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Seasons In Review
(Contents)

Introduction

1907 - 1920

1921 - 1925

1926 - 1929

1930 -1934

1935 -1939

1940 -1944

1945 -1949

1950 -1955

1956 -1959

1960 -1963

1964 -1966

1967 -1969

1970 -1973

1974 -1979

1980 - 1984

1985 - 1989

1990 - 1993

1994 - 1995

1996

1997 - 1998

1999

2000 - 2002

2003 - 2005

2006

2007

St George Dragons Rugby League History
Since 1921 - Our Proud History
1980-1984
The emergence of Illawarra
1980:
Brian Johnson - St George Dragons rugby league historyDRAGONS UNABLE TO DEFEND TITLE
Sydney Cricket Ground, 14 September 1980: Wests have beaten Saints in the minor semi final, 13-7 ending their title defence. At one point St George led 7-4 when new signing Pat Jarvis set up a try for fullback Brian Johnson (pic right).

Season Snapshot
In 1980, Saints finished in 4th position, equal with the third place Wests on 28 points.
But following two missed goal attempts from Dragons back rower Graeme Wynn, Wests came back and hit the lead. Both teams scored one try each with Wests kicking five goals to two to come away with a hard fought victory.

'WORST INJURY RUN SINCE 1974'

In a season described by club secretary John Fleming as 'the worst injury run since 1974', Saints found themselves in middle of a horror stretch with three losses and a draw in July/August. But they recovered with a pressure victory over Balmain (11-7) at Kogarah. The following week Saints secured a semi-final berth defeating a desperate Parramatta (20-11) in front of a Cumberland crowd of almost 20,000.

Brian Johnston - St George Dragons rugby league historyThe Dragons then convincingly defeated Souths 16-5 the preliminary semi-final before being knocked out by Wests in the minor semi-final.


NEW SIGNINGS:
St George have signed future internationals, forward Pat Jarvis and centre / utility back Brian Johnston (pic left).

A St George junior (Arncliffe), Pat Jarvis made just two on-field appearances in 1980 including coming on as a replacement in the minor semi-final where he featured strongly.

Dunedoo (NSW) junior, Brian Johnston played Rugby Union for Easts Colts at the Institute of Technology. A pacy back, Johnston was noticed by St George in 1979 and signed up in the off season. In his debut season in first grade, Johnston played 18 matches (+ 1 replacement) scoring four tries.

SAINTS TOP POINT SCORERS:
Graeme Wynn
topped the club's first grade point-scorer list with six tries and 61 goals (140 points). Winger Steve Morris was top try scorer with 11 tries.
1980
NSWRL First Grade
Ladder

(top 5 in semis)
Easts 30
Canterbury p 30
Wests 28
St George 28
Souths 25
Parramatta 24
Manly 24
Newtown 23
Cronulla 20
Balmain 14
Norths 13
Penrith
5
p = Season Premiers

Saints 1980
AFTER 22 ROUNDS
Minor Premiership
Won-Lost-Draw
W
L
D
13
7
2
Points For 367
(4th best attack)
Points Against 321
(4th best defence)
MP Standing
4th

(12 teams)

FINALS
W
L
1
1
Points For 23
Points Against 18
Final Standing
4th

TOTALS
24 matches
W
L
D
14
8
2
Points For 390
70t 90g 0fg
Points Against 339
57t 83g 2fg

1981:
SAINTS FAIL TO MAKE SEMIS
Kogarah Oval, 31 May 1981: Saints have recorded their biggest win in 1981 beating Manly 22-4 in front of 6,239 spectators. It was a poor year for the Dragons who only managed eight wins and eighth position on the league ladder.

HARRY BATH'S FINAL YEAR
Former St George forward, Harry Bath. 'The Old Fox' has followed up a remarkable playing career with a more than impressive coaching career; taking Balmain to two Grand Final appearances in 1964 and 1966 and coaching Australia to World Cup wins in 1968 and 1970.
Immortals - St George Dragons rugby league history Reg Gasnier, John Raper, Bob Fulton, Clive Churchill
In 1977, he returned to Saints with immediate success claiming a premiership. Dubbed 'Bath's Babes', the Dragons posted another Grand Final win in 1979.
Harry Bath resigned as coach at the end of season 1981 leaving a marvelous legacy of innovative forward play in the Sydney competition.
At 56 years of age, Harry departed Sydney for Queensland, buying a newsagency on the Gold Coast.
The new coach for 1982 will be Roy Masters.
CHOOK, GAZ RECOGNISED AS 'IMMORTALS'
St George's Johnny Raper and Reg Gasnier have been recognised as 'Immortals' by a Rugby League Week sponsored promotion in 1981.
Also included are Manly's Bob Fulton and South Sydney's Clive Churchill. There was some amazement in Rugby League circles as to how Graeme Langlands could be overlooked. 'Chang' however,
was also honoured as an Immortal some 18 years later.

Len Kelly - St George Dragons rugby league historyLEN 'DEACON' KELLY PASSES AWAY
Len 'Deacon' Kelly (pic right) quietly passed away in 1981 aged 66. After a sharing a congratulatory drink with new coach Roy Masters, Len Kelly was driven home by legendary cricketer Ernie 'Tiger' Black. The next morning Len Kelly passed away.
A prolific try scoring forward (59 tries), Len played 208 grade games for Saints (180 in first Grade) between 1933-1944, which was a club record at the time.
Once described as the 'undisputed champion of club football', Kelly only ever played for St George.
He went on to become an Australian selector in 1956, vice president of the NSWRL and president of the St George club from 1962-77.
An extremely influential figure in Rugby League, Len 'Deacon' Kelly was an important factor in the greatness of St George.

1981
NSWRL First Grade
Ladder

(top 5 in semis)
Easts 32
Newtown 30
Parramatta p 29
Cronulla 27
Manly 26
Wests 23
Norths 18
St George 17
Souths 17
Canterbury 16
Penrith 16
Balmain 13
p = Season Premiers

Saints 1981
AFTER 22 ROUNDS
Minor Premiership
Won-Lost-Draw
W
L
D
8
13
1
Points For 320
(9th best attack)
68t 58g 0fg
Points Against 399
(11th best defence)
74t 87g 3fg
MP Standing
8th

(12 teams)

1982:
Bob Millward speaks - click hereWAV (282 Kb) Click on the speaker and hear founding Illawarra Steelers secretary, Bob Millward recall the 1982 inclusion.
ILLAWARRA STEELERS JOIN '82 COMP
Illawarra Steelers logo - rugby league history
In 1982, a combined team from the South Coast was at last included in the Sydney competition.
To many, this inclusion was long overdue. The Canberra Raiders were also admitted.

As was the case with 1967 admission of Cronulla, the Dragons' traditional junior base was further compromised with the coming of the Steelers.

WIN Stadium, 28 February 1982: The Illawarra Steelers first game in first grade. In front of 9,652 spectators, the Steelers were downed by Penrith 17-7. The Panthers scored three tries to one. Other newcomers, Canberra were thrashed in their first match by Souths 37-7.


Illawarra Steelers team 1982 - rugby league history
Click on pic to see a larger image.
ILLAWARRA STEELERS' FIRST TEAM
1982: The first ever first grade Illawarra team was:
John Sparks; Shane McKellar; John Dorahy (c); Brian Hetherington; Chris Montgomery; Lee Pomfret; Steve Topper; Marty Cavill; Wayne Springall;
Rod Henniker; Peter Ryan; Barry Jenson and Greg Cook. Greg Cook scored Illawarra's first try in first grade.
The coach was Allan Fitzgibbon from Dapto.


DRAGONS FOOTBALL CLUB INCORPORATED
1982 saw the beginning of sweeping changes in the make up of both the St George football and leagues club boards.
The changes being brought about by escalating footballer's contracts and changing leagues club's concerns.
The football club became an incorporated company with the committee of 14 being reduced to seven directors.
This would pave the way for merging of the two boards (leagues club and football club) and by 1987, there would be only one board but with two separate chairpersons.
NEW ST GEORGE COACH FOR 1982
Roy Masters
has been appointed as the new Dragons coach for '82 following the departure of Harry Bath. Masters comes to Saints following four years as coach of Western Suburbs thereby breaking with a tradition which usually saw a coach selected from within club ranks.
DRAGONS DOWN STEELERS IN LOCAL DERBY
WIN Stadium Wollongong, 11 April 1982: In front of 10,413 people, the St George Dragons have romped home to score nine tries to one to thrash the Illawarra Steelers 37-5. By round 26, the Dragons had failed to make the semis and finished in 10th position.
STEELERS SERVE OUT REVENGE TO DRAGONS
Kogarah Oval, 18 July 1982: The Steelers have defeated the Dragons by scoring six tries to five in a 32-23 victory. In front of a poor crowd of only 4, 621, the Steelers were kicked home by posting seven goals to four. In their first season, the Steelers finished in 13th position on the ladder.

1982
NSWRL First Grade
Ladder

(top 5 in semis)
Parramatta p 42
Manly 34
Norths 33
Easts 32
Wests 32
Souths 29
Newtown 28
Cronulla 27
Canterbury 27
St George 24
Balmain 21
Penrith 15
Illawarra 12
Canberra  8
p = Season Premiers

St George
1982
AFTER 26 ROUNDS
Minor Premiership
Won-Lost-Draw
W
L
D
11
13
2
Points For 408
(5th best attack)
83t 73g 1fg
Points Against 402
(9th best defence)
73t 91g 1fg
MP Standing
10th

(14 teams)

Illawarra
1982
AFTER 26 ROUNDS
Minor Premiership
Won-Lost-Draw
W
L
D
6
20
0
Points For 344
(13th best attack)
63t 77g 1fg
Points Against 572
(13th best defence)
117t 109g 3fg
MP Standing
13th

(14 teams)

1983:
SAINTS' NEW SIGNINGS:
In 1983, Saints bolstered their playing depth significantly following the signings of champion back, Steve Rogers (Cronulla), star rugby union international, Michael O'Connor, goal kicker, Steve Gearin (Canterbury) and tough utility back, Graham O'Grady (Newtown).

SAINTS THRASH EASTS IN PLAY-OFF FOR FIFTH SPOT
1983 SUCCESS IN ALL THREE GRADES
In 1983, Saints made the semi-finals in all three grades with the thirds taking out the premiership.
Sydney Cricket Ground, 30 August 1983: The Dragons semi-final campaign began with a thrashing of Easts 44-16 in the play-off for fifth spot.

Saints scored seven tries to two in front of 17,981 people after finishing in equal 5th position after 26 rounds.

SAINTS KNOCKED OUT IN MINOR SEMI
Sydney Cricket Ground, 10 Sept 1983:
Canterbury have pipped Saints 26-24 in the minor semi final in front of 27, 867 people ending their 1983 run. The week before on September 3, Saints defeated Balmain 17-14 to qualify for the minor semi.

ILLAWARRA'S DEFENCE WORST IN '83
WIN Stadium, 14 August 1983:  Illawarra have handing out a footballing lesson to Wests by thrashing them 50-14 in front of 4,689 people.

Unfortunately, this round 24 win was an oasis against a season of big losses for the Steelers. By season's end, they had finished a disappointing 12th position and had recorded the worse defensive statistics of any team in 1983.

Steve Morris - St George Dragons rugby league historyDRAGONS TOP POINT SCORERS
In his first season with Saints, Steve Gearin proved his worth scoring eight tries and 80 goals to be the club's top point scorer on 192 points.

Steve Morris (pic left) scored 19 tries in 23 appearances.

John Jansen - St George Dragons rugby league history JOHN JANSEN RETIRES
1983 was the final season for John Jansen (pic right).

A Corrimal junior who only played first grade for St George, 'JJ' came to Saints in 1976 and played in the historic 1977 Grand Final Replay.

A big forward with pace, Jansen played 110 games (+ 10 replacements) for Saints between 1976-1983, scoring 21 tries.


ROD REDDY TO JOIN STEELERS IN '84
Rod Reddy - St George Dragons rugby league history
Back rower, Rod Reddy has departed St George to join the Illawarra Steelers for 1984-1985.

Originally from Rockhampton, 'Rocket' Rod Reddy played centre as an 18-year-old in North Queensland before joining St George in 1972. Reddy moved to the back row and became one of the best attacking forwards of his generation, matched only by his aggressiveness in defence.

He ruthlessly handed out punishment to his opposites in the 1977, 1977 replay and 1979 Grand Finals.

Between 1972-1983, Reddy played 195 games (plus 9 as replacement), scoring 65 tries plus one goal (198 points).

During his stint with Saints, 'Rocket' represented both NSW and Queensland as well as playing 16 Tests for Australia.
1983
NSWRL First Grade
Ladder

(top 5 in semis - playoff for 5th)
Manly 44
Parramatta p 36
Canterbury 36
Balmain 34
St George 29
Easts 29
Norths 27
Souths 25
Cronulla 24
Canberra 18
Penrith 18
Illawarra 16
Newtown 16
Wests 12
p = Season Premiers

St George
1983
AFTER 26 ROUNDS
Minor Premiership
Won-Lost-Draw
W
L
D
14
11
1
Points For 551
(4th best attack)
Points Against 450
(6th best defence)
MP Standing
5th

(14 teams)

FINALS
W
L
2
1
Points For 85
Points Against 56
Final Standing
4th

TOTALS
29 matches
W
L
D
15
12
1
Points For 636
103t 109g 6fg
Points Against 506
75t 99g 8fg

Illawarra
1983
AFTER 26 ROUNDS
Minor Premiership
Won-Lost-Draw
W
L
D
8
18
0
Points For 451
(9th best attack)
71t 81g 5fg
Points Against 644
(14th best defence)
105t 110g 4fg
MP Standing
12th

(14 teams)

RULE CHANGE
FOUR POINT TRY
The 1983 season saw the introduction of the four point try which replaces the previous three point try.

1984:
ILLAWARRA IMPROVING IN 1984
BRIAN SMITH NEW COACH
THE DEMISE OF NEWTOWN IN 1984
The NSWRL withdrew its invitation to founding club, Newtown. Geographical and financial reasons were given for the struggling inner-city club's departure from the NSWRL first grade. But there were also a series of incidents involving NSWRL boss Kevin Humphreys.
Humphreys had offered Newtown a financial lifeline and relocation to Campbelltown, and the future of the foundation club seemed to be back on track. But
Humphreys' career was interrupted by controversy following an ABC 4 Corners episode entitled 'The Big League'.
After Humphreys was forced to
step down as NSWRL boss, a new 'professionalism' headed up by John Quayle came into being. This saw Newtown, the premiership's oldest club, being forced to withdraw from the competition. Wests also had their invitation withdrawn but won a court action to stay.
With 13 teams, 1984 saw the inclusion of byes for the first time since 1937.
Kogarah Oval, 5 August 1984: Steelers have defeated the Dragons 12-8 in front of 6,417 people.

1984 saw a marked improvement for Illawarra finishing in 8th position, two points outside of the semis. The Steelers had an opportunity to make the semis but suffered their worse defeat of the season in round 26, going down to Manly 34-10 at Brookvale Oval (26 Aug) in front of 12,012 people.


Much of the credit for Illawarra's improved showing was given to new coach, Brian Smith who came to the Steelers after coaching Souths U/23s (premiers 1981).

Smith previously played 14 games at Souths (1975, 1976, 1979) and 17 games at St George (1974) as halfback.

SAINTS GO DOWN IN FINAL
Sydney Cricket Ground, 16 September 1984: Parramatta Eels have defeated the St George Dragons by 8-7 in front of 37,004 with some observers claiming that Saints were robbed!

Both teams scored one try each with winger, 'Slippery' Steve Morris (pic below right) opening the scoring with a runaway try under the posts, Steve Gearin was successful with the conversion. Saints' Steve Rogers also kicked a field goal.

CLUB CHAMPIONS
In 1984 Saints were positioned second on the ladder in first grade and did well in all three grades, winning the 1984 Club Championship.
Parramatta were kept in the match with two penalty goals and with minutes to go, received three quick penalties from referee Kevin Roberts placing the Eels in a strong position.

Despite a desperate covering tackle from Rogers, Parramatta's Eric Grothe scored out wide to snatch victory for the Eels.

Prior to the Final, Saints were defeated by the Eels 22-16 (2 September, SCG) before defeating the South Sydney Rabbitohs 24-6 (8 September, SCG).

SLIPPERY STEVE MORRIS
Steve Morris - St George Dragons rugby league historySteve Morris
did it again in 1984 becoming the club's top try scorer for the fifth time in six years. In all, 'Slippery' was Saints best finisher in 1980 (11 tries), 1982 (17 tries), 1983 (19 tries) and 1984 (17 tries). He was also awarded the 'Dally M' winger of the year in 1984, an achievement he would repeat again in 1987.

Team mate Steve Gearin (7 tries, 81 goals, 190 points) in his final season with Saints was the club's top point scorer for the second year running.

1984
NSWRL First Grade
Ladder

(top 5 in semis - playoff for 5th)
Canterbury p 42
St George 38
Parramatta 38
Manly 32
Souths 30
Canberra 30
Penrith 29
Illawarra 28
Balmain 28
Cronulla 25
Norths 23
Easts 15
Wests  6
(Newtown gone)
p = Season Premiers

St George
1984
AFTER 26 ROUNDS
Minor Premiership
Won-Lost-Draw-Bye
W
L
D
B
17
7
0
2
Points For 445
(3rd best attack)
Points Against 289
(1st best defence)
MP Standing
2nd

(13 teams)

FINALS
W
L
1
2
Points For 47
Points Against 36
Final Standing
3rd

TOTALS
27 matches
W
L
D
B
18
9
0
2
Points For 492
75t 94g 4fg
Points Against 325
49t 63g 3fg

Illawarra
1984
AFTER 26 ROUNDS
Minor Premiership
Won-Lost-Draw-Bye
W
L
D
B
12
12
0
2
Points For 368
(10th best attack)
71t 81g 5fg
Points Against 388
(6th best defence)
105t 110g 4fg
MP Standing
8th

(13 teams)
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