| | | St George Dragons Rugby League History
Since
1921 - Our Proud History
1990-1993 |
|
 |
1990:
SAINTS 12TH - WORST LADDER POSITION IN HISTORY
STEELERS
BEAT DRAGONS IN FINAL ROUND
|
Season
snapshot
In 1990, Illawarra improved to win six of their
last seven matches to finish in 9th position on
the NSWRL first grade ladder.
St George, however, had one of their worst seasons
on record, finishing in 12th position in the 16
team competition.
|
Kogarah
Oval, 26 August 1990: The Illawarra Steelers have defeated
St George 10-6 in front of a small crowd of only 5,709 spectators.
The match ended a sad season for both teams with neither
ever coming into semi final contention. |
CRAIG
YOUNG GONE
As a result of the Dragon's poor effort in 1990, former
skipper Craig Young departs as coach after just two
seasons. |
KOGARAH
UPGRADED
1990 saw the opening a modern grand stand at the western
side of Kogarah Oval, increasing it's capacity. |
REPRESENTATIVE NEWS
 BRAD
MACKAY SCORES THREE TRIES ON TEST DEBUT
Parkes
NSW, 1990: Brad Mackay, after being called into the
Australia Test side to play France (as replacement for the
injured Canberra player, Brad Clyde), scores three
tries on debut matching the feat of another St George junior,
Bob Bugden who also scored three tries on Test debut,
30 years earlier. |
MORE
REP HONOURS FOR RICKY WALFORD
Winger, Ricky Walford has been selected for NSW
in the 'State of Origin 90'. He was also on the Aboriginal
tour of Tonga in 1990 for the Pacific Cup. |
|
1990
NSWRL
First Grade
Ladder
(top
5 in semis
-playoff for 5th)
| Canberra
p |
33 |
| Brisbane |
33 |
| Penrith |
31 |
| Manly |
30 |
| Balmain |
28 |
| Newcastle |
28 |
| Canterbury |
25 |
| Parramatta |
25 |
| Illawarra |
23 |
| Cronulla |
22 |
| Norths |
20 |
| St
George |
16 |
| Wests |
13 |
| Easts |
13 |
| Gold
Coast |
8
|
| Souths |
4
|
p = Season Premiers
AFTER 22 ROUNDS
Minor Premiership
Won-Lost-Draw
Points For 371
(7th best attack)
63t 57g 5fg
Points Against 399
(12th best defence)
65t 69g 1fg
|
|
MP Standing
12th
(16 teams)
|
AFTER 22 ROUNDS
Minor Premiership
Won-Lost-Draw
Points For 366
(9th best attack)
59t 64g 2fg
Points Against 361
(11th best defence)
58t 64g 1fg
|
|
MP Standing
9th
(16 teams)
|
|
1991:
NEW
COACH - BRIAN SMITH
 Craig
Young was replaced as coach in 1991 by former St George
player and former Steelers coach, Brian Smith (pic
left). Smith accepted the position after a successful coaching
stint with Hull in the UK. |
HISTORY
SPOT
WALLABIES WIN RU WORLD CUP
|
|
|
Season
snapshot
In 1991, St George and Illawarra again failed to qualify
for the NSWRL first grade semi-finals.
Both teams finished on 25 competition points with Illawarra
(8th) ranked higher than St George (9th) due to a better
for-and-against points differential.
|
SAINTS
BEAT BALMAIN IN HISTORIC MATCH
Adelaide
Oval, 28 June 1991: St George have defeated Balmain 16-2
at the first ever premiership Rugby League match to be played
in South Australia. A crowd of 28,884 saw Saints shut out the
Tigers and score three tries.
British flankman, Martin 'On Fire' Offiah was one
of the try scorers for the Dragons. On loan for one year from
Wigan, Offiah's occupation was listed as 'professional rugby league
player' which in 1991 was considered a rarity.
St George had a better season in 1991 finishing in 9th
position while 'kindred spirits', Illawarra finished in
8th position and on equal competition, both teams two points
shy of the semis.
REPRESENTATIVE
NEWS
Scott
Gourley
Click on image for larger pic |
SCOTT
GOURLEY BECOMES DUAL INTERNATIONAL
St
George forward Scott Gourley gained selection for
the Test series against Papua New Guinea, late in 1991.
Son of former St George prop Robin Gourley, Scott
has achieved a rare feat of being a dual international in
both the Rugby Union and Rugby League. |
|
1991
NSWRL
First Grade
Ladder
(top
5 in semis
-playoff for 5th)
| Penrith
p |
35 |
| Manly |
29 |
| Norths |
29 |
| Canberra |
28 |
| Canterbury |
27 |
| Wests |
27 |
| Brisbane |
26 |
| Illawarra |
25 |
| St
George |
25 |
| Cronulla |
19 |
| Easts |
19 |
| Balmain |
17 |
| Newcastle |
15 |
| Souths |
14 |
| Parramatta |
12 |
| Gold
Coast |
5
|
p = Season Premiers
AFTER 22 ROUNDS
Minor Premiership
Won-Lost-Draw
Points For 388
(7th best attack)
65t 64g 0fg
Points Against 320
(6th best defence)
50t 59g 2fg
|
|
MP Standing
9th
(16 teams)
|
AFTER 22 ROUNDS
Minor Premiership
Won-Lost-Draw
Points For 451
(4th best attack)
77t 70g 3fg
Points Against 291
(2nd best defence)
49t 46g 3fg
|
|
MP Standing
8th
(16 teams)
|
|
1992:
|
Illawarra
win pre-season cup
The Steelers kicked off the 1992 pre-season
in fine style, winning the Tooheys Challenge. Led by captain
Chris Walsh, Illawarra defeated the Brisbane Broncos
4-2 in a tryless final at Dubbo.
|
ILLAWARRA DEFEATS ST GEORGE
IN DEBUT SEMI-FINAL APPEARANCE
|
Season
snapshot
In 1992, St George were runners up while Illawarra finished
third, both teams battling it out in the NSWRL semi-finals.
|
Sydney
Football Stadium, 6 Sept 1992: Illawarra have defeated St
George 18-16 in their debut semi final appearance.
A crowd of 28,521 saw the Steelers down the Dragons and therefore
qualify for the major semi final and two bites at Grand Final
qualification.
(pic above) Paul McGregor, try scorer 1992 |
Centre,
Paul McGregor starred in Illawarra's victory.
Saints recovered to defeat Newcastle 3-2 in front
of 38,772 people in a tryless minor semi-final (12/9/92).
Meanwhile,
Illawarra went down to Brisbane 22-12 in front of 38,859 spectators
in the major semi (13/9/92) thus setting up a showdown between
the two neighbours in the preliminary final.
SAINTS
DEFEAT STEELERS 4-0 IN PRELIMINARY FINAL
Ricky
Walford, try scorer 1992 |
Sydney
Football Stadium, 20 Sept 1992: In another low scoring and
tight semis match, St George have come away as victors over
Illawarra by just one try, 4-0 in front of 38,921 spectators.
The match had it's share of controversy with referee David
McCallum disallowing at least three Illawarra tries following
forward pass rulings.
Popular Dragons winger, Ricky Walford was the only try
scorer of the day.
 WAV
(247 Kb) click on speaker to hear Mark Coyne
talk about 1992 preliminary final in an interview in the
late 1990s. |
UNDERDOGS
ST GEORGE AGAINST THE MIGHT OF BRISBANE
Sydney
Football Stadium, 27 September 1992: Observers gave Saints
little chance of
Ian
Herron |
making the
1992 Grand Final but they did so in fine fashion under the guidance
of coach, Brian Smith.
Saints
did well in the first half but the star-studded class of the Brisbane
Broncos showed in the second half and they ran away winners to
the tune of 28-8 in front of 41,560 people.
Scorers for St George: Ricky Walford try, Ian Herron
2 goals.
|
1992
NSWRL
First Grade
Ladder
(top
5 in semis)
| Brisbane
p |
36 |
| St
George |
30 |
| Illawarra |
27 |
| Newcastle |
26 |
| Wests |
25 |
| Easts |
24 |
| Canterbury |
22 |
| Manly |
22 |
| Penrith |
22 |
| Balmain |
21 |
| Norths |
21 |
| Canberra |
20 |
| Cronulla |
16 |
| Souths |
14 |
| Parramatta |
13 |
| Gold
Coast |
11 |
p = Season Premiers
AFTER 22 ROUNDS
Minor Premiership
Won-Lost-Draw
Points For 401
(6th best attack)
67t 63g 7fg
Points Against 283
(3rd best defence)
44t 52g 3fg
|
|
MP Standing
2nd
(16 teams)
|
FINALS
Points For 31
Points Against 48
|
|
Final Standing
2nd
|
|
TOTALS
26 matches
|
|
Points For 432
73t 66g 8fg
Points Against 331
52t 60g 3fg
|
AFTER 22 ROUNDS
Minor Premiership
Won-Lost-Draw
Points For 318
(12th best attack)
Points Against 259
(1st best defence)
|
|
MP Standing
3rd
(16 teams)
|
FINALS
Points For 30
Points Against 42
|
|
Final Standing
3rd
|
|
TOTALS
25 matches
|
|
Points For 348
55t 62g 4fg
Points Against 301
49t 51g 3fg
|
|
1993:
SAINTS
& CANTERBURY TOP OF THE TABLE
|
Season
snapshot
In 1993, St George were runners up for the second year
running. Illawarra (7th) were struck hard by injuries
and failed to qualify for the NSWRL semi-finals.
|
The Dragons
and the Bulldogs shared the top of the table after 22 rounds on
34 pts each. Canterbury are awarded the minor premiership by virtue
of having a better for-and-against.
 SAINTS
SIGN ANTHONY MUNDINE, NATHAN BROWN
HISTORY
SPOT
THE EDDIE
MABO DECISION
|
The Dragons
boasted a magnificent team in 1993 which included 1992 signings,
Gorden
Tallis, Jason Stevens Noel Goldthorpe, new 1993
signing Nathan Brown from MacLean in NSW (pic left)
as well as experienced Scott Gourley and Mark Coyne,
to name but a few. The club and players were stung by criticism
at the beginning of the year that they didn't have what it takes
to go one better in 1993. Punters and bookies had Saints at long
odds of making the semis and even longer odds of 20-1 of winning
the premiership.
 In
1993, Saints also debuted promising centre/five eighth, Anthony
'Choc' Mundine (pic right). The son of champion boxer,
Tony Mundine, 'Choc' immediately makes an impression.
ILLAWARRA
SHUT OUT GOLD COAST
WIN
Stadium, 25 July 1993: The Steelers have thrashed the Gold
Coast 26-0 in the round 17 match in front of 8,926 people. This
was a highlight in an otherwise dismal year for the Steelers.
Illawarra finished on 7th position and were
unable to make the semis.
SAINTS, BRONCOS IN GRAND
FINAL AGAIN
HISTORY
SPOT
ALLAN BORDER GREATEST RUN GETTER
|
Sydney
Football Stadium, 26 September 1993: Saints were determined
to go one better in 1993 and came into the semis as the form team
of the competition. Their opponents, premiers Brisbane had a hard
run into the semis and were beaten by St George in the final round
of the competition, 16-10 at QEII stadium in front of 58,593 people,
thereby forcing the Broncos into the dreaded sudden death fifth
spot position.
In their run to the Grand Final,
St George disposed of Canberra 31-10 (4 September) and Canterbury
27-12 (12 September). Brisbane won their three matches also in
convincing fashion but appeared to be struggling against Canterbury
in the latter stages of the preliminary final which suggested
that they may have be succumbing to rigors of elimination football.
The 1993 Grand Final, played in
front of 42,329 spectators, was later reported as the day the
Dragons saved their worst game until last. Injuries to prop Jason
Stevens (broken thumb in the opening minute) and centre Mark
Coyne (knee cartilage after 25 minutes) put Saints on the
back foot early in the match. Brisbane slowed down play with a
huge defensive effort and effectively controlled much of the play
close to the ruck. Saints were unable to respond and
eventually
went down without scoring a try.
Score: Brisbane 14-6. Scorers for Saints: Ian
Herron 3 goals
 BRAD
MACKAY WINS CLIVE CHURCHILL MEDAL
Brad Mackay has been awarded the post grand
final Clive Churchill Medal. He is the club's first ever
recipient of this honour. (pic right: Brad Mackay congratulated
by Tina Turner, the US entertainer who performed at the 1993 Grand
Final)
ST GEORGE DRAGONS, GRAND
FINALISTS - 1993 SQUAD PHOTO
Click on the pic
for larger image (336 kb) |
(Top
row to bottom row, left - right) Noel Goldthorpe, Damien
Chapman, Wayne Collins, Rex Terp, Phil Blake, Nathan Brown, Andrew
Walker, Mark Coyne, Jeff Hardy, Sean McVean, Jason Stevens, Brad
Mackay, Ricky Walford, Jason Donnelly, Tony Smith, Gorden Tallis,
Neil Tierney, Ian Herron, Scott Gourley, Michael Potter, Tony
Priddle, Graeme Bradley, Scott Park, David Barnhill, Matt Elliott
WAV
(445 Kb) click
on speaker to hear Mark Coyne talk about 1993 Grand Final.
|
MICK
POTTER RETIRES AT THE END OF 1993
 St
George fullback and skipper, Michael Potter has announced
his retirement from rugby league. The former Canterbury fullback
came to Saints in 1989 and played 100 games, scoring 14 tries.
Mick was always safe up back and was noted for his strong returns.
Twice winner of the Dally M best player award (1984 and 1991).
He was NSW rep before coming to Saints and missed out narrowly
on national selection in the 1992 World Cup.
poste script: Potter was to come out of retirement
for one final year in 1995 with the Western Reds.
|
1993
NSWRL
First Grade
Ladder
(top
5 in semis)
| Canterbury |
34 |
| St
George |
34 |
| Canberra |
33 |
| Manly |
32 |
| Brisbane
p |
32 |
| Norths |
29 |
| Illawarra |
24 |
| Easts |
23 |
| Newcastle |
20 |
| Cronulla |
18 |
| Parramatta |
18 |
| Penrith |
14 |
| Wests |
14 |
| Souths |
12 |
| Balmain |
11 |
| Gold
Coast |
2
|
p = Season Premiers
AFTER 22 ROUNDS
Minor Premiership
Won-Lost-Draw
Points For 418
(6th best attack)
Points Against 258
(4th best defence)
|
|
MP Standing
2nd
(16 teams)
|
FINALS
Points For 64
Points Against 36
|
|
Final Standing
2nd
|
|
TOTALS
25 matches
|
|
Points For 482
79t 78g 10fg
Points Against 294
49t 48g 2fg
|
AFTER 22 ROUNDS
Minor Premiership
Won-Lost-Draw
Points For 373
(7th best attack)
68t 49g 3fg
Points Against 253
(3rd best defence)
38t 48g 5fg
|
|
MP Standing
7th
(16 teams)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Seasons
In Review
