St. George Illawarra Dragons 2025 season review
Overview
It was another year of disappointment for the Dragons, who remain without a Finals finish since 2018.
They spent just one week inside the top eight in 2025 and lost their last four games of the year as their season petered out to a sorry end.
Coach Shane Flanagan’s refusal to replace son Kyle with new signing Lachlan Ilias also didn’t help their cause. Ilias played seven of the first eight rounds and wasn’t seen again in first grade, despite seemingly arriving as the club’s new halfback.
All in all, another poor year for the Red V, who finished 10 points shy of the Finals spots, and who continue to go nowhere in a hurry.
Highs
The Dragons did manage to beat both Grand Finalists in 2025, which proves what they’re capable of when they click into gear. In fact, half of their eight wins came against sides who finished in the top eight.
And whether it can be described as a ‘high’ or not is debatable, but 10 of their 16 losses were by 10 points or less. Proof if it was needed that they can compete, they just can’t last the distance.
Lows
There were some big losses throughout the year, including a 56-6 thrashing at the hands of the Dolphins.
That pales into insignificance compared with their 40-0 loss at the hands of the Rabbitohs in Round 25 though – a team who looked even less likely to play Finals than St. George.
And although I’ve mentioned it already, the refusal to give Lachlan Ilias a crack in first grade can’t have helped the team. If the Dragons had been winning without him then fair enough, but they weren’t, and Ilias was putting in some excellent displays in reserve grade, which still didn’t get him a call-up to the first grade side. Expect to see him elsewhere in 2026.
2025 RLB Player of the Year – Clint Gutherson
King Gutho had a solid first year at his new club, playing in all 24 games and proving himself to be a useful addition at fullback. He added seven tries and 16 try assists too.
Reasons to be positive in 2026
A number of youngsters saw plenty of game time in 2025, and they’ll continue to grow. Hamish Stewart, Loko Pasifiki Tonga, Jacob Halangahu and Hayden Buchanan all came into the side, while Dylan Egan was a standout.
There are still plenty of top players in the Dragons’ ranks too, like Valentine Holmes, Damien Cook and Clint Gutherson, so on paper at least they have a chance of sneaking into the top eight.
My 2025 prediction – 13th
Final 2025 position – 15th (-2)
Another very solid prediction that I’m pleased with. I never expected the Dragons to seriously trouble the top eight and they duly delivered. There are some good players in the squad, but I think it needs a major overhaul for them to start competing higher up the ladder.
