St. George Illawarra Dragons

St. George Illawarra Dragons

The St George Illawarra Dragons is an Australian professional rugby league football club, representing both the St. George and Illawarra regions. They have competed in the National Rugby League since 1999 as a merger between Sydney's historic St. George Dragons club and 1982 expansion club, the Illawarra Steelers. They officially formed as the game's first merged entity on 23 September 1998 and remain the only cross-city team in the NRL. The team has its headquarters and leagues clubs in both Wollongong and the Sydney suburb of Kogarah, and train and play games regularly at WIN Stadium in Wollongong, as well as at WIN Jubilee Oval in Kogarah.

The Dragons reached the grand final in their first season in 1999, losing to the Melbourne Storm. The St. George Illawarra Dragons also field teams in local competitions within the St. George and Illawarra regions. In 2010, the Dragons won their second successive minor premiership and became the only team to be awarded the J. J. Giltinan Shield consecutively since the NRL was formed in 1998.

The Dragons won the 2010 NRL Grand Final against the Sydney Roosters, defeating them 32–8 at ANZ Stadium, Sydney, Australia. They then won the 2011 World Club Challenge, defeating the Wigan Warriors 21–15 at DW Stadium in the UK. With its World Club Challenge victory, the club became the first Australian team since the Brisbane Broncos in 1992-3 to win the minor premiership, premiership and World Club Challenge simultaneously.