Similarly, to the Newcastle Knights, the St George Illawarra Dragons were left in the lurch after the departure of legendary coach Wayne Bennett and experienced some seriously lean years, having to contend with an aging and overpaid roster.
However, off the back of a major recruitment and retention overhaul led by club legend and now head coach Paul ‘Mary’ McGregor and Director of list management Ian Milward, the Dragons have assembled a roster stocked full of representative talent.
While the squad the Red V currently have at their disposal is impressive, this came about as a result of a large-scale revamp in Wollongong, with more than a few favourite sons of the club forced out the door.
Here are the top 10 players the Dragons have let go, not re-signed or released since 2000.
The players have been listed in accordance with the contribution they made whilst at the Dragons as well as considering the influence they have had at the clubs they left the Dragons for.
Honourable mentions: Brett Morris, Luke Bailey, Trent Merrin, Jamie Soward, Trent Barrett
An Illawarra junior having plied his trade with the Thirroul Butchers, Matt Prior forged a reputation as a reliable utility for the Dragons in the late 2000s featuring regularly off the bench, in the second row and also providing cover in the centres.
A constant figure for the Dragons following his debut in 2008, Prior went onto feature for his junior club on 121 occasions over his six-years, which included the 2010 premiership triumph over the Roosters.
Having been named in the 2011 “Blues in waiting” squad by Ricky Stuart, Prior was clearly earmarked for higher honours. However, the Dragons did not see eye to eye with Stuart, opting against re-signing Prior when his contract expired at the end of 2013.
He was subsequently snapped up by local rivals the Sharks and has had his game completely transformed since arriving in the Shire thanks to ex-head coach Shane Flanagan. Having been a handy edge utility at the Dragons, Prior was quickly transitioned into the front-row after joining the Sharks, utilising his height, speed, and power to great effect in contact.
Since this move, Prior has become a perpetual force for the Sharks in the number 10 jersey, going onto be one of the unsung heroes of their 2016 premiership triumph. While he did not regularly receive plaudits from fans and commentators alike, his consistent form was noticed by Blues coach Brad Fittler and was subsequently handed his State of Origin debut for Game II of the Blues victorious 2018 series.
Having not received major fan-fare when he joined Cronulla, Prior has been one of their best signings in the last decade, averaging over 100 running metres per game in all but one of his five full seasons since joining the club. A quiet achiever, Prior typifies the no-nonsense mantra that ex-coach Shane Flanagan has instilled in the previously perennial underachievers.
While Luke Patten was widely known amongst NRL fans for his legendary 10-year, 225 game stint in the blue and white of Canterbury-Bankstown, he actually came through the ranks at the Illawarra Steelers before joining the St George Illawarra joint venture.
An Illawarra junior, the man nicknamed ‘the general’ would feature 44 times for St George Illawarra across two seasons predominantly at fullback, including their 1999 Grand Final loss to newcomers the Melbourne Storm.
Although he was clearly talented, the Dragons did not see Patten as the long-term heir to the fullback jersey and as a result, was quickly snapped up by the Steve Folkes coached Bulldogs.
What preceded seemingly no-one at the Dragons would have predicted, with the general going onto feature 225 times for the Bulldogs, including three Country Origin appearances, a premiership, two Bulldogs player of the year awards and being named in the NSW Blues squad during the 2009 Origin series.
During his 10 year stay at Belmore, Patten would forge a reputation as one of the games hardest working and most superstitious players, someone who relied on his tactical nous to make up for his physical shortcomings.
Fiercely competitive and immensely fit, Patten’s success story is one of sacrifice and hard work above all, two traits that the Dragons desperately lacked in the pre and post-Wayne Bennett era.
After a tumultuous but prolific opening to his career at hometown club the Canberra Raiders, Josh Dugan was sacked by his junior club following the now infamous rooftop drinking session with Blake Ferguson, but that wasn’t enough to deter the Dragons who snapped him up on a short-term deal for the remainder of the 2013 season.
Having forged a reputation as a dangerous ball-running fullback during his time in the nation’s capital, Dugan bulked up substantially in his first pre-season in Wollongong to become the 102 kg behemoth we now know.
Having joined the Dragons when they were consistently down the bottom end of the ladder with an abysmal attack, over the following years Dugan would drag the Red V to many a victory almost single-handedly, with his attacking instincts the only thing keeping the Dragons from the dreaded wooden spoon.
Having joined St George Illawarra as a notorious bad boy, the next five years would go as well as the Dragons' hierarchy and faithful could have hoped, with Dugan becoming a member of Dragons’ leadership group, as well as cementing himself as a regular for both the Blues and Kangaroos at representative level.
Coming off-contract at the end of 2017 and having cemented himself as the Dragons' go-to attacking weapon, in his contract negotiations Dugan was asking for top-line fullback money, whereas the Dragons saw the Tuggeranong junior as a centre, and offered him a contract that they thought reflected that value.
Unable to bridge the gap between the two parties in terms of both monetary and positional desires, Dugan subsequently signed with local rivals the Cronulla Sharks on a four-year $750,000 a season deal, which later came under scrutiny when the Sharks were convicted of salary cap cheating in early 2019.
Ironically, Dugan has gone onto feature predominantly for the Sharks in the centres, the very position he left the Dragons to avoid. Regardless of this, Dugan is no doubt a star player, with his evasive ball-running style making him one of the game’s most damaging outside backs having already made an astounding 53 tackle breaks in 2019.
With the Dragons enduring a slow start to the year and regularly changing their outside back combinations, you can bet that Paul McGregor rues the day he let Josh Dugan walk out the door.
While he may have had a slower start to 2019 than he would like, that shouldn’t take away from what 31-year-old Darius Boyd has achieved throughout his career.
After displaying great talent as winger coming through the ranks at the Broncos, Darius Boyd would follow father-figure Wayne Bennett to the Illawarra to join the Dragons ahead of the 2009 season.
Having not been afforded many opportunities in the number 1 whilst at Red Hill, Boyd was parachuted into the fullback role immediately at the Dragons and to great effect.
During his three-year, 71 game stint in the Red V, Boyd would cement himself as the premier ball-playing fullback in the game, regularly providing the final pass to a winger or centre out the back of block plays. This form would similarly make him the Maroons and Kangaroos go-to winger during his stint at the Dragons, forming a prolific combination with fellow Queenslander Greg Inglis at representative level.
After Wayne Bennett signed a four-year deal with the Newcastle Knights and having inserted a get-out clause should Bennett depart the club in his own contract, Boyd would once again follow his mentor to a new club.
While his time in the Hunter Valley may not have been as productive as he would have liked, Boyd has gone onto re-find his best form again after returning to Brisbane. Once again cementing himself as the NRL’s premier ball-playing fullback.
In that time Boyd has improved substantially, both on and off the field. Having mended his seemingly untenable relationship with the media, Boyd has gone onto be named the captain of the Broncos. Under his leadership, they would return to the top of the NRL pecking order and come within literally a second of a premiership against the Cowboys in 2015.
While his career has been littered with controversies, Boyd will still go down as the 2nd greatest try-scorer of all time for the Maroons, and in his day was a fine demonstration of how the fullback position has evolved in the professional era. Having lacked any ball-playing threat in the fullback jersey since his departure and a commanding leader in defence, the Dragons now can only wish that they held onto the Kangaroos stalwart.
Widely regarded as the game’s pre-eminent niggler and regularly referred to as one of “the games most hated players”, Michael Ennis bounced between short stints at the Newcastle Knights, St George Illawarra Dragons, and Brisbane Broncos before establishing himself as a top-class hooker at the Bulldogs.
Ennis’ sole season at the Dragons was in 2005, then a brash 21-year-old still trying to make his name in the sport, the menace made 24 appearances for the red and white’s, being forced to share the hooking duties with future Dragons legend Dean Young.
The Dragons would go within one match of the Grand Final that year, going down to eventual premiers the Wests Tigers. After a consistent season for the Red V, the Dragons opted against re-signing Ennis, alternatively entrusting Dean Young as their long-term hooker.
Ennis would then go onto join the Brisbane Broncos, where with limited opportunities across his three-year stint, playing 43 games across the three seasons, he would establish himself as one of the game’s premier up and coming hookers. With his performances drawing the eye of the Bulldogs, who would promptly sign him up to a three-year deal.
As they say, the rest is history, with Ennis going onto forge himself into the niggler we now all know, but I can’t say all love. He made an immediate impact at the Bulldogs, with his brilliant early season form earning him an NSW State of Origin jumper in his first season at Belmore, and going onto be named club captain in 2011, only two years after joining.
Ennis would go onto make a further eight appearances for NSW, with his combative and in-your-face style of play perfectly suited to the Origin arena. However, Ennis’ subtle ball-playing and deft short-kicking game where also valuable traits he utilised throughout his glittering career.
Ennis would eventually depart the Bulldogs at the end of the 2014 season and would go onto win a well-earned premiership with new club the Sharks.
While he may not have been the most physically imposing or naturally skilled player, former Bulldogs coach Kevin Moore summed up the player Ennis was quite concisely after re-signing with the Bulldogs in 2011, saying “Mick is the kind of player that any head coach would love to have in his side. He leaves nothing to chance, he’s a natural leader, is about the fittest bloke in the team and gives us outstanding direction on and off the field.”
A Dragons junior having been educated at Illawarra Sports High School and playing his junior rugby league with the Helensburgh Tigers, Damien Cook has made a name as being one of the most explosive players in the game.
After leaving high school, Cook departed his hometown to play for the Penrith Panthers NYC team in 2010 and 2011, before heading home to play for the Illawarra Cutters in 2012 and earning a first-grade contract with the St George Illawarra Dragons for the 2013 season.
In Cook’s short stint at his hometown club, he would play only two games of first grade, featuring predominantly as a fullback or five-eighth for the Dragons feeder side. With his impressive performances in the NSW Cup earning him a spot in the NSW Cup Team of the Year.
These impressive performances in reserve grade caught the eye of the Bulldogs, with the Belmore based club signing Cook to two-year deal commencing in 2014.
This deal with the Bulldogs would prove to be a stepping stone for Cook, once again being afforded limited opportunities, making only seven appearances. However, in those appearances Cook proved himself to be a livewire out of dummy half, using his startling pace to cut open opposition teams around the ruck.
Cook’s performances led to a two-year contract with the Rabbitohs, joining the red and green in the hope of nailing down the number 9 jersey, and Cook’s stocks since heading to Redfern have skyrocketed. He has gone onto live up to all the promise he showed in his short stints at the Bulldogs, with his pace out of dummy half making him the game’s premier attacking hooker.
Heading into his fourth year at Souths, Cook has established himself as the Blues and Kangaroos number one hooker after a breakout 2018 in which he was named Dally M Hooker of the Year.
This fine form at representative and NRL level lead to the Rabbitohs rewarding Cook with a mammoth five-year $4.5 million dollar contract, which should keep Cook in Rabbitohs colours until the end of his career.
While the Morris family have been incredible servants to the St George Dragons, and St George Illawarra merger respectively, the Red V hierarchy will no doubt rue the day they let Josh Morris walk out the door.
Born and raised in Dragons heartland at Kiama and having played his junior football for the Kiama Knights, Morris would go onto make his first-grade debut for his local club in 2007 and played a variety of position across his two-year, 46 game stint for the Dragons.
However, sadly for the Morris family, Josh had to depart the Dragons at the end of the 2009 season, due to a mixture of “salary cap” issues according to father Steve and not being viewed as a player of great promise by new coach Wayne Bennett.
As a result, Morris signed with the Bulldogs in hope of securing a regular spot in the centres and injury permitting he did so. Having bounced around the backline at St George Illawarra, Morris cemented himself as the Bulldogs' starting left centre, with his impressive form earning himself his State of Origin debut for the Blues in Game II of the 2009 series, as well as featuring in the Kangaroos touring squad for the end of season Four Nations tour.
In the following years, Morris has forged a name as the game's premier defensive centre, often handed the task of man-marking Greg Inglis in the State of Origin and doing so to great effect. However, Morris is equally effective on the attacking end, registering 129 tries and 55 try assists from his 275 NRL appearances, equating to 0.66 try involvements per game throughout his career.
Only three years after departing the Dragons having not been viewed as a player of promise by Wayne Bennett, Morris was named Dally M Centre of the Year and would go onto feature in six Tests for the Kangaroos and 15 Origins for the Blues. Cementing himself in Blues folklore in Game I of the 2014 series, chasing down and tackling a rampaging Greg Inglis after being told he had injured his ACL mere moments prior.
While the Dragons were never lacking quality centres, with Matt Cooper and Mark Gasnier owning the three and four jerseys for the majority of their playing days, the career and achievements of Josh Morris can never be called into question.
The name Gasnier is as synonymous with the Dragons' brand as the famous red V, and the nephew of Dragons legend Reg certainly did the Gasnier name no shame during his 175-game career at the red and whites.
Having been educated at Peakhurst High School and playing all his juniors with the famous Renown United club, you’d be hard pressed to find a more loyal and devout Dragon than Mark Gasnier.
Then a fresh-faced 18-year old Gasnier made his debut in round eight of the 2000 season against the Newcastle Knights, and would immediately cement himself as the joint venture's first choice centre, with his subtle step and palm fooling many a defender in his early years.
While the prospect of another Gasnier coming along and knocking the legendary Reg off his perch was hard to fathom, Mark did his best to do so over the next eight years. Alongside Matt Cooper, Gasnier would forge the most lethal centre pairing in the NRL, cementing himself as the Blues and Kangaroos' first choice right centre in the formative years of his career.
While his centre partner Matt Cooper forged a name as the NRL’s premier defensive centre, Gasnier was making a name for himself on the attacking end. Utilising his hulking frame and surprising turn of pace to bamboozle many an opposition defender. This attacking prowess would see Gasnier named Dally M Centre of the Year in consecutive seasons between 2005 and 2006.
After cementing himself into Dragons history as one of their greats and having been allowed to sign a contract extension in 2005 in which the following four seasons were options in Gasnier’s favour, he sought a new challenge in 2008 and signed a two-year €600,000 deal with French club Stade Français.
Gasnier enjoyed a prolific time in the French Top 14, becoming known by fans as “Les Gaz” and coming 3rd in the top try scorers list in his second season in Paris.
Gasnier went onto re-join his beloved Dragons at the conclusion of his contract in Paris, signing a four-and-a-half-year deal commencing in mid-2010. Following his return, the Dragons would finally claim an elusive premiership, and his good form would see him selected in the 2011 State of Origin series.
While Gasnier was an incredible servant to the Red V and will go down as one of the club’s all-time greats, no club would want to miss out on the talents of a man labelled by Phil Gould as the “second-best centre three-quarter ever” for two-years during his prime.
Born in Queanbeyan and having spent three years in the Canberra Raiders lower-grades after graduating from Erindale College, Brent Kite made his debut for the Dragons against local rivals the Sharks in 2002.
Kite forged a reputation as a back-rower in his early days at the Dragons with notable size and strength, before being transitioned to prop by Nathan Brown in his final season at the Dragons in 2004.
After showing great promise in the prop position and playing all three Origins for NSW in the 2004 series, the Dragons decided to release Kite due to salary cap constraints, and the NSW representative was snapped up by the Sea Eagles on a four-year deal.
An extremely mobile forward for a man of his size, Kite’s move to the peninsula would prove to be an inspired one, with the Canberra junior cementing himself as one of the finest props in the game and featuring regularly for the Blues and Kangaroos over the following years.
While at the time Kite was one of the most sought-after players on the market, no one at Manly would have expected what Kite went onto achieve at Brookvale. In his nine years at the Sea Eagles, Kite would feature 221 times, win two premierships, and win a Clive Churchill medal thanks to his efforts in the 2008 Grand Final.
While Kite’s swansong at Penrith finished sadly due to a broken leg, the Tongan representative can look back on his career with great fondness having racked up 20 tests for Australia and Tonga, as well as 10 Origins for NSW, achievements that no doubt Dragons fans and hierarchy wished he could have done in the Red V.
While almost all NRL fans will remember Craig Fitzgibbon for his time in the tri-colours of the Sydney Roosters, Fitzgibbon actually hails from the South Coast having played his junior football with Dapto before joining the Illawarra Steelers, and then the joint merger of Illawarra and St George for their inaugural season.
Fitzgibbon began his career at the Illawarra Steelers, the wide running back-rower had a dynamic start to his career, being named rookie of the year as well as being the Steelers’ top point-scorer in his debut season. After the merger of Illawarra and St George, Fitzgibbon featured primarily off the bench for the Dragons and played in their 1999 Grand Final loss.
The Illawarra junior then departed the Dragons following their Grand Final loss, opting to sign with the Sydney Roosters for the 2000 season. In the following 10 seasons, Fitzgibbon would forge himself as a club legend at the tri-colours, being a rare breed of forward who was both as damaging in general play as he was off the kicking tee.
During his 10-year stint in Bondi, Fitzgibbon would collect more trophies and awards than I have had hot dinners, winning the 2004 Dally M Representative Player of the year, 2004 Wally Lewis Medal, 2002 Clive Churchill Medal, as well as gaining a premiership ring thanks to the Roosters' Grand Final victory over the Warriors in 2002.
The hard-running back-rower would also go onto feature 19 times for Australia and in 11 Origins for the Blues, and to this day is still the greatest point-scoring forward in the history of the NRL.
Having been named Roosters captain in 2006, Fitzgibbon was a coach’s dream, possessing a scarcely believable work rate and being noted as the ultimate team man by outgoing Roosters captain Luke Ricketson.
A player whose work ethic and achievements can never be questioned, it’s just a shame for Dragons fans that Fitzgibbon did it all in the red white and blue, instead of the red and white.