A simple conclusion is that without the influence of this powerful Illawarra connection is that it is highly likely that the Dragons would still be waiting for its 16 premiership.
It is a simple conclusion to make, but I believe the argument is a little more complex.
St George has been recruiting players from the Illawarra since the 1920s. In fact, everything south of the Cooks River was known as Illawarra in those days. The region has always been a 'big backyard' for Rugby League and a great nursery for St George in particular.
The other fact is we no longer have any residential rules dictating where players can play. There is nothing to stop any player, regardless of their junior club, playing for any team if the contract suits both parties. Nowadays we talk about feeder clubs and players who are part of an NRL club's 'system'. But of course, even this does guarantee that a player won't be signed up by another club. Plenty of Illawarra juniors play for other clubs in the NRL.
Look at Easts, they don't have great local junior base to draw on, and heavily rely on recruiting from elsewhere. Yet, this doesn't stop them winning a premiership.
So we don't know how much credit the JV agreement can take for the 2010 premiership.
If the Steelers were simply relegated in 1999 and St George continued without the JV, it's likely we would have established an alternative arrangement with the Illawarra, and many of the same players could have found themselves in the Red V anyway.