THE RIVALRY: WARRIORS V DRAGONS
The Warriors have emerged from years of pain and frustration at the hands of St George Illawarra to take control of their rivalry with the joint venture in recent times.
The Auckland Warriors endured their troubles against the St George Dragons and Illawarra Steelers early in the club’s existence – and that was only exacerbated by the St George Illawarra Dragons merger in 1999. The Warriors’ success rate against the joint venture was their worst against any current club, including an away losing streak that lasted 15 years, but they have turned the tables in recent times.
Overall record: Played 39 – St George Illawarra won 24, Warriors won 15; St George Illawarra scored 881 points, Warriors scored 668 points.
Biggest wins: St George Illawarra – 54-0 at WIN Stadium, 2000; Warriors – 48-18 at WIN Stadium, 2023.
Longest winning streaks: St George Illawarra – 11 matches (2008-15); Warriors – 5 matches (2018-21).
Finals: None.
Most appearances: Ben Creagh (St George Illawarra) – 16; Jack de Belin (St George Illawarra) – 16; Simon Mannering (Warriors) – 15; Jason Nightingale (St George Illawarra) – 15; Matt Cooper (St George Illawarra) – 14; Ben Hornby (St George Illawarra) – 14; Shaun Johnson (Warriors) – 14; Leeson Ah Mau (Warriors and St George Illawarra) – 13; Bunty Afoa (Warriors) – 12; Jacob Lillyman (Warriors) – 12; Ben Matulino (Warriors) – 11; Manu Vatuvei (Warriors) – 11.
Most tries: Matt Cooper (St George Illawarra) – 11; Nathan Blacklock (St George Illawarra) – 10; Jason Nightingale (St George Illawarra) – 8; Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (Warriors) – 7.
Most points: Shaun Johnson (Warriors) – 70; Jamie Soward (St George Illawarra) – 64; Zac Lomax (St George Illawarra) – 62; Gareth Widdop (St George Illawarra) – 55; Matt Cooper (St George Illawarra) – 44; Nathan Blacklock (St George Illawarra) – 42; Jason Nightingale (St George Illawarra) – 32.
1995-98 – Steelers, Dragons prove tough opposition for Auckland Warriors
After the euphoria of the Auckland Warriors’ narrow loss to Brisbane in their inaugural premiership match, Illawarra provided the premiership newcomers with a harsh lesson of how tough the week-to-week grind of the competition would be with a 40-28 victory in Wollongong in the club’s first-ever away match. The Warriors would go on to win the next three between the two clubs, but the Steelers scored a 17-14 upset at Mt Smart that derailed the Auckland side’s mid-season revival in 1998.
St George proved a similar speedbump in 1995, with Gorden Tallis running riot at Mt Smart in a 47-14 thumping that ended the Warriors’ six-match winning streak, a result that proved crucial to the club missing out on the finals on for-and-against in its maiden campaign. Similarly demoralising losses followed for the Warriors in 1996 and ’98, before Auckland powered to a 31-14 win – the club’s first against the Red V – midway through the latter season.
1999-2007 – St George Illawarra put Warriors to the sword
The Auckland Warriors won their maiden clash with the merged St George Illawarra Dragons, scoring six tries to three in a 32-18 thrashing of the eventual grand finalists in Round 23 of the 1999 season.
But the Saints exacted some Mount Smart revenge with a 36-8 victory early in 2000, before inflicting the biggest loss of the Warriors’ first 18 seasons.
