The NRL grand final on Sunday is set to mark the end of the 2021 season, and for South Sydney coach Wayne Bennett, history beckons.
The super coach is poised to become the only coach in rugby league history to coach premiership victories at three different clubs.
But for fans of St George Illawarra, where Bennett enjoyed his most recent success in 2010 after delivering the club its first premiership in 31 years, the end of the 2021 season cannot come quickly enough.
In what was supposed to be a year of celebration, in which the mighty Red V would celebrate its centenary (having entered the competition in 1921), the 2021 season has been a year of failure and disappointment. Perhaps even embarrassment.
Though, to be fair, things have been dire around Kogarah way for a while now, not coincidentally since Bennett left at the end of the 2011 season.
During his three-year tenure between 2009 and 2011, the team won 65 per cent of their matches including finals, while contributing up to eight players to each State of Origin effort. They also won the minor premiership twice.
The super coach’s tenure also featured an extraordinary run of 17 wins from 20 starts (85 per cent) between Round 19 in 2010 (at the end of the State of Origin series) and Round 9 in 2011 (at the beginning of the State of Origin series) – including two finals wins, a grand final victory over the Roosters and a World Club Challenge victory over Wigan, during which the team did not concede a single second-half point in any of those four matches.
Yet things have changed utterly since Bennett’s departure.
There’s been little to celebrate at the Dragons since Wayne’s departure (Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)
A raft of baffling roster moves over recent years, including the loss of Joel Thompson at the end of the 2017 season, the signing of Corey Norman for the 2019 season and beyond, and the inability to retain Tyson Frizell and Jason Saab at the end of last season – the latter of whom scored 23 tries in 24 games for Manly this year – have left many fans of the great club truly baffled.
Add to that the widely documented BBQ at former prop Paul Vaughan’s house in July this year (which was attended by several high-profile team members and ultimately resulted in the termination of Vaughan’s contract) and the highly publicised fallout with star fullback Matt Dufty – who has signed with the Bulldogs – the extent of the club’s underperformance since Bennett’s departure is perhaps not altogether surprising.
Indeed, after winning the Charity Shield in 2012 (literally months after Bennett left Kogarah), the club has lost the previous nine contests – the longest losing streak since the concept first began in 1982.
The club has only made the finals twice in the last ten seasons between 2012 and 2021 (finishing eighth in 2015 and seventh in 2018) and the overall winning percentage sits at around 40 per cent.
During the same period, a positive for-and-against has only been achieved on three occasions (in 2015, 2017 and 2018) and their average end-of-season ladder position is 12 (or fourth last).
But the 2021 season has undoubtedly been one of the worst for the club.
The losing streak of eight matches – which began immediately after the infamous BBQ – equalled the club’s all-time longest losing streak set way back during the 1926 season, and the 616 total points conceded throughout 2021 is the most in club history.
The glory days of the 11-straight premierships in the 1950s and 1960s are long gone, and the intergenerational loyalty that endured through the relatively lean years of the early 1970s, and the late 1980s, and which was firmly on display when the threat of a merger with Eastern Suburbs loomed in the mid-90s and fans turned out in droves to chant “Red, white – no blue”, is now surely being tested.
Something needs to change, quickly.
Just last week, the club announced that former international prop and club captain Craig Young would assume the role of chairman from November – a move which may well be the first step towards positive change.
And the recent signings of key player personnel for next season – including Jaydn Su’A and George Burgess from Souths and Moses Mbye from the Wests Tigers – are seemingly a step in the right direction.
But whether these changes will be enough to reverse or even halt the club’s recent unravelling is difficult to say. Perhaps only time will tell.
Certainly new coach Anthony Griffin, who presided over the disastrous 2021 season (in his first season at the club no less) and is currently signed only until the end of next season, would hope so.
And for the fans of the most famous rugby league club in the world, a repeat of the 2021 season – in which the famous Red V was unquestionably diminished – would be entirely unacceptable.
Graeme Pollard
Roar Rookie
Thanks for reading Snowy and thanks for your interesting response. Up the Dragons!
Heyou
Roar Rookie
An interesting article deserving of some discussion and airing of points of view. Such a shame that we can’t come up with the answers for our struggling joint venture at this time of upheaval and rebuilding. (into what is a bit of a worry) Craig Young is going to take his turn as Chairperson -it’s a round robin kind of thing and his chair was in the right place. The chair doesn’t have a vote apparently but all SGI supporters would hope that he can do something to steer the club in the right direction. For me that direction would be in developing a more even balance between Illawarra and WIN and Kogarah and the fading Taj Mahal. It needs to be redressed if this club is to survive and prosper. I don’t know what the heck goes on with that board of directors, but if they want to ensure that the Dragons continue as a going and growing concern they’d be best served by working through some of the joint venture’s niggling divisive perceptions of supporters. Reading and responding to the posts and comments of tens and thousands of SGI Dragons ‘supporters’ it is quite clear that when the team is not going well, the divisive comments and the expressions of frustration and discontent from The Saints vs The Steelers are much more evident and they can get very nasty. The joys of 2010 with the premiership winning ‘togetherness’ and happiness in being seen as one strong, confident and happy club, colours worn and flags flying, has been diminishing steadily, one poorly executed year after another. Consumer confidence is again showing signs of erosion - as supporters suspect poor management and questionable decision making from the boardroom. Supporters are flummoxed on a regular basis. Social media starts to become a bit of a battle ground as the perceived ‘Illawarra Steelers WIN’ side of the equation are seen as the enemy of ‘Saint George, Kogarah and the Taj Mahal’ side and visa versa. There are still plenty of Dragons supporters who don’t talk division, discontent or red V is the only jersey for me’. They are not for the ‘Saints’. They are not ‘for’ the Steelers. They are dedicated, faithful, passionate supporters of ‘The Dragons’, whether they play in a red V, blood and bandages, full deep red or in the yearly indigenous jerseys - it’s all good - it’s a part of the histories of two much loved clubs. They don’t worry too much about our away strip - it’s enough that our team wears red and white in any form. Our logo is Saint George battling with a Dragon. I wouldn’t mind something on the logo that expresses the proud part of the joint venture that comes from the Illawarra Steelers. I’m sure a designer could come up with something appropriate, but in the larger scheme of things it’s not the most important concern. What is of concern to me and many others, is that perceived imbalance, the disenchantment with the money movers and shakers who seem to be falling down on the job of keeping OUR TEAM together and flourishing. I know the history of the Steelers very well. I was a very proud Steelers supporter from the beginning until the end and since the birth of the joint venture. I became a proud supporter of The SGI Dragons. Super league wasn’t super - far from it. The forced mergers were no easy thing. But here is where we are. I have keenly exploring the proud history of the Saint George Club, because it’s part of the history of my club. In my ridiculous mind the two teams have become one and if anyone tries to take this team away from me… from us - I will fight tooth and nail not to let it happen again! This is my club so to any fools who have any brilliantly ridiculous ideas to split us, move us, relegate us, merge us with another team, forget it. Ain’t gonna happen without a fight from at least one old idiot with a protest flag who will hold a picket line of one if necessary, in Wollongong and in Kogarah. We lost our teams. Do we want it to happen again? Maybe we will be like…The Coastal Steel Gummie Dragons ??? Or The Brisbane Dragons? The Perth Dragons? The Chook Dragons?? No way no how! Not for this Dragon. So much more to discuss… so many things that could be improved. Get it going Hook. Hope the treasures you have dug up are not made of fools’ gold and cubic zirconias. We mad supporters need to see some positive progress. If our Logo is a Dragon in the process of getting slayed by a Saint… it’s a bit weird but I’ve merged them in my own Dragonmind: DUALITY Saint George and the Dragon Saint and Sinner Dark and Light Day and Night Sword of STEEL Breath of FIRE Past and present Worthy adversaries Forever entangled Infinitesimally bonded In battle To defeat To be victorious To be valiant To slay Righteous Rebellious The SAINT The DRAGON The ONE
Heyou
Roar Rookie
That we do.
Adam Bagnall
Roar Guru
I'd play Sims of the bench I don't rate him that highly
Adam Bagnall
Roar Guru
You obviously don’t follow local rugby league in the Illawarra there are what, 5 teams left in first grade. All I see is you whinging about the Steelers lack of identity when they get 5 games a year, sometimes 6, at WIN which are poorly attended, and again, they do not contribute very much at all to the financial side of the merger. Steelers fans carrying a chip on their shoulder is what’s holding the club back. The club did use a Steelers jersey at WIN in the mid 2000s which looked good.
Duncan Smith
Roar Guru
Red with a white V would be a good alternative strip.
Andrew
Guest
Sloan, Sullivan, Amone, all Illawarra juniors, Feagai brothers SG Ball Illawarra Steelers… the future of the club?
Andrew
Guest
Agreed. They could have had a super club if they’d used what each club brought to the table equally (not just money). Instead St George conceded very little and we’ve ended up with this cobbled together bunch of mediocrity. The red V is becoming a joke in many people’s eyes. Having a good history doesn’t win games. Take a new direction with a team that looks like a unified outfit, including a new jersey, or continue looking to the past, and continue with mediocrity and being the joke of the NRL
Watda
Guest
The dragons could save their fans a lot of pain by finishing at the end of May every season.
Tony
Roar Guru
I don't know about Bird in the forwards, or where he even fits? JDB has lock sewn up and Simms and Su'a in the second row.
Tony
Roar Guru
Dragons recruitment has a lot to answer for
Tony
Roar Guru
:shocked:
Damien Calgaro
Roar Rookie
Superclub they said....... This club will never be successful again until they get their front office in order. Until then they will continue to struggle and occasionally scrape into the finals every five years or so. They haven't been relevant in the competition for a long time now.
Graeme Pollard
Roar Rookie
There’s nothing wrong with optimism! Vés els dracs!
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
Mo would be nice but apparently locked to Titans until 2024
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
Don't forget Rava. Between him and Suli... IF we ever get Suli, just like 2020 'it's all signed yarda yarda..." then he's not there. Where is the confirmation? Anyway, between those two we have power running out wide. We need three forwards though, seeing as they have ticked Simms off..
KenW
Roar Rookie
No I think all that history is important, I count it. But if we're going to get all pedantic about ownership structures and administrative technicalities then how could we possibly count Souths premierships in an unrelated Sydney comp, under different game & competition rules?
Joe Bondin
Guest
There is no error in what is said here, however, things need to be put in perspective. When WB left he left us in great shape. Where our failure started is that his teachings and methodology was not followed with player selection and training regime! This can only be leveled at management and not our players. I think also that Hook should be given an opportunity to show what he can do for us and not be hung out to dry due to the debacle that was 2021
Andrew
Guest
Like I said above this nonsense is why this club in its current form will never be great. Wherever you’ve got one side puffing up about their great brand, tradition, history and support base, and the other side extremely indifferent about the red V and feeling that there’s no respect in the joint venture then the club will always be just two sides tacked together on the flimsiest of grounds. Address this issue for best interest of the future or put your head in the sand and watch this club constantly under perform. Looking at the list of now defunct St George junior clubs tells me it wouldn’t have been long before the old St George were running around in NSW Cup in front of 100 die hards. Stop looking behind, turn your heads around, and look forward.
andrew
Roar Rookie
If Saints have a horrid 2022 Griffin's contract won't be extended. He's got the roster he wants, so it's do or die next year. He only has a 2 year contract.