2008 St. George Illawarra Dragons season

2008 St. George Illawarra Dragons
League 7th NRL
2008 record 25-13-12
Home record 12-8-4
Away record 13-5-8
Points for 495
Points against 416
Team information
Coach Australia Nathan Brown
Captain Australia Mark Gasnier
Ground

WIN Jubilee Oval

WIN Stadium
Top scorers
Tries Josh Morris (14)
Goals Jamie Soward (54)
Points Jamie Soward (129)
2009 > 

The 2008 St. George Illawarra Dragons season was the 10th in the joint venture club's history. They competed in the NRL's 2008 Telstra Premiership and finished the regular season 7th (out of 16), being knocked out in the finals by eventual premiers, the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles.

NRL Telstra Premiership

Having failed to bring the club a premiership during his current tenure with the Dragons and coming off contract at the end of the year, Coach Nathan Brown has had heat on him from 2007 to bring the Dragons up and away from the bottom of the ladder. Since the start of the 2008 season, the Dragons have had, once again, loss after loss which has caused Peter Doust (Dragons CEO), to bring in a new coach in the case of Brisbane Broncos current coach Wayne Bennett for the 2009 season up until 2011. The Dragons started the 2008 season by winning the Mercury Challenge match against the Bulldogs 40-30 at WIN Stadium in Wollongong and winning their first Toyota Cup trial match against Bulldogs at 30-22. The following week the Dragons went down to the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the annual Charity Shield clash 24-20 at ANZ Stadium.

The club received a boost in May when former Union and League (Brisbane Broncos) star Wendell Sailor joined the team after a 2-year ban from professional sport in Australia due to his cocaine controversy. The Dragons started another year with disappointing results when they only won three times after 10 rounds, defeating the Gold Coast Titans in Round 2, the Sydney Roosters in Round 7 and the Melbourne Storm in Round 10 all with terrific results. On 23 May, the Dragons recorded their first back-to-back wins of the season when they defeated the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles at Brookvale Oval with a final score of 20-18.

The Dragons new winger Wendell Sailor made his NRL return in this match also sustaining a minor cheekbone injury. The club also signed South Sydney Rabbitohs player Ben Rogers from an immediate release to join the Dragons on 12 June but released Jason Ryles from his contract to join the Catalans Dragons in the English Super League for 2009.[1] Days later they signed New Zealand international and Melbourne Storm player Jeremy Smith for three seasons.

Their 7-game winning streak came to an end in Round 18 when they were defeated by the Canberra Raiders 19-12 at WIN Stadium for the Illawarra Heritage Match. On 15 July, it was announced that captain Mark Gasnier would not be returning after the end of the 2008 season to join the Stade Français Rugby Union team in France. The deal is worth around $1 million a year.

After 1 win in their last 5 games, the Dragons defeated the Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium with a 24-20 win. Then in Round 24, they defeated the New Zealand Warriors 34-6 at WIN Stadium, Wollongong to keep their finals hopes alive. The dragons were favoured to defeat the Roosters in round 26 to either finish fourth or fifth. They had been playing widespread open football and Mark Gasnier and Matt Cooper were carving up the opposition. In extremely wet conditions, the Roosters pack were more favoured to the conditions. They finished the regular season 7th place on the ladder which could have been 6th if they scored at least 2 points in their Round 26 match with the Sydney Roosters. They made it to the first week of the finals, but lost to the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 34-6 at Brookvale Oval being eliminated from the Finals Series due to their lowly position in the Top 8.

The club went on a 'signing spree' purchasing Neville Costigan, Darius Boyd and Luke Priddis among others, but lost flyer Josh Morris (Bulldogs), Mark Gasnier (French Rugby), Jason Ryles (French league), Rangi Chase (ESL), Lagi Setu (Broncos) and Simon Woolford & Kirk Reynoldson with retirement.

Position Pld Won Drew Lost Bye Points For Points Against Points Differential
7th (of 16) 24 13 0 11 2 489 378 111

2008 Match Results

*From Round 5 onwards, all games are in AEST.

Round Home Score Away Match Information
Date and Time Venue
Trial St. George Illawarra Dragons 40-30 Bulldogs 23 February 2008, 7:30pm AEDT WIN Stadium
CS St. George Illawarra Dragons 20-24 South Sydney Rabbitohs 1 March 2008, 8:00pm AEDT ANZ Stadium
1 Wests Tigers 24-16 St. George Illawarra Dragons 16 March 2008, 3:00pm AEDT Sydney Football Stadium
2 St. George Illawarra Dragons 30-12 Gold Coast Titans 24 March 2008, 7:00pm AEDT WIN Stadium
3 Canberra Raiders 21-14 St. George Illawarra Dragons 29 March 2008, 7:30pm AEDT Canberra Stadium
4 St. George Illawarra Dragons 16-18 Cronulla Sharks 5 April 2008, 5:30pm AEDT ANZ Stadium
5 St. George Illawarra Dragons 16-20 North Queensland Cowboys 12 April 2008, 5:30pm WIN Stadium
6 Bulldogs 30-18 St. George Illawarra Dragons 19 April 2008, 5:30pm ANZ Stadium
7 St. George Illawarra Dragons 26-6 Sydney Roosters 25 April 2008, 3:15pm ANZ Stadium
8 BYE
9 Parramatta Eels 19-18 St. George Illawarra Dragons 11 May 2008, 3:00pm ANZ Stadium
10 St. George Illawarra Dragons 36-12 Melbourne Storm 17 May 2008, 7:30pm ANZ Stadium
11 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 18-20 St. George Illawarra Dragons 23 May 2008, 7:45pm Brookvale Oval
12 South Sydney Rabbitohs 12-26 St. George Illawarra Dragons 1 June 2008, 2:00pm ANZ Stadium
13 St. George Illawarra Dragons 28-10 Brisbane Broncos 6 June 2008, 7:45pm WIN Stadium
14 BYE
15 St. George Illawarra Dragons 13-12 Penrith Panthers 20 June 2008, 7:45pm ANZ Stadium
16 Gold Coast Titans 22-26 St. George Illawarra Dragons 28 June 2008, 5:30pm Skilled Park
17 Newcastle Knights 16-24 St. George Illawarra Dragons 5 July 2008, 7:30pm EnergyAustralia Stadium
18 St. George Illawarra Dragons 12-19 Canberra Raiders 13 July 2008, 2:00pm WIN Stadium
19 Melbourne Storm 26-0 St. George Illawarra Dragons 21 July 2008, 7:00pm Olympic Park Stadium
20 St. George Illawarra Dragons 30-0 Bulldogs 28 July 2008, 7:00pm ANZ Stadium
21 Cronulla Sharks 13-12 St. George Illawarra Dragons 2 August 2008, 5:30pm Toyota Park
22 St. George Illawarra Dragons 10-18 Wests Tigers 8 August 2008, 7:35pm WIN Stadium
23 Brisbane Broncos 20-24 St. George Illawarra Dragons 15 August 2008, 7:35pm Suncorp Stadium
24 St. George Illawarra Dragons 34-6 New Zealand Warriors 24 August 2008, 3:00pm WIN Stadium
25 St. George Illawarra Dragons 40-14 Parramatta Eels 30 September 2008, 7:30pm ANZ Stadium
26 Sydney Roosters 10-0 St. George Illawarra Dragons 5 September 2008, 7:35pm Sydney Football Stadium
QF Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 38-6 St. George Illawarra Dragons 13 September 2008, 8:30pm Brookvale Oval

Ladder

Team Pld W D L B PF PA PD Pts
1 Melbourne 2417072584282+30238
2 Manly-Warringah 2417072645355+29038
3 Cronulla 2417072451384+6738
4 Sydney Roosters 2415092511446+6534
5 Brisbane 2414192560452+10833
6 Canberra 24130112640527+11330
7 St. George Illawarra 24130112489378+11130
8 New Zealand 24130112502567-6530
9 Newcastle 24120122516486+3028
10 Wests Tigers 24110132528560-3226
11 Parramatta 24110132501547-4626
12 Penrith 24101132504611-10725
13 Gold Coast 24100142476586-11024
14 South Sydney 2480162453666-21320
15 North Queensland 2450192474638-16414
16 Bulldogs 2450192433782-34914

Gains and Losses

Gains

Player Previous Club
Kirk Reynoldson Newcastle Knights
Stuart Webb South Sydney Rabbitohs
Ben Rogers (mid-season) South Sydney Rabbitohs
Jon Green Bulldogs
Jarrod Saffy Wests Tigers
Jardine Bobongie North Sydney Bears
Joe Falemaka North Sydney Bears

Losses

Player Joined Club
Wes Naiqama Newcastle Knights
Danny Wicks Newcastle Knights
Chris Houston Newcastle Knights
Keith Lulia Newcastle Knights
Ashton Sims Brisbane Broncos
Tom Hewitt Brisbane Broncos
Corey Payne Wests Tigers
Adam Peek Cronulla Sharks
Charlie Leaeno Bulldogs

First Grade Signed Players

St George Illawarra Dragons has 31 signed players in first grade that play in the main competition.

No. Position Player
Australia LK Jardine Bobongie
Australia SR Rangi Chase
Australia CE Matt Cooper
Australia SR Ben Creagh
Australia HK Ben Ellis
Tonga PR Joe Falemaka
Australia CE Mark Gasnier (captain)
Australia PR Jon Green
Australia CE Mark Hendy
Australia HB Ben Hornby
Australia PR Dan Hunt
Australia WG Michael Lett
Australia FB Brett Morris
Australia WG Josh Morris
Australia WG Jason Nightingale
Australia PR Justin Poore
No. Position Player
Australia SR Matt Prior
Australia HK Alex Ranieri
Australia SR Kirk Reynoldson
Australia PR Jason Ryles
South Africa SR Jarrod Saffy
Lebanon CE Frank Samia
Australia WG Wendell Sailor
Australia SR Beau Scott
Australia LK Lagi Setu
Australia FE Jamie Soward
Australia CE Chase Stanley
New Zealand PR Ricky Thorby
Australia LK Stuart Webb
Australia HK Simon Woolford
Australia HK Dean Young

Team Lineup

Line up for the Qualifying Finals vs. Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles:
Saturday, 13 September 2008 at 8:30pm AEST at Brookvale Oval, Sydney.

No. Position Player
1 New Zealand FB Jason Nightingale
2 Australia WG Wendell Sailor
3 Australia CE Mark Gasnier (captain)
4 Australia CE Matt Cooper
5 Australia WG Josh Morris
6 Australia FE Ben Rogers
7 Australia HB Ben Hornby
8 Australia PR Beau Scott
9 Australia HK Stuart Webb
10 Australia PR Jason Ryles
11 New Zealand SR Lagi Setu
12 Australia SR Ben Creagh
13 Australia LK Dean Young
No. Position Player
14 Australia PR Dan Hunt
15 Australia PR Matt Prior
16 Australia SR Kirk Reynoldson
17 Australia HK Ben Ellis
South Africa SR Jarrod Saffy
Australia FE Jamie Soward
Australia HK Simon Woolford
New Zealand LK Rangi Chase
Australia CE Michael Lett
Australia FB Brett Morris
New Zealand CE Chase Stanley (injured ankle; Semi Finals)
Australia PR Justin Poore (injured knee; Season)
Australia PR Ricky Thorby (injured ribs; Season)

National Youth Competition (Toyota Cup Under 20s)

The Dragons U20s side were strong off from the start. For the Toyota Cup inaugural season, the Dragons Under-20s Side is coached by Steven Price. Before the regular season began, the Dragons won a Toyota Cup Trial match against the Bulldogs down at WIN Stadium in Wollongong. They started the regular season disappointing with a 34-22 loss to the Wests Tigers. However, the Dragons have not lost another match after that with 1 bye in their past leaving them on top of the Toyota Cup table, on 22 competition points. Their 10-match winning streak came to an end in Round 13 at WIN Stadium when they drew 22 all with the Brisbane Broncos. While the First Grade side continued their winning streak, the Under 20s were looking to start a losing streak as they were defeated back-to-back for the first time this year by the Penrith Panthers 28-26 in Round 15 at ANZ Stadium and 32-16 by the Gold Coast Titans at Skilled Park on the Gold Coast. They returned to the winners circle in Round 17 defeating the Newcastle Knights 26-18 at EnergyAustralia Stadium. In Round 18, straight after a fresh win, they once again lost a match this time against the Canberra Raiders 38-28 at WIN Stadium. They then had back and forth wins during the regular season keeping them in the top 8, struggling to keep their spot(s).

Toyota Cup signed players

The following 34 players are signed with the St. George Illawarra Dragons for the Toyota Cup.

No. Position Player
Australia WG Chris Astill
Australia WG Jace Brown
Australia LK Rowan Brown
Australia PR Josh Cochrane
Australia PR Rhys Cochrane
Australia FE Nathan Dureau
Australia HK Daniel Fepuleai
Australia PR Thomas Hancock
Australia FE Beau Henry
Australia HB Gavin Hood
Australia SR Brad Hudson
Australia SR Ben Josephs
Australia HB John Kennedy (captain)
Australia FE Maurice Kennedy
Australia CE Cameron King
Australia CE Kane Linnett
Australia SR Jake Marketo
No. Position Player
Australia PR Trent Merrin
Australia FB Sam Morath
Australia WG Clifford Morris
Australia LK Matt Mundine
Australia LK Luke Muttdon
Australia CE Daniel Nicastri
Australia PR Rory O'Brien
Australia LK Michael Pickerd
Australia WG Henry Raiwalui
Australia PR Travis Roche
Australia SR Ben Schreiber
Australia LK Brendan Smith
Australia LK Kyle Stanley
Australia LK Wes Suckley
Australia SR Jarrod Thompson
Australia WG Joe Vickory
Australia CE Dean Whare

Toyota Cup lineup

This is the Dragons' Toyota Cup weekly lineup.
Lineup for the Preliminary Finals vs. Canberra Raiders:
Friday, 26 September 2008 at 5:30 pm AEST at the Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney.

No. Position Player
1 Australia FB Henry Raiwalui
2 Australia WG Daniel Nicastri
3 Australia CE Kane Linnett
4 Australia CE Dean Whare
5 Australia WG Sam Morath
6 Australia FE Nathan Dureau
7 Australia HB John Kennedy (captain)
8 Australia PR Rory O'Brien
9 Australia HK Daniel Fepuleai
10 Australia PR Trent Merrin
11 Australia SR Jake Marketo
12 Australia SR Jarrod Thompson
13 Australia LK Clifford Morris
No. Position Player
14 Australia HK Thomas Hancock
15 Australia SR Wes Suckley
16 Australia SR Luke Muttdon
17 Australia PR Cameron King
(18) Australia HK Ben Schreiber
Australia PR Beau Henry
Australia FE Maurice Kennedy
Australia SR Brad Hudson
Australia LK Alex McKinnon
Australia LK Matt Mundine
Australia WG Travis Roche
Australia WG Jace Brown
Australia WG Joe Vickery

Ladder

Team Pld W D L B PF PA PD Pts
1 Canberra 2418062744581+16340
2 Brisbane 2415182684476+20835
3 New Zealand 2414372721533+18835
4 Penrith 2415182692583+10935
5 Parramatta 2414372578564+1435
6 St. George Illawarra 2413292561520+4132
7 Bulldogs 2412392711587+12431
8 Gold Coast 24131102686567+11931
9 Wests Tigers 24130112620623-330
10 South Sydney 24112112618584+3428
11 Manly 24110132519532-1326
12 Newcastle 2481152526630-10421
13 Melbourne 2481152512638-12621
14 Cronulla 2461172394666-27217
15 Sydney 2460182480721-24116
16 North Queensland 2443172455696-24115

References

  1. Webster, Andrew (21 June 2008). "Ryles quits Dragons". Illawarra Mercury. Retrieved 21 June 2008.
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