The St George Illawarra Dragons are under new management in 2024. Shane Flanagan has a lot to address to turn the proud Red V around.
Season Preview
It’s a new era at the Red V with Shane Flanagan taking the reins after the exit of Anthony Griffin last May.
Some betting agencies have the Dragons as wooden spoon favourites, which shouldn’t come as a surprise. Flanagan has his work cut out, unable to land a big name signing in the summer to improve their chances of moving up the ladder.
Question marks hover about their ability to defend. After conceding 673 points in 2023 – a 10 year high for the Dragons, does Flanagan have the magic touch to improve his squad’s defence so quickly?
Last year the Bulldogs under Cameron Ciraldo, a well-respected defensive type coach, saw his side concede 769 points.
This shows even the best of defensive coaches need time to embed defensive structures to complement their game strategy.
Could it be another year of speculation about Ben Hunt’s future? This appeared to derail the club mid last season. Having the ability to negotiate with clubs officially from November 1, no doubt there will be talk about him moving on from the club come the end of 2025.
Zac Lomax’s trial on the wing will be something worth watching initially. It appears Jack Bird is Flangan’s preference in the centres. Lomax was out of favour with Griffin last year before Ryan Carr brought him back into the side. It appears Lomax is back to square one, being moved out of his natural playing position.
The Charity Shield loss to South Sydney – with what appeared a strong squad – is early warning signs for the club that progress will be slow, and fans will need to be patient.
Avoiding the spoon will be their realistic aim in 2024.
Best Signing
Embed from Getty ImagesKyle Flanagan gets the opportunity to reunite with his dad, to become the latest father-son coach/player combination in the NRL. We’ve seen the success with the Cleary’s at Penrith and the Arthurs getting to the 2022 Grand Final, while the Walters clan were involved in the 2023 decider. While this is a very different situation to those examples, Kyle might feel more relaxed and we could see the best out of him in 2024 after previous stints at the Sharks, Bulldogs, and Roosters. Should Zac Lomax find himself out of the side completely, the Dragons have their kicking alternate at hand.
Key Player
Embed from Getty ImagesMikaele Ravalawa continues to be the “go to” player in attack. After only crossing the tryline five times in 2022, he crossed 21 times in 2023. His haul include crossing for four tries against the Eels in a losing performance at CommBank Stadium last August. Ravalawa’s record in the try scoring department represented 24% of all Dragons tries last season, which shows how important his role is in the side with speed and strength to overpower his winger counterpart. The lack of backline signings for the Dragons makes his impact even more important.
Player to Watch
Embed from Getty ImagesToby Couchman got a taste of NRL footy last year – making 15 appearances for the club and winning the Geoff Selby Trophy as the Dragons rookie of the year. He is a promising young forward who could be a long-term asset to the Dragons. Expect Toby to be part of the run-on side during 2024 and pick up some handy metrics in run metres and tackle breaks, while being a reliable defender.
Number Crunching
Premiers: 1 (2010) Note: St George Dragons won 15 premierships prior to merger.
Minor Premierships: 2 (2009, 2010)
10 years win/loss record: 101 wins, 138 losses (42.3%)
5 years win/loss record: 40 wins, 76 losses (34.5%)
2023 win/loss record: 5 wins, 19 losses (20.08%)
NRL Finals Appearances since 2014: 2 (2015, 2018)
NRL Finals win/loss record since 2014: 1 win, 2 losses (33.3%)
Biggest win since 2014: 46, vs Gold Coast Titans (54-8, 25/3/18, Clive Berghofer Stadium)
Biggest loss since 2014: 38, vs Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (0-38, 26/8/18, Netstrata Jubilee Stadium)
