2015 St. George Illawarra Dragons season explained

Year:	2015
League:	NRL
League Rank:	8th
Playoff Result:	Lost Elimination Final (Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, 10-11)
Cup:	Challenge Cup
League Wins:	12
League Draws:	0
League Losses:	12
Points For:	377
Points Against:	350
Ceo Title:	CEO
Ceo:	Peter Doust
Coach:	Paul McGregor
Assistant Coach:	Ian Millward, Dean Young, Ben Hornby
Captain:	Ben Creagh,
Stadium:	WIN Jubilee OvalWIN Stadium
Avg Attendance:	13,698
Top Tries:	Peter Mata'utia and Gareth Widdop (7)
Top Points:	Gareth Widdop (148)
Prev Season:	2014
Next Season:	2016

The 2015 St. George Illawarra Dragons season is the 17th in the joint venture club's history. Coached by Paul McGregor, and captained by Ben Creagh, they compete in the NRL's 2015 Telstra Premiership season.

Squad movement

Gains

Player	Signed from	Until end of	Notes
		2016	^[1]
		2016	^[2]
		2015	^[3]
		2015	^[4]
Rulon Nutira	Gundagai Tigers	2015	^[5]
		2015	^[6]
		2015
Adam Tuimavave-Gerrard		2016	^[7]

Losses

Player	Signed to	Until end of	Notes
	Sacked mid-season	-	^[8]
		2018	^[9]
		2015	^[10]
		2017
		2016	^[11]
		2017	^[12]
		2016	^[13]
		N/A	^[14]
Josh Ailaoma	Released	-	-
		-	-
		-	-
		-	-

Fixtures

NRL Auckland Nines

See main article: 2015 NRL Auckland Nines. The NRL Auckland Nines is a pre-season rugby league nines competition featuring all 16 NRL clubs. The 2015 competition was played over two days on 31 January and 1 February at Eden Park. The Dragons feature in the Rangitoto pool and played the Parramatta Eels, Newcastle Knights and Manly Warringah Sea Eagles.

Date	Time (Local)	Round	Opponent	Score	Tries	Goals
Saturday 31 January	9:55am	1	Newcastle Knights	7-18	Etonia Nabuli	Josh Dugan (1)
	1:50pm	2	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	25-22	Etonia Nabuli (2), Joel Thompson, Kiti Glymin	Josh Dugan (1), Benji Marshall (1)
Sunday 1 February	8:10am	3	Parramatta Eels	12-10	Kiti Glymin, Benji Marshall, Shannon Crook

Regular season

Date	Round	Opponent	Venue	Score	Tries	Goals	Attendance
Monday 9 March	1	Melbourne Storm	Jubilee Oval	4-12^[15]	Eto Nabuli		10,028
Monday 16 March	2	West Tigers	Campbelltown Stadium	4-22^[16]	Dane Nielsen		11,837
Saturday 21 March	3	Canberra Raiders	GIO Stadium	22-20^[17]	Trent Merrin, Jason Nightingale, Mitch Rein, Joel Thompson	Gareth Widdop (3/5)	11,774
Saturday 28 March	4	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles	Jubilee Oval	12-4^[18]	Jason Nightingale	Gareth Widdop (4)	12,087
Saturday 4 April	5	Newcastle Knights	Hunter Stadium	13-0^[19]	Eto Nabuli, Josh Dugan	Gareth Widdop (2/3) Benji Marshall (FG)	14,261
Sunday 12 April	6	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	ANZ Stadium	31-6^[20]	Josh Dugan, Peter Mata'utia, Tyson Frizell, Joel Thompson Euan Aitken	Gareth Widdop (5), Benji Marshall (FG)	20,273
Friday 17 April	7	Brisbane Broncos	Jubilee Oval	12-10^[21]	Eto Nabuli, Matt Cooper	Gareth Widdop (2/3)	13,029
Saturday 25 April	8	Sydney Roosters	Allianz Stadium	14-12^[22]	Peter Mata'utia, Mitch Rein	Gareth Widdop (3/4)	35,110
Monday 11 May	9	South Sydney Rabbitohs	ANZ Stadium	10-16^[23]	Gareth Widdop, Jason Nightingale	Gareth Widdop (1/3)	14,126
Sunday 17 May	10	Canberra Raiders	WIN Stadium	32-18^[24]	Gareth Widdop, Jason Nightingale, Euan Aitken, Joel Thompson, Benji Marshall	Gareth Widdop (6/7)	13,102^[25]
	11	BYE
Sunday 31 May	12	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	Jubilee Oval	42-6^[26]	Josh Dugan, Mitch Rein, Will Matthews, Jack de Belin, Peter Mata'utia, Eto Nabuli	Gareth Widdop (9)	18,011
Monday 8 June	13	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	ANZ Stadium	16-29^[27]	Gareth Widdop (2), Peter Mata'utia	Gareth Widdop (2/3)	27,291
	14	BYE
Monday 22 June	15	Sydney Roosters	Allianz Stadium	14-19^[28]	Peter Mata'utia, Gareth Widdop	Gareth Widdop (3)	10,185
Saturday 27 June	16	Parramatta Eels	Pirtek Stadium	12-16^[29]	Euan Aitken (2)	Gareth Widdop (2/3)	15,046
Saturday 4 July	17	North Queensland Cowboys	WIN Stadium	12-18^[30]	Euan Aitken, Mark Ioane	Gareth Widdop (2)	11,813^[31]
Sunday 12 July	18	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	Remondis Stadium	8-28^[32]	Charly Runciman (2)		12,792
Saturday 18 July	19	South Sydney Rabbitohs	Sydney Cricket Ground	8-24^[33]	Justin Hunt, Josh Dugan		18,217
Saturday 25 July	20	Melbourne Storm	McLean Park	4-24^[34]	Peter Mata'utia		14,532
Sunday 2 August	21	Newcastle Knights	Jubilee Oval	46-24^[35]	Josh Dugan, Mitch Rein, Gareth Widdop, Tyson Frizell, Benji Marshall, Will Matthews	Gareth Widdop (9)	10,236
Saturday 8 August	22	New Zealand Warriors	Westpac Stadium	36-0^[36]	Justin Hunt, Mitch Rein, Jake Marketo, Peter Mata'utia, Gareth Widdop, Tyson Frizell	Gareth Widdop (6/8)	18,317
Friday 14 August	23	Brisbane Broncos	Suncorp Stadium	6-32^[37]	Justin Hunt	Gareth Widdop (1)	33,480
Thursday 20 August	24	Penrith Panthers	WIN Stadium	19  - 12	Peter Mata'utia, Gareth Widdop	Gareth Widdop (5/5 (3 Penalty Goals)), Benji Marshall (FG)	9,145
Sunday 30 August	25	Gold Coast Titans	Cbus Super Stadium	26  - 28	Mitch Rein, Michael Cooper, Benji Marshall, Gareth Widdop	Gareth Widdop (5/5 (1 Penalty Goal))	12,335
Saturday 5 September	26	Wests Tigers	ANZ Stadium	32  - 30 (After Extra Time)	Euan Aitken (2), Josh Dugan, Eto Nabuli, Tyson Fritzell, Jason Nightingale	Josh Dugan (4/7 (1 Penalty Goal))

Players

Player
	21	0	0	0	0
	19	4	0	0	16
	20	1	0	0	4
	17	0	0	0	0
	18	1	0	0	4
	18	6	0	0	24
	12	0	0	0	0
	17	3	0	0	12
	5	0	0	0	0
	1	0	0	0	0
	3	0	0	0	0
	6	3	0	0	12
	2	0	0	0	0
	3	1	0	0	4
	16	0	0	0	0
	15	1	0	0	4
	19	2	0	2	10
	17	7	0	0	28
	13	2	0	0	8
	16	1	0	0	4
	11	5	0	0	20
	2	1	0	0	4
	15	4	0	0	16
	3	0	0	0	0
	1	0	0	0	0
	20	5	0	0	20
	7	0	0	0	0
	2	2	0	0	8
	17	3	0	0	12
	21	7	60	0	148

Source= ^[38]

Notes and References

1. News: Proszenko. Adrian. St George Illawarra sign former Maroons centre Dane Nielsen, while Adam Blair heads to Brisbane. 16 August 2015. The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. 18 November 2014.
2. News: Horne. Ben. Fijian Nabuli signs with NRL Dragons. 16 August 2015. NRL.com. 7 October 2014.
3. News: NRL transfers: Dragons sign Kris Keating, release Kyle Stanley. 16 August 2015. Fox Sports Australia.
4. News: George Rose Signs With St George Illawarra Dragons. 16 August 2015. Triple M. Southern Cross Austereo. 28 October 2014.
5. News: Smith. Tony. Ex-Canterbury Bulls star scores Dragons deal. 16 August 2015. stuff.co.nz. Fairfax New Zealand. 4 October 2014.
6. News: Heath L'Estrange, Beau Henry sign with St George-Illawarra Dragons. 16 August 2015. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 29 October 2014.
7. News: Brady. Jack. Tuimavave-Gerrard pursues NRL dream. 16 August 2015. NRL.com. 24 November 2014.
8. News: Dragons Sack Dane Nielsen. 16 August 2015. Triple M Sydney. Southern Cross Austereo. 5 May 2015.
9. News: Carayannis. Michael. New Canterbury Bulldogs signing Brett Morris says he'll always have a soft spot for St George Illawarra Dragons. 16 August 2015. Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. 10 November 2014.
10. News: Glover. Ben. Gerard Beale, Kyle Stanley sign with Cronulla Sharks after exit from St George Illawarra Dragons. 16 August 2015. Fox Sports Australia. News Corp Australia. 19 November 2014.
11. News: Brady. Jack. Bird signs two-year deal with Sharks. 16 August 2015. NRL.com. 18 September 2014.
12. News: Keeble. Brett. Rick Stone ready to slot Jack Stockwell into Newcastle Knights team. 16 August 2015. Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. 27 February 2015.
13. News: Wilson. Chris. Returning Raider Sam Williams doesn't regret Dragons defection. 16 August 2015. Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. 19 September 2014.
14. News: Salford Red Devils: Matt Groat and Luke Menzies join for 2015. 16 August 2015. BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 2 September 2014.
15. News: Ritchie. Dean. Dragons v Storm: Josh Dugan goes down as St George Illawarra lose scrappy affair to Melbourne. 16 August 2015. Fox Sports Australia. News Corp Australia. 10 March 2015.
16. News: Encarnacion. Matt. Tigers' Tedesco burns Dragons early. 16 August 2015. NRL.com. 16 March 2015.
17. News: Brady. Jack. Dragons surge home to sink Raiders. 16 August 2015. NRL.com. 21 March 2015.
18. News: Edgerton. Rick. Dragons overcome injury hit Sea Eagles. 16 August 2015. LeagueUnlimited. 28 March 2015.
19. News: Robertson. Josh. Wind and Rain not a problem for the Dragons. 16 August 2015. LeagueUnlimited. 4 April 2015.
20. News: Brady. Jack. Dragons trounce depleted Dogs. 16 August 2015. NRL.com. 12 April 2015.
21. News: Brady. Jack. Cooper leads Red V to victory. 16 August 2015. NRL.com. 17 April 2015.
22. News: Hooper. James. NRL 2015: Stubborn Dragons overcome Roosters, storm, hail, and ref blunders to make it six straight wins. 16 August 2015. The Daily Telegraph. News Corp Australia. 25 April 2015.
23. News: Nicolussi. Christian. Dragons beaten by Rabbitohs, with NRL hot run brought to an end by some tough referee calls. 16 August 2015. The Daily Telegraph. News Corp Australia. 11 May 2015.
24. News: NRL round-up: England star Gareth Widdop shines in Dragons win. 16 August 2015. Sky Sports. Sky plc. 17 May 2015.
25. Web site: NRL: Dragons v Raiders. AUStadiums. 16 August 2015.
26. News: Crawley. Paul. Dragons v Sharks: St George Illawarra fire to thrash Cronulla in demolition derby. 16 August 2015. The Daily Telegraph. News Corp Australia. 31 May 2015.
27. News: Crawley. Paul. Bulldogs v Dragons: Young gun Moses Mbye kicks field-goal to win it for Canterbury. 16 August 2015. The Daily Telegraph. News Corp Australia. 8 June 2015.
28. News: Kennedy. Chris. Roosters hold out fast-finishing Dragons. 16 August 2015. NRL.com. 22 June 2015.
29. News: Kennedy. Chris. Eels shrug off horror week with tense win. 16 August 2015. NRL.com. 27 June 2015.
30. News: Zemek. Steve. No Thurston, no worries for Cowboys. 16 August 2015. NRL.com. 4 July 2015.
31. Web site: NRL: Dragons v Cowboys. AUStadiums. 16 August 2015.
32. News: Crawley. Paul. Sharks v Dragons: Ben Barba returns to form as Cronulla ease to strong derby victory. 16 August 2015. The Daily Telegraph. News Corp Australia. 12 July 2015.
33. News: Kennedy. Chris. Rabbitohs compound Dragons' misery. 16 August 2015. NRL.com. 18 July 2015.
34. News: Botoulas. William. Storm v Dragons: Five key points. 16 August 2015. NRL.com. 25 July 2015.
35. News: Crawley. Paul. Dragons v Knights: Benji Marshall winds back the clock as St George Illawarra snap losing streak. 16 August 2015. The Daily Telegraph. News Corp Australia. 2 August 2015.
36. News: Rosser. Corey. Dragons lose Benji but thump Warriors. 16 August 2015. NRL.com. 8 August 2015.
37. News: Harris. Matt. Hunt and Milford inspire big Broncos win. 16 August 2015. NRL.com. 14 August 2015.
38. Web site: NRL 2015 - St George Illawarra Dragons. Rugby League Project. 25 August 2015.