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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
2007
SAINT SOWARD SHINES ON DEBUT
Jamie Soward 2007 - click for larger pic - St George rugby league historyKogarah Jubilee Oval, Friday 1 June 2007: With a team largely made up of reserve graders, an enthusiastic Dragons outfit were able to roll a full strength Brisbane Broncos by 11-4 at Kogarah's 'OKI' Jubilee Stadium. Jamie Soward, a Roosters reject who only signed up with Saints during the week, put together a near perfect kicking display as the young Dragons forwards were able dominate the experienced Brisbane pack. The win was all the more impressive given that the Broncos were in red hot form following their 71-6 shellacking of the Newcastle Knights the week before. Other match standouts for the Dragons included prop Jason Ryles and full back Josh Morris.
Season Snapshot
In 2007, the Dragons spent September watching from the sidelines after finishing 13th, and only one loss away from the wooden spoon.
The victory continues a winning streak and a dominance that Saints have held over the Broncos since 2005.
Round 12 - Friday :: June 1st, 2007 07:30PM
St George Illawarra Dragons 11 (J Morris, J Nightingale tries. J Soward 1/2 goals. J Soward 1/1 field goals)
Brisbane Broncos 4. (S Michaels try. D Lockyer 0/1 goals)
Referee: Shayne Hayne. Crowd: 10,302

DRAGONS CRUSH RAIDERS IN WINDY WIN
Justin Poore 2007 - click for larger pic - St George rugby league historyWIN Stadium, Wollongong, Sunday 8 July 2007: Played in windy conditions, the Dragons thrashed the Canberra Raiders 58-16 in Wollongong. The biggest winning margin of the year for Saints.
The Raiders opened the scoring before Simon Woolford, Justin Poore and Dan Hunt made inroads up the middle of ruck to deliver Hunt his first try of 2007.
Trailing by 22-10, the Raiders had the wind at their backs in the second half and the match was still up for grabs.
The Raiders had the momentum for the opening minutes of the second half, but the Dragons scored next when outside back Josh Morris ran 80 metres to score under the posts, thereby setting the theme for the remainder of the match.
In all, St George Illawarra ran in 10 tries to three and ultimately dominated all aspects of the encounter. Top scorer for the match was goal kicker and halfback Jamie Soward who posted a personal tally of 22 points.
Round 17 - Sunday :: July 8th, 2007 02:00 PM
St George Illawarra Dragons 58 (R Chase 2, D Hunt, J Soward, C Stanley, B Ellis, J Morris, J Poore, B Scott, M Cooper tries. J Soward 9/10 goals)
Canberra Raiders 16 (T Carney 2, R Hinchcliffe tries. T Carney 2/3 goals)
Referee: Sean Hampstead. Crowd: 7,561

Worst season ever?
2007 was arguably the worst season ever for the Dragons.

In finishing 13th, and on 20 competition points, St George Illawarra narrowly managed to avoid the wooden spoon. The last-placed Panthers ended up on 18 points but did so with a differential of -68. The Dragons, struggling with a differential of -78, were just one loss away from adding the spoon to an already woeful season.

There have been worse seasons for the joint venture partners. Since their formation in 1982, Illawarra have at times struggled at the lower end of the ladder, the Steelers finishing with the wooden spoon three times. The St George club too has seen darker days, some 70 seasons ago. Indeed, the last time a St George team saw the wooden spoon was in 1938, finishing last in an eight team competition. It still remains, however, that since the club's formation in 1921, no first grade rugby league team bearing the Dragon emblem has ever finished 13th on the competition ladder.

The Dragons season of 2007 was consistently poor. The team only managed two consecutive wins on one occasion, in rounds 16-17. After defeating eventual grand finalists the Sea Eagles 26-22 and backing up to thrash the Raiders 58-16 one week later, the Dragons gave fans slim hope that the annual charge towards the semis was still on the cards. But in round 18, Saints came crashing back to earth after suffering a 44-16 defeat at hands of the Warriors. For all intents and purposes, the Dragons of 2007 were a write-off and from that moment on, the question was one of survival.

Injuries - root cause for dismal season?
Dragons officials pointed to an inexperienced squad being hit hard by injuries. It is true that Saints have had another season of players being repeatedly sidelined. When Mark Gasnier suffered a pectoral injury in the pre-season Charity Shield clash, it set the pattern for a horrendous run of injuries in the opening rounds of competition.
In 2007, Saints used no less than 32 first graders, including 11 first grade debutants. To put this in perspective, you have to go back to 1995 to find the last time a Dragons side used more than 30 first grade players in a season. The most players a Dragons team has ever used in one season were 35 (1971, 1982 and 1983). The Dragons club of 2007 busted through the 30 player barrier after just 12 rounds of competition.
Nevertheless, the casualty ward only tells part of the story. In the latter part of the season, with players coming back from injury, the Dragons still couldn’t win the games that mattered.

Is the coach to blame?
Nathan Brown 2007 - St George rugby league historyThe coach is applauded during the good times, so it stands to reason that he must shoulder some of the blame during the lean times. Many fans were calling for the head of Coach Nathan Brown in 2007, club CEO Peter Doust responded by giving ‘Brownie’ his full support. For the time being at least, Brown’s 2008 contract as head coach of the Dragons will remain intact.
Nevertheless, the Dragons struggled for form throughout the season. Lack of discipline (the Dragons conceded 176 penalties) as well as poor options in both attack and defence severely hampered the team's chances in 2007.

BIGGEST WIN 2007: 58-16 (v Canberra in Wollongong, round 17, July 8)
BIGGEST LOSS 2007: 40-4 (v Sharks in Woolooware, round 4, April 9)
HIGHEST TEAM SCORE 2006: 58 (v Canberra in Wollongong, round 17, July 8)
LOWEST TEAM SCORE 2005: 4 (v Sharks in Woolooware, round 4, April 9; v Roosters at SFS, round 7, April 25)
More > draw and match results for 2007 - click here
2007
NRL Ladder
(top 8 in semis)
Melbourne44
Manly38
Cowboys32
Warriors29
Parramatta28
Canterbury26
Souths26
Brisbane 24
Wests Tigers24
Easts23
Sharks22
Gold Coast22
St George 20
Canberra20
Newcastle20
Penrith18
p = Season Premiers

Dragons
2007
AFTER 25 ROUNDS
Minor Premiership
Won-Lost-Draw-Bye
W
L
D
B
9
15
0
1
Points For 431
(13th best attack)
Points Against 509
(8th best defence)
MP Standing
13th

(16 teams)

FINALS
W
L
0
0
Points For 0
Points Against 0
Final Standing
13th
Saints did not qualify for 2007 finals

TOTALS
25 matches
W
L
B
9
15
1
Points For 431
78 tries
59 goals (86 att)
1 field goal
Points Against 509
88 tries
77 goals (106 att)
3 field goals

Season at a glance - 2007

R
Vs
W/L
Score
1
GCoas
W
20-18
2
Newca
L
16-12
3
NQCow
L
22-18
4
Sharks
L
40-4
5
Melbo
L
24-10
6
BYE
B
-
7
Easts
L
18-4
8
Penri
W
28-16
9
WTige
L
27-8
10
GCoas
W
28-10
11
Canbe
L
30-6
12
Brisb
W
11-4
13
Sharks
L
20-16
14
Parra
L
20-12
15
Melbo
L
28-6
16
Manly
W
26-22
17
Canbe
W
58-16
18
NZWar
L
44-16
19
Penri
W
38-20
20
Cante
L
28-24
21
Newca
W
20-4
22
South
L
24-14
23
NQCow
L
24-14
24
Parra
W
14-6
25
Manly
L
28-24
Best Winning Streak:
2
(Rounds 16-17)
Worst Losing Streak:
5
(Rounds 2-7, bye R6)
Home Wins/Losses:
6 wins, 6 losses
Away Wins/Losses:
3 wins, 9 losses
Player movements
PLAYER ISSUES

Player retention is an ongoing concern for the Dragons. While the injury woes of 2007 gave opportunities to future stars such as Chase Stanley, Dan Hunt, Rangi Chase and Jason Nightingale, there has also been a steady stream of players leaving over the last two seasons with more former Saints set to wear another club’s jersey in 2008. Moreover, the club’s decision to ditch the Jersey Flegg competition one year early (in 2006) in readiness for the National Under 20s Competition of 2008 (Toyota Cup) appears to have left holes in the lower ranks. In addition, the Dragons will not be fielding a Premier League side in 2008, thereby relying heavily on the less competitive Jim Beam Cup while placing a truckload of faith in the upcoming Toyota Cup competition.
While the Dragons have done well to retain a number of players, they also have numerous players with first grade experience departing. Add to this a new untested competition happening in the lower tiers, coupled with a policy of developing south coast juniors, and it does begin to look like a game of chance taking place. For the foreseeable future, the Dragons are locked into a roulette-style policy of repeatedly blooding rookies.

Will the gamble pay off?
Without a doubt more future stars run out in the red V in the season ahead, and this is essential for further junior development.
By default, however, the Illawarra provides a backyard of talent for clubs throughout the NRL landscape, and these same clubs will be fielding teams against the Dragons.

Best player – Ben Creagh
Ben Creagh 2007 - St George rugby league historyBackrower Ben Creagh is the only player to have played all 24 games for the Dragons this year and is easily the club's most consistent performer. Starting as a winger in 2003, Creagh quickly progressed into the centres before finding his place in the second row and lock forward positions. At only 22-years-old, Creagh has made 90 appearances for the Dragons and is perhaps the youngest 'veteran' in this year’s injury-ravaged squad.
Creagh topped the stats in many of the games main areas, making 643 tackles (150 more than any other team member), 331 hit-ups with 51 tackle breaks and 10 offloads.
Creagh’s efforts were recognised by the Club and supporters, the Wollongong junior winning the prestigious St George Bank Medal for “Player of the Year” as well as the supporters Red V Members “Player of the Year” Award.
Already an Australian rep, Creagh will no doubt feature in future representative fixtures.

Best rookies
Chase Stanley 2007 - St George rugby league historyWith so many players being blooded in 2007, it’s hard to single out a standout rookie.
17-year-old Chase Stanley definitely deserves a mention. After scoring on debut (round 2) Stanley found his way the line with six tries in 2007. Playing at centre and on the wing, Stanley has the hallmarks of a future back rower, his mobility and pace is matched by his ability to hit the line hard. A future international, Stanley came to the notice of Kiwi selectors and was named in the New Zealand train-on squad for 2007 Test series.
The twin brother of Brett Morris, and son of Steve 'Slippery' Morris, Josh Morris debuted in round one and had an immediate impact in the outside backs. His blistering pace proved too good for the Storm's Billy Slater in round five and in round 12, Morris had no trouble in standing up Broncos and Queensland full back Karmichael Hunt. Josh fell off the pace late in 2007.
Other rookies who deserve mention are five eighth Rangi Chase, winger Jason Nightingale, hooker Ben Ellis, and forwards Lagi Setu and Dan Hunt.

Best signing – Jamie Soward
Jamie Soward 2007 - St George rugby league historyThe Dragons have had a policy in recent years of developing juniors, and therefore have only few new signings to choose from.
Discarded by the Roosters, Jamie Soward made an impact in round 12 when Saints outclassed the Broncos. Soward proved his worth in 2007 and should have done enough to cement a spot in the halves in 2008.
2008 and beyond
NEW SIGNINGS
In 2007 the Dragons playing their first season in a long time without the likes of Trent Barrett (gone to the UK) and Luke Bailey (Gold Coast). After years of playing finals football but never quite getting across the line, the Dragons spent September watching from the stands.
An exodus followed with numerous players departing, several of whom stuck together and headed to Newcastle.
Ironically, one of the Dragons' signings for 2008 is Newcastle reject Kirk Reynoldson who is expected to bring some experience to the Saints' pack.

HOME GROUND ISSUES
2008 could be a tough year for the joint venture club. With news that the development of Kogarah’s Oki Jubilee Stadium has been postponed, the Dragons will be playing much of their season at the vacuous Telstra Stadium in Homebush.
On previous occasions when the Dragons moved away from Kogarah, history has not been kind to their on-field fortunes.
While the club will point to funding issues such as the government 'pokie tax' as partly responsible for the shift, others have been far less accommodating. Local businesses, councillors and fans have all been critics of the move. In particular, support group R2K has stated that the redevelopment of OKI Jubilee Stadium could be delayed until July next year so that five NRL matches could be staged at Kogarah for 2008, the Centenary season of rugby league in Australia.
To the casual observer, it seems like an opportunity lost. The Club, however, views the financial kickback from Telstra (reportedly $500,000) as a positive outcome in the decision to move to Homebush.

LOWER GRADE SHUFFLE
In 2008, the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) Premier League competition will be known as the 'NSW Cup. The Dragons Club will not be fielding a team in the NSW Cup of 2008, instead the National Rugby League (NRL) side will be relying on feeder arrangements in the Illawarra juniors and Jim Beam Cup, as well as a loose arrangement with QRL Club the Burleigh Bears.
U20s on target for 2008
The Dragons did not field a Jersey Flegg side in 2007. There will be a NRL-backed U20s National Youth Competition in 2008.

The end of an era as Saints exit the NSWRL
It what could be the final season of a Dragons team taking part in the old 'first grade' competition, the St George Illawarra Dragons 'reserve grade' qualified for the NSWRL Premier League finals.
On September 9th, Minor Premiers the Bulldogs defeated the Dragons 46-12 at Belmore Oval, thus ending the Dragons season and the St George involvement in what used to be known as the 'Sydney First Grade Comp'.
Prediction for 2008
ACCEPTANCE OF MEDIOCRITY?

Despite the spin of good intentions, the Dragons will struggle to find on-field success in 2008. The Club will deny this apparent acceptance of mediocrity as they point to previous years of ‘top four finishes’, but many supporters are not so easily convinced.
The bottom line is that the immediate future of the Dragons is a grim one.
Club officials have just two seasons to conjure up a NRL grand final team, or become the first Dragons administration in history to go through a decade without a first grade team appearing in a premiership decider.
With no Kogarah and too many ‘away’ games scheduled, the Dragons will struggle to improve on this year’s efforts.
But if injuries are kept in check, and the rookies of 2007 step up to the crease, the Dragons just may be able to jag a top eight spot.
How high the Club is willing to aim is another matter entirely. If a top eight spot is seen as a measure of success, then the Dragons of 2008 will once again find themselves languishing at the bottom of the ladder, and on the outside looking in.

PLAYERS 2007
First Grade Players: 32 (14 with previous NRL experience with Dragons, plus 18 on debut for Dragons including 11 NRL debutants)

(d) = First grade debut for the Dragons (preceded by round number)
(c) = Club Captain

Player
Position
T
G
FG
Pts
Total 2007 first grade
appearances
TONY CAINE 1(d) Hooker
 
 
 
 
9
RANGI CHASE 3(d) Hooker, Half back, Five-eighth
5
 
 
20
14
MATT COOPER (capt: R 12) Centre
11
 
 
44
20

BEN CREAGH
(capt: R 16)

Utility
3
 
 
12
24 (every game)
BEN ELLIS 5(d) Hooker, Lock
2
 
 
8
14
MARK GASNIER (c) Centre, Five-eighth
2
 
 
8
6
MATHEW HEAD Halfback
 
6/7
 
12
6
TOM HEWITT 5(d) Winger, Fullback
4
 
 
16
5
BEN HORNBY (c) Utility back
1
 
 
4
17
CHRIS HOUSTON 3(d) Front Row        
16
DAN HUNT 1(d) Front Row
2
   
8
18
SAM ISEMONGER Second row
 
   
 
5
CHARLES LEANEO Prop forward
 
 
 
 
 
KEITH LULIA 1(d) Centre
2
   
8
7
LUKE MACDOUGALL 1(d) Winger, Centre
1
   
4
4
BRETT MORRIS Winger, Fullback
 
 
 
 
2
JOSH MORRIS 1(d) Wing, Fullback, Centre
6
 
 
24
23
WES NAIQAMA Winger
3
15/22
 
42
9
JASON NIGHTINGALE 8(d) Fullback,Winger
7
 
 
28
16
COREY PAYNE Second row
1
 
 
4
18
ADAM PEEK 1(d) Front Row
1
   
4
19
JUSTIN POORE Prop forward
1
 
 
4
19
JASON RYLES (c) Prop forward
1
 
 
4
17
BEAU SCOTT 1(d) Centre, Second row
5
   
20
18
LAGI SETU 2(d) Lock, Second row
 
 
 
 
12
ASHTON SIMS Prop forward
1
 
 
4
12
JAMIE SOWARD 12(d) Half back
7
38/57
1
105
15
CHASE STANLEY 2(d) Winger
6
 
 
24
18
RICKY THORBY 12(d) Forward
 
 
 
 
5
DANNY WICKS Second row
 
 
 
 
12
RICHARD WILLIAMS 1(d) Centre, Five-eighth
5
   
20
8
SIMON WOOLFORD 1(d) Hooker        
18
DEAN YOUNG Utility
 
 
 
 
3
TOTALS: 32 players used  
78
59/86
1
431
 

Dragons 2007 stats, first grade
Most games (out of 24):
Ben Creagh (24); Josh Morris (23); Matt Cooper (20)
Most tries:
Matt Cooper 11 tries (from 20 games)
Most goals:
Jamie Soward 38 goals (57 attempts)
Most field goals:
Jamie Soward 1

Most points for 2007: Jamie Soward 7t + 38g + 1 fg = 105 points (15 games)

More > full 2007 first grade team list & stats

SEASON 2007 - BITS AND PIECES
Charity Shield - St George rugby league history3 Mar: SAINTS DEFEAT RABBITOHS IN CHARITY SHIELD BUT LOSE GASNIER
St George Illawarra reclaimed the Charity Shield with a 16-14 victory over the Rabbitohs in front of 23,053 fans at Homebush. The victory however was soured with Captain Mark Gasnier suffering a ruptured pectoral muscle, sidelining him for 5-6 months.
Since its inception in 1982, the Dragons have won 14 Charity Shield clashes, Souths have won seven and there have been three draws.
Legend's Walk - click for larger image - St George rugby league history23 Apr: ROBERT STONE, BILLY WILSON INDUCTED INTO LEGEND'S WALK ON ST GEORGE'S DAY
Robert Stone and Billy Wilson are officially inducted into the “Legends Walk” at Kogarah Jubilee Oval, Monday, St George’s Day – April 23, 2007.
Special Guests on the day include families of the departed legends as well as Australian Prime Minister John Howard.
Other Dragon legends already inducted into the “Legends Walk” including Norm Provan, Graeme Langlands MBE, Reg Gasnier AM, Johnny Raper MBE, Johnny King, Billy Smith, Ken Kearney, Matt McCoy, Noel Piddington, Rod Reddy, Kevin Ryan, Eddie Lumsden, Ian Walsh, Brian Clay, Craig Young and Mark Coyne.
Wes Naiqama - St George rugby league historyJune: SAINTS LET WES GO
Dragons announce that winger Wes Naiqama has signed with the Newcastle Knights for 2008. In 2006, Naiqama pleaded guilty in for driving while disqualified. It was his fourth driving offence. Following his court appearance in February 2007, he was sentenced to periodic detention, later reduced to four months. A knee injury in May sidelined Naiqama for the remainder of the 2007 season.
Ben Creagh - St George rugby league historyCREAGH WINS ST GEORGE BANK MEDAL
Wollongong, 20 September 2007:
St George Illawarra Dragons Lock Forward Ben Creagh has tonight won the prestigious St George Bank Medal for “Player of the Year” at the Clubs Medal Award presentation evening at the WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong. Creagh, 22 was the only player to play in every single match throughout 2007 for the Dragons.
Further, he was rewarded for his brilliant form by being selected to represent Country in the annual match, chosen as the NSW 18th man for State of Origin III along with selection in the Kangaroos Train-On Squad for the one off Test against New Zealand. Unfortunately minor surgery forced him to withdraw from the squad.
The Wollongong University junior also won over the fans winning the Red V Members “Player of the Year” Award which provides opportunity for the Red V Members to vote on a 3, 2, 1 basis as to who they believe has been the Dragons best player throughout the year.
Creagh topped the stats in many of the games main areas including making 643 tackles (150 more than any other team member), 331 hit-ups with 51 tackle breaks and 10 offloads.
Matt Cooper was another of the Dragons most consistent throughout the year and after representing NSW in all three Origin matches this year he has added the St George Bank Immortals Trophy to his achievements for 2007. The award is selected by the “St George Immortals” in consultation with the Dragons’ coaching staff.
As a new introduction for 2007 the Dragons have introduced the “Mark Coyne Career Development Award” which was won by Chase Stanley. Stanley who is still currently studying for his Higher School Certificate successfully juggled his NRL commitments along with his education to have an extremely successful rookie year in the NRL playing 18 matches and scoring 6 tries.

2007 DRAGONS AWARD WINNERS
Ben Creagh: St George Bank Medal
Matt Cooper: St George Bank Immortals Trophy
Beau Scott: Geoff Selby Memorial NRL Coaches Award
Ben Creagh: Red V Members Player of the Year Award
Chase Stanley: Mark Coyne Career Development Award
Matt Prior: Paul McGregor Premier League Player of the Year

PREVIOUS MEDAL WINNERS
Mark Gasnier and Jason Ryles (2006), Luke Bailey (2005), Mathew Head (2004), Ben Hornby (2003), Shaun Timmins (2002), Jason Ryles (2001), Trent Barrett (2000), Jamie Ainscough (1999)

REPRESENTATIVE NEWS 2007
GASNIER CAPTAIN of PMs XIII
Thursday, September 13, 2007 - 4:02 PM
The ARL is pleased to announce Mark Gasnier as captain of the Prime Minister’s XIII following Craig Fitzgibbon’s unavailability.
The Australian selectors today called Sydney Roosters’ Craig Wing, Brisbane’s Tonie Carroll and Cronulla’s Ben Pomeroy into the Prime Minister’s XIII squad to play Papua New Guinea next week.
Wing was named at hooker for the injured Robbie Farah, with Carroll and Pomeroy on the interchange.
Other changes to the starting side included Braith Anasta’s move to lock and Paul Gallen into second-row.
Prime Minister’s XIII v Papua New Guinea Kumuls - Sunday 23 September, 2007
Lloyd Robson Oval, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
REP SUMMARY 2007
Matt Cooper - NSW 3 matches (Origin I May 23, Origin II Jun 13, Origin III July 4).
Ben Creagh
- Country 1 match (May 3); plus 18th man for NSW (Origin III July 4) and in the train-on squad for Aust (v NZ APR 20) but did not play.
Josh Morris - Country 1 match (May 3)

John Fleming - St George rugby league historySt George mourns John Fleming's passing
10 December 2007: John Fleming, the Secretary of the St.George Dragons from 1978 to 1988, passed away in the early hours of Saturday morning at Beaudesert in Queensland.
Mr Fleming was the Secretary of the Club when the Dragons won their last premiership and was also at the helm when St.George won the Panasonic Cup in 1988. He became Club Secretary when Frank Facer passed away in 1978.
Mr Fleming first became a member of the St.George committee in 1969 and played a key role as a selector and Reserve Grade Secretary before he succeeded Frank Facer as Secretary.
He will also be remembered for managing the unbeaten 1986 Kangaroos on their campaign in France and England. In early 1988 he helped to ensure that Kogarah's new grandstand was approved by Kogarah Council. Geoff Carr succeeded John Fleming as Club Secretary in December 1988.
During the 1990s, Mr Fleming played a key role on the Board of the St.George Leagues Club and will be fondly remembered by Dragons' supporters and Club members.
R2K would like to extend its sympathy to the Fleming family and the St.George District RLFC of which John was made a life member in 1980.
(www.r2k.info/news/johnfleming.html)
Matt McCoy - St George rugby league historyMATT McCOY PASSES AWAY
Wednesday, 21 February 2007: Rugby League today mourns the loss of former St George, NSW and Australian Test centre Matt McCoy, who passed away in hospital last night, aged 83.
Renowned for his ability to give his wingers exceptional service, McCoy played five seasons with St George (1948-52), scoring 26 tries and 65 goals for a total of 208 points.
Originally from Bega, McCoy was a key member of the 1949 premiership-winning St George side, a year where he also won an Australian jumper for two Tests against New Zealand.
A tough, robust individual, McCoy’s pinpoint service was complemented by a strong fend and an elusive running style, which made him difficult to contain on the field.
He saw out his career in North Queensland after a serious knee injury prematurely ended his 65-game career at St George.
(www.nswrl.com.au/article.php?id=204)
FACT FILE - Matt McCoy
1948-52, 65 games.
26t, 65g (208pts)
Centre.
NSW rep (1949). Aust rep (1949).
Originally from Bega, Matt McCoy is rated as one of the best centres to wear the red and white.
Kicked seven goals for City over Country during heavy rain in 1949. Capped off a great year when he played in Saints' 1949 premiership winning side.
Corrections and enquiries: [email protected]

www.jubileeavenue.com.au/history