The St George Dragons started in 1921 and the Illawarra Steelers in 1982, coming together in 1998. A case of cradle snatching if ever I saw one. St George is in the southeast of Sydney and Illawarra is in the city of Wollongong, on the coast and not far south of Sydney. The union has been a harmonious one.
The first coach to feature here was David Waite, from 1996 until during the 2000 season. He had some fine success but 2000 wasn't part of that. Andrew Farrar had been the coach at Illawarra and became an assistant coach with the merger. He took control in 2000 when David Waite departed.
A few seasons of midtable placings led to Nathan Brown taking the helm. He presided over a topsy-turvy ride, up to second on the ladder and down to 13th. Wayne Bennett came and things picked up immediately. Two consecutive league titles and a grand final in 2010 were heady stuff for a team not winning silverware. Wayne moved on and Steve Price came in.
It didn't go well so Paul McGregor arrived for an eventual 151 games. His tenure wasn't that successful but probably consistent with the playing roster the club had. It finally came to an end and Anthony Griffin was appointed for the 2021 season.
His tenure came to an end during 2023, replaced by Ryan Carr who was a temporary appointment until Shane Flanagan took the reins in 2024. I expected the new coach to improve things and he did to a point. However, there was some frustration that more wasn't achieved. At least there was progress.
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