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Defence wins big matches, and the St George Illawarra Dragons successfully employed that philosophy last season to claim their first premiership victory as a joint venture, beating the Sydney Roosters 32-8 in the NRL grand final.
As a result, the Dragons ended a premiership drought which stretched back 32 years. The dreaded chokers tag was also shed and Wayne Bennett’s men will now start season 2011 as premiership favourites.
Despite losing Jeremy Smith, Jarrod Saffy and Neville Costigan to the Sharks, Rebels and Knights respectively, the Dragons will still present themselves as a formidable force in 2011, despite a tough opening to the season.
The Dragons will play their first four matches away from home, with games against the Gold Coast Titans and New Zealand Warriors to present the biggest challenge for the reigning premiers.
But if their away record last season is anything to go by, the Dragons are more than capable of acquiring the eight competition points on offer on the road to kick start their premiership defence.
The Dragons won eight of 12 away matches last season, which included victories over top eight sides, the Roosters, Titans and Warriors.
With a defensive chemistry that is unrivalled in the NRL, the Dragons possess the ability to suck the life out of their opposition, irrespective of where they are playing.
When playing at home last season, the Dragons assumed the role of the Boa Constrictor, constricting their rivals with a defence responsible for conceding a miserly 319 points for the entire season – an average of just 11.8 points a match.
Out of the three matches the Dragons did lose at home last season, two of those defeats came during the representative season, when they fell to the Canberra Raiders and Penrith Panthers respectively.
The reason behind the Dragons defensive discipline stems from their love of possession. The Dragons made the least errors of any side last season, averaging just 10.1 mistakes a game.
This shows that the Dragons rarely put unnecessary pressure on themselves, which in turn allowed them to concede the fewest line breaks of any side last season.
In short, opposition were made to look fairly pedestrian in attack, with the Dragons constantly thwarting the very best offensive units the NRL had to offer.
The Dragons however did possess some attacking spark of their own, with players such as Brett Morris, Darius Boyd, Jamie Soward and Ben Creagh all proving too hot to handle for opposition defences.
Morris finished equal second on the tryscorers list last season, notching up 20 four pointers, while Boyd cemented himself as arguably the NRL’s best fullback. The former Brisbane Bronco finished in third place on the Dally M Medal count, whilst also winning the Clive Churchill Medal for best player in the 2010 grand final.
Upfront, the Dragons trailed only the Raiders as the leading yardage gainers in the NRL, averaging over 1400 metres a match last season. Fullback Boyd was arguably the main beneficiary, producing 18 try assists on the back of the metres and second phase play created by talented forwards such as Beau Scott, Michael Weyman and Ben Creagh.
The departures of Jeremy Smith, Neville Costigan and Jarred Saffy however will surely dent the Dragons forward dominance in 2011, in particular against the more disciplined sides in the NRL.
But probably the biggest concern surrounding the Dragons premiership defence involves the future of current master coach Wayne Bennett.
The seven time premiership winner is reportedly set to quit the Dragons at the end of 2011 – a departure that could affect the playing future of star fullback Boyd.
In an interview with Rugby League Week after last season’s Grand Final, Boyd threw his future with the Dragons in the air by stating “I’ve only really had him (Bennett) as a coach … I really couldn’t see myself under anyone else.”
Should Bennett quit as Dragons head coach, the chances of Boyd following suit will be high, given that he too is off contract at the end of 2011.
Such off field conjecture could disrupt the Dragons throughout season 2011, and it will be interesting to see how they cope if Bennett decides to resign.
But with Bennett’s services secure for 2011, the Dragons will pick up from where they left off last season, and continue to play the disciplined brand of Rugby League that could easily see them become the first team since the Brisbane Broncos in 1997-98 to successfully defend the premiership.
Why they’ll win:
– The Dragons defence is the best in the NRL
– Possess great attacking players in Morris, Boyd and Soward
Why they won’t:
– Departures of Smith, Saffy and Costigan will hurt the Dragons upfront
– Future of Wayne Bennett and Darius Boyd could provide unnecessary distraction
TAB Sportsbet:
– Premiership odds – $5.50
– Wooden spoon – $101.00
Additions: Adam Cuthbertson, Daniel Penese, David Gower
Departures: Jarrod Saffy (Melbourne Rebels – Super Rugby), Beau Henry (Newcastle Knights), Neville Costigan (Newcastle Knights), Kalifa Fai-Fai Loa (North Queensland Cowboys), Jeremy Smith (Cronulla), Michael Lett (Canterbury-Bankstown), Luke Priddis (Retired), Ricky Thorby (North Queensland Cowboys), Junior Paulo (Penrith).