Dragons officially off to worst start in NRL history, and the changes that must be made

The St George Illawarra Dragons are officially off to the worst start of the NRL era.

That dates all the way back to 1998, with the only other two teams winless through nine games being the Newcastle Knights of 2005, and the South Syney Rabbitohs of 2006.

The '05 Knights, even though they didn't finish the season with the worst of stats, started off by conceding 308 points in 9 games, with a for and against of minus 180.

The Rabbitohs in '06 found themselves marginally better off, conceding 304 points across 9 games, but with a for and against of only negative 150.

The Dragons this year have conceded 309 points in their 9 games, including 106 in their last 2, and hold a for and against of negative 185.

The Red V, now under the control of interim coach Dean Young, are running along at 34.3 points conceded per game, and an average losing margin of 20.6 points per game.

That, unless they can improve, will only challenge the end of season records of the 2016 Newcastle Knights, 2001 Penrith Panthers and 1999 Western Suburbs Magpies, who are commonly regarded as the worst team ever produced in the NRL era.

That Magpies team conceded a staggering 944 points in 1999 at 39.3 per game, and lost by an average margin of 27.5 points per game.

The '01 Panthers and '16 Knights were slightly better in those departments, while it was the Knights of 2016 who have won the least games of any team since 1998, picking up just a single victory.

The Dragons, it could be argued, are well on track to wrestle with the worst of all those records despite Young's asstertation in his post match press-conference that his side are 'improving'.

Improving in what way exactly is baffling.

They went into the halftime break on Saturday afternoon, at home and coming off a bye, having conceded 32 first half points to a Knights team who, while good, haven't exactly been consistently brilliant in recent times.

And yes, the Knights are back at pretty much full strength while the Dragons went into Saturday afternoon's fixture without two of their spine members in Daniel Atkinson and Jacob Liddle, but that is hardly an excuse for a playing group who must be running out of time to put results on the board for a tiring fan base.

Just a tick over 11,000 in attendance on Saturday, with probably half of them Newcastle fans, is not a good return for a beautiful Autumn afternoon in Wollongong - it's in fact pathetic, but not all that surprising given the way the club have been going about their business so far this year.

It's hard to blame the fan base for not turning out in their droves.

The rot started early on Saturday, and while the Dragons were okay for a few minutes, their edges turned into nothing more than red jersey wearing speed bumps once the points started for the Knights, particularly on the edges.

Greg Marzhew scored five, and Bradman Best scored another one that side of the park, while Dominic Young went over for a double on the other side of the park.

Plenty of those efforts came from long distance with the Dragons leaving gaps in their defence and missing tackles like they were going out of style, while when they did get the ball, errors were a regular part of the afternoon.

In the end, the Dragons made 13 errors and missed 35 tackles - a big number, but somehow not as big as the number in other games.

It has to be noted that Dean Young doesn't have a heap of options at his disposal when it comes to changes, but the squad needs a rocket, and the only way he is going to do that is by sending a message at the selection table.

Medicority won't be tolerated moving forward.

Valentine Holmes and Clint Gutherson, who was returning from injury, were awful on Saturday. Tyrell Sloan struggled enormously, and Setu Tu was made to look like a witches hat at a training drill by Greg Marzhew.

NRL Rd 1 – Dragons v Bulldogs — SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 08: Valentine Holmes of the Dragons warms up during the round one NRL match between St George Illawarra Dragons and Canterbury Bulldogs at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, on March 08, 2025, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

Gutherson probably gets another week because there are more pressing issues, but Valentine Holmes' time must be up, or else he could well shuffle out to the wing to see if there is any face to be saved there.

Hayden Buchanan has impressed in his limited first-grade opportunities, has looked every bit the part at NSW Cup level, and should take his spot next week.

Intriguingly, the Dragons' drop off commenced when Gutherson appeared to be playing injured in the final 20 minutes of that Round 2 game against the Melbourne Storm, so he moves back to full back, while Sloan probably survives, but on the wing, alongside Christian Tuipulotu, given Mathew Feagai's injury.

In truth, the Dragons can't get Phillip Sami and Scott Drinkwater to the club any quicker.

Daniel Atkinson, if fit, needs to come straight back into the number six jersey, and with the season gone, there is no point dropping Kade Reed - the more time in the top grade he can get under his belt, the better.

That is a sentiment which can be carried across to the forwards, who, again, for the most part, weren't the problem on Saturday.

Toby Couchman, Ryan Couchman, the returning Dylan Egan, Hamish Stewart and Loko Pasifiki Tonga, who for whatever reason continues to be relegated to the bench, were all strong.

What has become clear is that he should be starting ahead of Emre Guler, who should be lucky to hold his spot.

In his last six games, Guler is averaging just 60 metres per game with 25.5 of those post-contact, but playing 44.6 minutes per game. Pasifiki Tonga, on the other hand, is averaging 88.3 metres per game across his three first-grade efforts this year, with 38 of those post-contact, in just 29.6 minutes per game.

NRL Rd 14 – Dolphins v Dragons — BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 06: Loko Pasifiki Tonga of the Dragons takes on the defence during the round 14 NRL match between Dolphins and St George Illawarra Dragons at Suncorp Stadium, on June 06, 2025, in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

To add to that, Pasifiki Tonga is getting through more tackles per minute at a higher efficiency.

Luciano Leilua will return from suspension and should slot into Josh Kerr's second-row role. Kerr is another who has struggled at the Red V.

Hamish Stewart, rated a future club captain, has been maybe the Dragons' best this year, and any ideas that he shouldn't be starting need to be thrown out the back window.

Jacob Liddle could be due for a return, and slots straight onto the bench if so, while there is little doubt Ryan Couchman keeps his spot on the back of a fantastic season to date.

Jacob Halangahu also keeps his spot on the bench, and Blake Lawrie probably gets the other one, although not by much ahead of Hame Sele who was exceptional for the Dragons in the NSW Cup win on Saturday, or Josh Kerr who just hasn't been up to scratch since returning to the club from the Dolphins.

The Dragons c

NRL Rd 8 – Roosters v Dragons — SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 25: Toby Couchman of the Dragons is tackled during the round eight NRL match between the Sydney Roosters and St George Illawarra Dragons at Allianz Stadium on April 25, 2025, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

ould also easily make the argument for Cyrus Stanley-Traill or Ryan Hutchinson - both versatile forwards - to debut from the bench.

Both have been in strong form at reserve grade level, and wouldn't look out of place if Young does decide it's time to send a statement.

As ever, the issues for the Dragons are capitalising on their points, and not getting into position, so minor tweaks to the forward pack are more than enough.

What will concern the Red V is that they play the Penrith Panthers next weekend.

For a team who are now the worst in NRL history across nine games, to run into a juggernaut in incredible form at Magic Round, it may not be pretty.

It's a chance for the Dragons to say enough is enough. To say that the playing group isn't the problem.

Because right now, that's the only answer you can come up with. The head coach, an assistant coach and the general manager of football were all axed, and yet somehow, things got worse for a team who have been booed off the ground more than they have been applauded so far this season.