St George Illawarra Dragons odds

At first glance, seventh place and a 15-9 record looks like a job pretty well done for the St George Illawarra Dragons.

But the 2018 NRL season could have been so much better for Paul McGregor’s men, who led the comp before falling away sharply at the back end of the year.

Big-money recruit Ben Hunt came in for plenty of criticism when things went south, so the spotlight will be on him when the Dragons suit up for 2019.

Can the Red V put together a complete campaign this time around? Let’s see where they stand in the latest NRL betting markets.

About the St George Illawarra Dragons

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Updated Dragons futures odds

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Best St George Illawarra bets for NRL 2019

There are dozens of NRL futures markets for the Dragons, but where are they likely to return some real value?

Click on the tabs below to get more analysis on these markets:

• Dragons 2019 premiership betting
  St George Illawarra have bolted out of the gates two years in a row, only to finish middle of the pack on both occasions. They looked like flag contenders for much of last season, however, and missed the top four by only a game and percentage. There are better options out there, to be sure, but the Dragons might be the best bet among the fringe chances.
  
• Top 8 betting
  The Dragons slid to seventh last year, but they were never in any real danger of missing the finals. Like Brisbane, Cronulla and Penrith, the Red V have their sights on a spot in the top four in 2019. That market is littered with uncertainty, so keep it simple and back St George for a place in the eight.
  
• Dally M Medal betting
  Where would this team be without Gareth Widdop? The Englishman was named at five-eighth in the 2017 Dally M Team of the Year and was influential again in 2018, despite some injury problems late in the season. If his shoulder holds up and the Dragons fly high, Widdop should feature prominently in the voting.
  

2019 St George Illawarra draw

Dragons players to watch in 2019

Gareth Widdop
Born: 12/3/1989
Games: 187
Tries: 42
Position: Five-eighth

This section is usually reserved for up-and-coming youngsters and high-profile signings, but Gareth Widdop’s importance to the St George Illawarra Dragons RLFC cannot be overstated. If he has another big year, there is a good chance the Red V will go alright.

Ben Hunt
Born: 27/3/1990
Games: 214
Tries: 52
Position: Halfback

St George Illawarra’s big-money recruit is under the gun after some lukewarm efforts in the back half of his maiden season at the club. There is stiff competition for a spot in the halves this year, so he will need to work a lot harder if he hopes to retain his place in Queensland’s State of Origin team.

Corey Norman
Born: 3/2/1991
Games: 170
Tries: 27
Position: Five-eighth

One of those gunning for Hunt’s spot is Corey Norman, who is looking for a fresh start after a forgettable final season at Parramatta. His quality is beyond doubt, but the question is whether he can stay out of trouble and mesh with Widdop et al the way he failed to with Mitchell Moses at the Eels.

St George Illawarra records and stats

• Player records
  Most games: 273 – Ben Hornby and Ben Creagh
  Most career points: 977 – Jamie Soward
  Most points in a season: 234 – Jamie Soward (2009)
  Most career tries: 124 – Matt Cooper
  Most tries in a season: 27 – Nathan Blacklock (2001)
  Most points in a match: 22 – Gareth Widdop, Jamie Soward, Amos Roberts
  
• Team records
  Most consecutive wins: Nine (2011)
  Most consecutive losses: Six (2013)
  Biggest winning margin: 54-0 (vs. Warriors, 2000)
  Biggest losing margin: 10-70 (vs. Storm, 2000)
  
• Dragons NRL history
  Founded in 1998 and playing their first season the following year, the St George Illawarra Dragons are a joint venture between two clubs with very different legacies.

  St George were a powerhouse of the NSWRL. They won 15 premierships between 1924 and 1998, including a record 11 in a row during the ’50s and ’60s. By the time the National Rugby League was formed, only South Sydney had won more first-grade flags than the Dragons.

  The Illawarra Steelers were rugby league’s whipping boys. They won the wooden spoon three times in 17 years of top-flight footy and reached the playoffs only twice, never once playing in a grand final or winning a premiership.

  As the ’90s wore on and the NRL sprang into the existence, it became apparent the Steelers could not survive on their own. Seeing an opportunity to expand both their fanbase and their junior ranks, the Dragons stumped up the bulk of the cash for a new team that encompassed both the swish Sydney suburbs of St George and the working-class coastal region of Illawarra.
  

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