print. You're not wrong of course but you are being selective. Other technicalities you may wish to ponder: * The NRL is a 12 year old competition, do you count premierships won in former state based or defunct competitions (which had many different clubs, different eligibility rules and even different game rules)? * The Sydney Roosters, I think they've only won 1 premiership too? * The privately owned playing out of Homebush Souths team?
Dan Dresden
Guest
What a party pooper you are Irene. We are nearly at Christmas morning for NRL fans and you want to come out at tell us it is all a great lie. Jack Gibson would have said you "She'd boo Santa Claus, this woman." No Irene, we believe in all that is red and white. We still believe in our great St George Dragons (founded 1921) and we still believe in Santa Claus (incidentially, another great man to wear the red and white). I suspect if we look closely you Irene are probably an envious Bunnies tragic, and I suspect you have no qualms eating the chocolates the Easter Bunny leaves you each year. Non-believer!
Jammy
Guest
I have severe doubts you are a dragons fan, maybe a troll fan.
JVGO
Guest
Go Illawarra! I will cheer very heartily if Illawarra snag their first premiership. Far more deserving than the Roosters.