2022 review: St George Illawarra Dragons

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2022 was another forgettable year for St George Illawarra Dragons, whose finishing position of tenth probably flatters them in a year where fans are left more questions than answers headed into 2023.

The season started off with a first round win against the Warriors in sunny Queensland, before a gallant loss to eventual premiers Penrith was quickly followed by two heavy losses to local rivals Cronulla and Parramatta, which brought them back to earth.

That would be the pattern for their season. Dragons won three games in a row twice - once at the start, then again to end the year (a nice contrast to 2021) - and otherwise were more up and down than a rollercoaster at your local theme park.

It has left coach Anthony Griffin in an awkward spot headed into his third year as Dragons coach, with several questions left over his tenure, which was only added to with the retirement of Andrew McCullough in the off-season.

Most of the signings that Griffin brought to the team were busts with the two outliers being former Rabbitoh Jaydn Su'A and Moses Suli who on his day was a wrecking ball. Otherwise they ranged from meh, to awful, to George Burgess.

One positive was the play of Ben Hunt who was in the Dally M running all season and took out their player of the year award deservedly. He will need some team mates to go with him in 2023 if they want any kind of success.

Now they also have to solve a problem at hooker after McCullough's retirement. Moses Mbye and Jayden Sullivan both had time there in 2022 and Tigers recruit Jacob Liddle should get first crack at it in the new year.

Turning Point

Unlike BBQ-gate last season, there wasn't one turning point for the Saints in 2022. It was mostly their inability to string wins together with them winning three in a row twice across the season - Round 6 to 8 and Round 23-25 to end the season. There was also concerns of rifts in the side due to Anthony Griffin's fondness for the more experienced players in the squad despite performances which also showed in the release requests from Jayden Sullivan and Tyrell Sloan which were withdrawn.

What Worked

This will be similar to the best players blurb and the editor denied my request to basically just say Ben Hunt here and end this section. So, the halfback was a bright spot in another listless year for the side with his leadership and kicking game. I will give an honourable mention to Jack Bird, who was the swiss army knife for the Dragons. He played fullback, centre, five-eighth and lock across the season and ended the year in some stellar form.

What Didn't Work

The forward pack. Coach Anthony Griffin tried his version of ‘moneyball' with some of the signings which included Aaron Woods and the now-retired George Burgess were dud pick-ups. Also the constant merry-go-round in the halves and at hooker, meant that there was no consistency for Hunt for much of the season and the attack suffered.

Also notably, the Dragons were a sieve on their own line and were the sixth-worst defence in the league, conceding 30+ points on seven occasions.

2022 results

Best Players

Let's get the obvious answer out of the way first - Ben Hunt. The Dragons halfback was a bright spot in a team which at times were rudderless and impotent. The mid-season switch of Cody Ramsay taking over the fullback showed that he might be the future option there instead of Tyrell Sloan. We hope Cody also recovers from his illness swiftly. Also, I just want to shoutout Blake Lawrie for finally getting his first NRL try and Jaydn Su'A who was quite good in his first season with the Dragons.

Rookies

Most of the Dragons rookies came through the ranks last season and this season showed some further development from them.

Talatau Amone showed himself as the ideal partner to Ben Hunt in the halves while Mat Faegai scored 10 tries including a solo effort against the Broncos in the last round.

2022 player stats

Looking Ahead

There is some hope ahead for the 'Red V' with some of the talent coming through the ranks and Ben Hunt has re-signed for the forseeable future after a close to Dally M winning season.

They still have to fix some areas of the team (mostly the forward pack) if they want to make the top eight and continue the development of their young stars.

2023's Round 1 lineup

1. Cody Ramsey
2. Mat Feagai
3. Moses Suli
4. Zac Lomax
5. Mikaele Ravalawa
6. Talatau Amone
7. Ben Hunt
8. Blake Lawrie
9. Jacob Liddle
10. Francis Molo
11. Jack Bird
12. Jaydn Su'A
13. Jack de Belin

14. Jayden Sullivan
15. Michael Molo
16. Tyrell Fuimaono
17. Jaiyden Hunt

Statistics: Rugby League Project