BULLDOGS v ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA
at ANZ STADIUM
5.30pm Saturday
HEAD TO HEAD
Played:
15 (1999-2007) Bulldogs 11, St George Illawarra 4
27 (1982-1998) Canterbury 22, Illawarra 5
131 (1935-1998) Canterbury 52, St George 74, drawn 5
First clashes:
Canterbury 24 beat St George Illawarra 18 at Kogarah, 1999 (Rd 2)
Canterbury beat Illawarra at Belmore, 1982 (Rd 6)
St George 91 beat Canterbury 6 at Earl Park, 1935 (Rd 5)
Grand Final clashes:
1942 Canterbury 11 beat St George 9
1979 St George 17 beat Canterbury 13
1985 Canterbury 7 beat St George 6
THE JERSEYS
The Dragons will wear St Georges red and white striped jersey worn by their first premiership winning side of 1941, with butcher stripes (their original jersey of 1921 had equal width stripes). The Bulldogs will run out in their original 1935 jersey, with blue and white stripes.
THE RIVALRY
In 1967, it was Canterbury who stopped St Georges world record 11 straight premiership run when they beat the Dragons 12-11 in the preliminary final; a goal from a scrum penalty from George Taylforth with five minutes remaining winning the match. The Berries had three former St George players in Taylforth, Kevin Ryan and John Greaves in what was Reg Gasniers last match for the Dragons.
One of the most dramatic clashes between the two sides in recent years wasnt a finals match but the last premiership game of 1987 the last match of rival coaches Roy Masters (St George) and Warren Ryan (Canterbury) with their respective clubs. Masters was chaired off after a 16-14 Dragons victory which knocked the Bulldogs out of the finals for the first time for five years.
There was drama aplenty in St Georges last clash as a separate entity, in the elimination semi-final at Koagarah Oval in 1998. The Bulldogs fought back from 12-0 down to win 20-12 after some controversial refereeing decisions by Steve Clark, who was abused and spat at as he left the field, requiring a police escort to depart the stadium.
A week earlier the Bulldogs had fought back to beat Illawarra in their last stand-alone match. A Craig Polla-Mounter field goal with 30 seconds remaining gave the Dogs a 25-24 victory, securing them ninth place in the 10-team final series. They went on to make the grand final against Brisbane but went down 38-12.
THE HISTORY
BULLDOGS
Entered competition: 1935
Premierships: Eight (1938, 1942, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1995 and 2004)
Most games: Hazem El Masri 275
Most points: Hazem El Masri 2,040
Most tries: Hazem El Masri 140
KEY EVENTS
1922 Canterbury-Bankstown Junior League is founded.
1935 Enter first grade but without a home ground. The club struggles in its maiden season, its only two victories coming against lowly University. A week after losing 87-7 to Easts, they were beaten by St George 91-6 a premiership record score that still stands.
1936 Moved to Belmore Oval, and leapt from last to finish in equal second place, earning a home semi-final (lost to premiers Easts).
1938 Secures the minor premiership (losing just one game) and then defeat Easts, the high-flying team of the decade, 19-6 in the premiership final, to win the clubs first premiership in just its fourth season.
1942 The Berries defeat St George 11-9 in a war-time grand final at the SCG.
1962 Canterbury defeat neighbours Wests 1410 in the final of the first pre-season competition.
1967 St Georges 11-season domination of the premiership is brought to an end by the Berries as they edge out Saints 12-11 in the preliminary final. Souths win the grand final 12-10 with a late penalty goal.
1979 Canterbury make the grand final after finishing fifth. St George lead the Bulldogs 17-2 at halftime but the Entertainers stage a second half comeback going down 17-13.
1980 In a team regarded as The Entertainers of Sydney football, Canterbury winger Steve Gearin scores one of the most spectacular tries in grand final history, wrapping up an 18-4 victory over Easts.
1984 The Bulldogs prevail 6-4 over the Eels to win the second of four premierships in the 1980s.
1985 Canterbury secure successive titles after bombing out St George 7-6. The terrible hammering Dragons fullback Glenn Burgess took fielding high kicks in his in-goal, then copping a repeat barrage, was a significant influence in the rule being changed from a line-drop out to quarter-line tap when bombs are caught in-goal.
1986 The Dogs Of War feature with arch-rivals Parramatta in the only tryless grand final in history; the Bulldogs going down 4-2 with all points from penalty goals.
1988 Canterbury claim their fourth premiership of the 80s, beating Balmain 24-12 in the first grand final played at the Sydney Football Stadium, giving Phil Gould his first premiership in his first season as coach. He is only the second man in history to achieve this (as non-playing coach) after Balmains Leo Nosworthy in 1969.
1995 Finishing the club rounds in sixth place and ranked as 50-1 outsiders, the Bulldogs sweep aside St George, Brisbane, Canberra and then Manly to take the premiership.
1998 Down 18-2 with 10 minutes left in a preliminary final, Canterbury snatch a stunning 32-20 extra-time victory over the Eels; the biggest comeback in finals history.
2003 The Bulldogs are stripped of 37 competition points when leading the competition with only three rounds to play. It is the biggest penalty ever handed a club for salary cap or any breach of the laws. CEO Bob Hagan was dumped over the affair and chairman Gary McIntyre was forced to stand down.
2004 The Bulldogs knock over the Sydney Roosters 16-13 to claim their eighth premiership; the win moves them into fifth place on the all-time premiership tally.
DID YOU KNOW?
Canterbury hooker George Peponis is the first Greek and only doctor to have captained Australia (in 1979-80).
Michael Hagan played three grand finals in three positions in the 1980s five-eighth in 1985, centre in 1986 and halfback in 1988.
Bulldogs fullback Phil Sigsworth is last player sent off in a grand final for a high tackle on Parramattas Brett Kenny in 1986.
When Phil Gould won the premiership with the Bulldogs in his first season in 1988, he was the youngest non-playing coach to win a title at age 30.
Six of Canterburys run on side in the 1980 grand finals comprised of two sets of brothers the Mortimers (Steve, Peter and Chris) and the Hughes (Garry, Mark and Graeme) unique in grand final history. All six played in the 1979 grand final but Mark Hughes came off the bench.
ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA
Entered competition: 1999
Premierships: None
Most games: Ben Hornby 156
Most points: Mark Riddell 517
Most tries: Nathan Blacklock 100
ST GEORGE
Entered competition: 1921
Premierships: 15 (1941, 1949, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965,
1966, 1977, 1979)
Most games: Norm Provan 256
Most points: Graeme Langlands 1,554
Most tries: Johnny King 143
ILAWARRA
Entered competition: 1982
Premierships: None
Most games: Michael Bolt 167
Most points: Rod Wishart 1,044
Most tries: Rod Wishart 68
KEY EVENTS
1908 A meeting at Rockdale fails to establish a St George team for the NSW Rugby Leagues first season, only public meeting that did not gain enough support when came to vote players walked out.
1920 The NSWRL drops Annandale from the premiership and grants entry to St George.
1921 St George begin their first season with a 4-3 loss to Glebe.
1928 A Saints-Balmain game at Earl Park, Arncliffe, ends in an ugly crowd riot. St George spectators ripped off timber fence palings and raced onto the ground at full-time. In an unsavoury match, Dragons forward Harry Flowers had been sent off but Tigers opponent Tony Russell was later only cautioned after he kicked local favourite George Carstairs in the head. As the siren sounded, Tigers player George Bishop took off after a Dragons player who had punched him, inciting the crowd even further. Hundreds of angry St George fans invaded the field, most in search of Russell. Baton waving police tried helplessly to keep the rioters at bay but angry fans continue the riot, for over an hour, one branding an axe.
1935 St George thrash Canterbury 91-6; a premiership record score that still stand.
1941 Saints claim their first premiership, defeating Easts 318 in the decider.
1956 The games greatest winning run an era featuring legends such as Ken Kearney, Norm Provan, Reg Gasnier, Johnny Raper, Ian Walsh, Graeme Langlands and Billy Smith begins as Saints claim the first of 11 consecutive premierships.
1959 St George become the sixth first-grade side to go through a season unbeaten.
1963 On the day the famous Gladiators photograph of Norm Provan and Wests Arthur Summons is taken, Saints win premierships in all three grades.
1965 An Australian record crowd, officially listed as 78,056 but probably 10,000 higher, ignore the ground full signs and spill onto roofs and inside the perimeter fence to watch Norm Provans last match and the Dragons 10th straight premiership victory, a 12-8 grand final win against Souths.
1977 A young team coached by Harry Bath overcome Parramatta 22-0 in the first grand final replay, after the premiership decider was 9-all at the SCG. Two years later, the club wins its 15th title and second under Bath.
1982 The Illawarra Steelers make their premiership debut, losing 17-7 to Penrith. Their coach is 1969 Balmain premiership player Alan Fitzgibbon who had built up an enviable record with local side Dapto.
1992 Illawarra win a semi-final at their first attempt, defeating St George 18-16 in the major preliminary semi. Two weeks later, the Saints prevail 4-0 in the preliminary final but Brisbane win the grand final 28-8.
1995 Steelers coach Graham Murray becomes the only coach to lose his job because of allegiances to the proposed Super League as Illawarra stays loyal to the ARL. He is replaced by understudy Andrew Farrar.
1998 At the end of the season, the Dragons and the Steelers form the games first joint venture, on the lure of an $11 million grant from the NRL.
1999 St George Illawarra reach the grand final in their first season, but a penalty try three minutes from fulltime gives Melbourne victory in front of 107,999 fans at Stadium Australia.
DID YOU KNOW?
Illawarras played their first premiership match against Penrith in 1982; their captain was John Dorahy, while coach Allan Fitzgibbon (father of current Roosters captain, Craig), had great success with local club Dapto.
Bob Millward was the only CEO in Steelers lifespan; after being secretary of Illawarra division, he held the job from 1981 to 1998, before becoming managing director of the joint venture club.
Eleven of the world-record breaking Dragon sides of the 1956-66 were selected in the games 100 greatest players Ken Kearney, Harry Bath, Norm Provan, John Raper, Reg Gasnier, Graeme Langlands, Ian Walsh, Eddie Lumsden, Brian Clay, Billy Smith and Johnny King.
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