After a disappointing 2016 season, in which their attack and commitment came into question, the St George Illawarra Dragons have emerged as the surprise packets of 2017.
The second-worst attacking side last year, the Drgaons have won four of their first five matches to be sitting second on the ladder.
Not even their most die-hard fans would have imagined they be would where they are, given their dismal 2016 season in which they won ten games and missed out on finals football for the fourth time in five years.
In addition, the club also suffered a 32-14 defeat to the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the annual Charity Shield match in February; it was the fifth consecutive year in which the Dragons lost the pre-season fixture.
That result appeared to vindicate many pundits’ beliefs that they would be lucky to avoid the wooden spoon in 2017.
However, come Round 1 they thrashed pre-season premiership favourites the Penrith Panthers at home by 42-10, before falling back to old habits with a disappointing loss to the Parramatta Eels the following week.
Paul McGregor’s men were then given next to no chance of toppling the Sharks at their home ground, but put in a committed effort to win that match 16-10.
They were the first team to score 100 points in 2017 when they defeated the Warriors 26-12 at Kogarah Oval. This was a stark contrast to last season, when they were the last team to crack the ton.
Their status as the best attacking side this season continued when they defeated the Wests Tigers by 28-6 at ANZ Stadium yesterday.
The victory was marshaled by a hat-trick of tries from Jason Nightingale, who remains the sole survivor from the club’s 2010 premiership side. All three were set up by Gareth Widdop, whose dysfunctional partnership with the since-departed Benji Marshall was blamed by many for the disappointing 2016 season.
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He also set up another try in the second half and booted three of five conversions, with 100th-gamer Leeson Ah Mau also booting a penalty goal on the full-time siren.
The only negative news to come out of the victory was a hamstring injury to fullback Josh Dugan, ruling him out for at least a month, serving as an acid test of how far the club has come.
Over the next month-and-a-half, they will face each of their fellow top-six rivals, starting with the Sea Eagles (fifth) at Lottoland this Saturday night.
That is followed by matches against the Cowboys (fourth), Roosters (third), Storm (first), and a rematch against the Sharks (sixth) at Kogarah Oval the week after the representative bye round.
By the time they face the Warriors in Waikato on May 19, they will have not hopped on a plane for over 12 months, their last match outside of New South Wales or Australia coming against the Warriors on May 1 last year.
The improvement has come about following a brutal off-season in which the club underwent a comprehensive review of their footballing operations. Halfback Benji Marshall and hooker Mitch Rein were among those let go, with the latter stating the reason for his move to the Panthers was because the Dragons were “boring”.
Marshall, on the other hand, accepted some of the blame for the club’s dismal season and moved to the Brisbane Broncos, where he will almost certainly finish his distinguished NRL career.
On the flipside, the main key to the Dragons’ resurgence has been the commitment put in by the players over the off-season, as well as the impact Paul Vaughan and Cameron McInnes have made since arriving at the club.
And with Ben Hunt to arrive at the end of this season, things can only get better for the Dragons as they plot their path towards long-term success.
Under-siege coach McGregor is also set to be rewarded for the club’s improved form with a contract extension, marking somewhat of a turnaround after he had been tipped to become the first coach to be sacked in 2017.
As far as the remainder of the season is concerned, the club’s continued resurgence could see them as a dark horse for the finals, even though September is still five months away.
danwain
Guest
Mate they have already beaten three of the teams in your top 10, and only technically need 8 more wins to make the 8, from 18 games. Sure their form will dip and its doubtful they will win the comp, but to say they will finish 11th is a stretch. You have been harping on about this top 5 stuff the whole week, but there is no substantial evidence back up what you say. Broncos have an ordinary forward pack that has so far struggled against the (supposed) good teams, Sharks have lost to the Dragons at home, and just got home against the Knights on the weekend. Then you have the dogs, warriors and Parra in your next top 5, where did you pull these teams from? The Warriors have bene underwhelming all season, and just got home against a Titans team that could barely even field a first grade 13, let along 17. The Dogs, well, thats just a ridiculous assertion on current form, they have no creativity in the halves, a lack of pace out wide, and the forwards are lacking the venom of previous years. You have Manly and the Dragons, teams well outside your top 10, but because they didn't go well last year they can't win it this year I guess? What is your thought process here?
Lidcombe Oval
Guest
Next 4 or 5 weeks will tell how their season will unfold - cannot see them finishing higher than 11th though - certainly a long way behind the top 5(Storm/Bronco's/Cows/Sharks/Raiders) and behind the next 5(Penrith/Parramatta/Warriors/Dogs/Roosters) - sure they might beat a few of these teams but if these teams play at or near their best the Dragons will have to play above their capabilities to beat them. Cannot see this happening and depth is a problem too
KenW
Guest
The only part of the article I disagree with is 'before falling back to old habits with a disappointing loss to the Parramatta Eels'. For better or worse (seems better so far!) this wasn't the the same old habits. Last season they were a very solid team with good completions that could dominate field position for big chunks of a game but couldn't get the ball over the line. This is not what they have dished out this year, even in the loss to Parra they still looked dangerous on occasion but simply didn't respect the ball. They could go 1-4 like you say, really any team with that draw, but as a Saints fan as long as they keep playing this style of footy I can be confident it's just a bad run in a decent season.
mushi
Guest
The dragons are another of the - give a coach a few years - doctrine
Joe
Roar Rookie
I am absolutely loving what the Dragons are dishing up this year. Best attacking team and 2nd best defensive team. They are playing as a team and their defence is outstanding. I had early in the week tipped the Tigers for an upset but changed my mind after watching James Tamou interview where he was asked which team had been the toughest so far and he nominated the Dragons because they just couldn't handle what the Dragons threw at them. Considering they had played the Roosters who are tipped to be at the pointy end that was a very telling comment. I think they are the real deal but the test will be this week in what kind of depth they have with Dugan out. I think they have a very good first 17 but I'm not too sure about the depth beyond that.
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Guest
Its still very early in the season but the Dragons have been very blessed with a pretty easy draw this season. Out of the top 6 from last year the Dragons only have to play the Sharks and Panthers twice while only having to play the Storm, Cowboys, Raiders and Broncos once. If the Dragons lose a few in the next few weeks the odds on them making the 8 might blow out a bit. Can't believe they are actually shorter than the Sharks at the moment for making the 8 with one of the bigger betting agencies - $1.65 vs $1.70!
Jim
Guest
Talk of renewing McGregor's contract is absolutely ludicrous in my books. As a dragons fan, I've been very happy and suprised by what I've seen this season so far. But I am not reading too much into it, despite some nice wins so far. Tougher tests await, and injuries could very quickly derail a lot of progress made. I'll be happy if they keep having a red hot go as they are now, and playing as a team. It was a lot more even game yesterday than the scoreline suggested, but saints in particular were able to defend very well overall.
PatchMan
Guest
I like what I see from the Dragon's but I wouldn't be renewing McGregor's contract just yet'.. I think they should wait till after the Origin Series, then think about renewing contract talks'. We will see what the Dragon's really have after the nxt 4 weeks! :)
Big Al
Guest
It's hard to read too much into the first couple of rounds, although wins against the Panthers and especially the Sharks were very good. However the next 5 rounds will be a big test - Sea Eagles have had 2 good wins, followed by Cowboys, Roosters, Storm and Sharks. The could easily go 1-4 during that stretch.