Warriors aim to reverse awful Dragons run

Michael Burgess

If the Warriors are to prevail against St George-Illawarra tonight, they must overcome a remarkable historical hex.

The Dragons have been the Auckland club’s toughest opponents, holding an apparent hoodoo over the Warriors dating back to 1999.

In 26 previous clashes, the Warriors have enjoyed only five victories against the joint venture club. That win percentage (19.2 per cent) is their lowest against any NRL opponent. The streak includes only one win in the past 14 clashes, and just two since 2004.

It’s difficult to fathom, as the Dragons, once a powerhouse in the 1960s and ’70s, haven’t always been heavyweights in the NRL era. They had a solid run in the 2000s, reaching the finals in nine years out of 12 during 2000-11, and made two grand finals, winning in 2010. But they have made the top eight only once in the past seven years — and yet have still dominated the Warriors in that time.

Along the way, there have been some season-defining defeats. In 2013, the Warriors’ top eight hopes were extinguished by a meek 19-10 loss at Kogarah in the last game of the season, while an awful 31-12 loss at Eden Park in round two the following year indicated that the issues with Matt Elliott’s regime hadn’t been resolved.

A 36-0 drubbing in Wellington was a low point of the 2015 season, and the 26-12 loss in Hamilton last year was a sign that the project under Stephen Kearney had a long way to go.

Even back in 1995, the Warriors were smashed 47-14 by a Gorden Tallisinspired St George team in an eighttries-to-three thrashing, which dulled some of the early optimism and hype around the new venture.

Since his 2005 NRL debut, Simon Mannering has just one win in 13 attempts against the red and white V.

That was a 44-16 victory at Mt Smart in 2007, with Mannering (two), Wade McKinnon, George Gatis and Jerome Ropati among the try scorers.

“I’m not sure why they have that record,” said Mannering. “I don’t think there is a particular reason and there can be a few factors. But the Dragons always have tough, competitive teams [and] they are always a challenge.”