St. George Illawarra Dragons 2024 season review
Overview
Although they narrowly missed out on the top eight, 2024 was a year of huge progress for the Dragons. Under new head coach Shane Flanagan, they found themselves on the cusp of a return to finals footy for the first time since 2018, but it wasn’t quite to be.
They found themselves inside the eight with two rounds left to go, but a poor performance against the Eels in round 26 saw their finals hopes go up in smoke.
They then wrapped the year up with a two-point loss against the Raiders, although by that point, their fate was out of their hands.
Despite the disappointment though, there were plenty of positives to take going into next year for the Red Vee.
Highs
The Shane Flanagan era got off to the best possible start with a 4-28 win on the Gold Coast. A 10-22 win at Penrith was another highlight, and they backed it up with a 56-14 hammering of Wests Tigers the following weekend.
They also managed to hover around the top eight all year and had their fate in their own hands with a couple of rounds to spare. A far cry from their dismal 2023 campaign where they finished 16th and won just five games.
Lows
Progress is one thing, but the way the Dragons fell short in the end will have been tough to take. Their loss against a poor Eels outfit in round 26 was the killer blow, and they should be better for the experience next year.
There were also some heavy losses throughout the season, including an 18-60 thrashing by the Roosters on ANZAC Day, but overall there were far more positives than negatives for the Dragons after the past few years.
Reasons to be positive in 2025
The Dragons have already announced a couple of big signings for next year, with Origin stars Damien Cook and Valentine Holmes joining.
Holmes has already won a Premiership under Shane Flanagan at Cronulla, and while talk of another one at the Dragons may be a bit premature, his arrival is a significant coup for the club.
My 2024 prediction – 14th
Final 2024 position – 11th (+3)
I wasn’t a million miles away with this prediction, so I’ll take it. As expected, the Dragons din’t quite have enough in them to make the top eight, but 2024 was a year of solid progress and they’re capable of kicking on again next year.
