It’s shaping as the season’s surprise blockbuster and the outcome of the Dragons clash with the Bulldogs this weekend has major finals ramifications for both sides.
At the start of the season both sides were given next to no chance of qualifying for the finals, an understandable reality given their 2023 struggles.
Yet, both have overcome external doubt to be well in the hunt for finals football this season, leaving their Round 23 clash at Kogarah oval billed as “an absolute epic” by Fox League’s James Hooper.
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It’s a major statement that sums up not just where both sides are heading into the weekend, with Bulldog sitting fifth, within touching distance of the top four, and the Dragons eighth after a big win over Melbourne last time out.
Not only that, Hooper’s comments are a testament to the progression of both side’s this season, after they finished 15th and 16th last season.
While much has been made of the growth of the Bulldogs this year, a turnaround inspired by coaching brilliance and arecruitment drive previously billed as full of misfits, utilities – and Stephen Crichton – but has since been celebrated as a masterstroke.
Rightly so, the Bulldogs have received widespread plaudits for their consistent progression this year, which has seen them grow from top eight hopefuls into fringe premiership contenders.
But the Dragons have also improved heavily this year, inspired by their own coaching brilliance from Shane Flanagan and underrated, but impressive, off-season recruitment drive.
Speaking on Monday night’s NRL 360, veteran The Daily Telegraph journalist Phil Rothfield labelled St George’s 2024 recruits as “the red reject shop.”
Clarifying his point further, Rothfield noted “half of that team was unwanted at their previous clubs.”
“They’ve pulled together misfits (and) castoffs and they’re a deadset top eight chance.”
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In the 2023 off-season, Flanagan recruited several new faces for his Dragons rebuild, including former Bulldogs Raymond Faitala-Mariner and Kyle Flanagan, as well as Tom Eisenhuth, Christian Tuipulotu, Hame Sele, Corey Allan and Luciano Leilua – all of whom were unwanted by their previous clubs.
On top of this, he ensured wantaway stars Ben Hunt and Zac Lomax remained at the club this season, with the pair performing to incredibly high standards, with Eels-bound Lomax cementing himself as an Origin superstar under Flanagan’s wing.
Rothfield credited the rebirth of the Dragons to “great coaching” from Flanagan, a premiership winning coach with the Sharks in 2016.
Hooper agreed with Rothfield, stating St George’s season is a “definite example of great coaching.”
“You go back to last season, they had all sorts of issues,” Hooper added.
“Shane Flanagan changed the way that they trained (and) made some other significant changes around the club.”
Gordon Tallis, who played 54 games for St George in the 1990s, credited his former club for the way “they just keep on turning up.”
“There’s no doubt that they’re fitter. There’s a bit more steel in the jersey. They compete hard on every play.
“They’re building nicely,” he said, adding that the match up with the Bulldogs this Saturday night is “so big.”
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Not only is this weekend’s clash monumental for the final ramifications of the outcome, with a win further pushing the Bulldogs claim for a top four finish, while the two points would further entrench the Dragons in the eight, there is also a grudge match element to the contest.
Speaking on Tuesday morning’s Big Sports Breakfast, Channel Nine’s Danny Weidler explained “there is not a lot of love lost between these two clubs.”
“There’s not a lot of love lost between (the Bulldogs and Shane Flanagan,” he said.
This bad blood stems from when the Bulldogs hired current head coach Cameron Ciraldo “without even giving Flanagan an interview.”
“That says what the Bulldogs think of Shane Flanagan,” he added.
On top of this, several of the current Dragons roster have previously called Canterbury home in Kyle Flanagan, Raymond Faitala-Mariner, Fa’amanu Brown and Moses Suli, adding an extra of “spite and fire” to the contest.
“If you hear anyone say it’s not personal, they’re kidding themselves,” Weidler said.
These sides last met in Round 12, a clash the Bulldogs won 44-12 after scoring 38 unanswered points.
Canterbury have lost just twice since that encounter, while St George have flown under the radar, beating Penrith, Brisbane and Melbourne.
Those form lines, mixed in with the bad blood between these two outfits and the fact both sides will clash at a sold out Nestrata Jubilee Stadium make for a mouthwatering blockbuster that no one would’ve seen coming at the start of the season.
Source Agencies
