2004 St. George Illawarra Dragons season

The 2004 St. George Illawarra Dragons season was the 6th in the joint-venture club's history, and they competed in the 2004 NRL season. Coached by Nathan Brown and captained by Trent Barrett, they finished the 2004 Telstra Premiership 5th (out of 15 teams) at the end of the regular season. The Dragons then reached the first week of the finals when they were knocked out by the Penrith Panthers. This was the result of some major upsets which involved two of the top three ranked teams (Bulldogs and Brisbane Broncos) also losing in the first week of the finals.

St. George Illawarra Dragons
2004 season
CEOAustralia Peter Doust
Head coachAustralia Nathan Brown
CaptainAustralia Trent Barrett
NRL5th, Qualifying Final
Top try scorerClub: Matt Cooper (17)
Top points scorerClub: Mathew Head (119)
Highest home attendance18, 932 (vs. Penrith in Round 6, 18 April 2004)
Lowest home attendance9, 362 (vs. Newcastle in Round 4, 4 April 2004))
Average home attendance14, 347

Draw and Results

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14 March 2004 St. George Illawarra Dragons   12-21   Canberra Raiders Kogarah, New South Wales
14:30
Dean Young   43'
Reece Simmonds   55'
Goals:
Mark Riddell 1/2
Brett Firman 1/1
Stadium: OKI Jubilee Oval
Player of the Match: Mark McLinden
20 March 2004 New Zealand Warriors   10-16   St. George Illawarra Dragons Auckland, New Zealand
17:30
Matt Cooper   35'
Mathew Head   40'
Reece Simmonds   53'
Goals:
Mark Riddell 2/3
Mathew Head 0/1
Stadium: Ericsson Stadium
Player of the Match: Matt Cooper
28 March 2004 Melbourne Storm   34-6   St. George Illawarra Dragons Melbourne, Victoria
15:00
Matt Cooper   13'
Goals:
Mark Riddell 1/2
Stadium: Olympic Park
Player of the Match: Steve Turner
4 April 2004 St. George Illawarra Dragons   48-2   Newcastle Knights Wollongong, New South Wales
15:00
Reece Simmonds   40, 68'
Mark Riddell   58, 64'
Shaun Timmins   3'
Mark Gasnier   15'
Nathan Blacklock   23'
Lance Thompson   72'
Trent Barrett   75'
Goals:
Mark Riddell 4/6
Mathew Head 2/3
Stadium: WIN Stadium
Player of the Match: Mark Riddell
11 April 2004 Wests Tigers   10-39   St. George Illawarra Dragons Sydney, New South Wales
14:30
Ben Hornby   22, 54'
Matt Cooper   33, 64'
Mark Gasnier   38'
Shaun Timmins   45'
Ashton Sims   67'
Goals:
Mathew Head 3/5
Mark Riddell 2/3
Field Goal:
Trent Barrett 57'
Stadium: Telstra Stadium
Player of the Match: Matt Cooper
18 April 2004 St. George Illawarra Dragons   44-18   Penrith Panthers Wollongong, New South Wales
14:30
Matt Cooper   23, 25, 55, 70'
Trent Barrett   2'
Mathew Head   53'
Nathan Blacklock   59'
Mark Riddell   63'
Goals:
Mathew Head 5/6
Mark Riddell 1/2
Stadium: WIN Stadium
Player of the Match: Matt Cooper
25 April 2004 St. George Illawarra Dragons   8-11   Sydney Roosters Sydney, New South Wales
15:00
Reece Simmonds   44'
Goals:
Mathew Head 2/2
Stadium: Aussie Stadium
Player of the Match: Brad Fittler
1 May 2004 Cronulla Sharks   12-42   St. George Illawarra Dragons Cronulla, New South Wales
19:30
Ben Hornby   19, 61, 66'
Mark Gasnier   4, 75'
Tony Jensen   7'
Nathan Blacklock   43'
Goals:
Mark Riddell 6/6
Mathew Head 1/1
Stadium: Toyota Park
Player of the Match: Ben Hornby
9 May 2004 Manly Sea Eagles   21-10   St. George Illawarra Dragons Manly, New South Wales
15:00
Brent Kite   60'
Reece Simmonds   66'
Goals:
Mark Riddell 1/2
Stadium: Brookvale Oval
Player of the Match: John Hopoate
15 May 2004 St. George Illawarra Dragons   12-38   Canterbury Bulldogs Wollongong, New South Wales
17:30
Justin Poore   73'
Ben Hornby   79'
Goals:
Mark Riddell 1/2
Stadium: WIN Stadium
21 May 2004 Parramatta Eels   6-37   St. George Illawarra Dragons Parramatta, New South Wales
19:30
Daniel Holdsworth   65, 76'
Reece Simmonds   5'
Mathew Head   55'
David Howell   63'
Mark Riddell   71'
Goals:
Mark Riddell 5/6
Mathew Head 1/1
Field Goal:
Mathew Head 69'
Stadium: Parramatta Stadium
Player of the Match: Mathew Head
28 May 2004 Brisbane Broncos   24-22   St. George Illawarra Dragons Brisbane, Queensland
19:30
Mark Gasnier   3, 80'
Ben Hornby   16'
Shaun Timmins   36'
Goals:
Mark Riddell 2/3
Mathew Head 1/1
Stadium: Suncorp Stadium
Player of the Match: Casey McGuire
5 June 2004 St. George Illawarra Dragons   12-14   North Queensland Cowboys Wollongong, New South Wales
19:30
Matt Cooper   27'
David Howell   65'
Ben Creagh   76'
Goals:
Mathew Head 0/3
Stadium: WIN Stadium
11 June 2004 Penrith Panthers   8-28   St. George Illawarra Dragons Penrith, New South Wales
19:30
David Howell   3'
Lincoln Withers   36'
Reece Simmonds   43'
Matt Cooper   53'
Michael Henderson   76'
Goals:
Mathew Head 4/4
Mark Riddell 0/1
Stadium: Penrith Stadium
Player of the Match: Trent Barrett
20 June 2004 St. George Illawarra Dragons   50-0   Wests Tigers Kogarah, New South Wales
15:00
Mark Gasnier   11, 26, 44, 56'
Matt Cooper   21'
Ashton Sims   30'
Ben Creagh   39'
Dean Young   65'
Mark Riddell   80'
Goals:
Mathew Head 7/9
Stadium: OKI Jubilee Oval
Player of the Match: Mark Gasnier
27 June 2004 South Sydney Rabbitohs   12-52   St. George Illawarra Dragons Sydney, New South Wales
15:00
Ben Hornby   21, 25'
Reece Simmonds   16, 49'
Matt Cooper   71, 77'
Mark Gasnier   4'
Lance Thompson   6'
Brent Kite   19'
Ben Creagh   59'
Goals:
Mathew Head 5/9
Mark Riddell 1/1
Stadium: Aussie Stadium
Player of the Match: Mark Gasnier
BYE v   St. George Illawarra Dragons
9 July 2004 St. George Illawarra Dragons   14-28   Brisbane Broncos Wollongong, New South Wales
19:30
Shaun Timmins   13'
Lincoln Withers   70'
Andrew Frew   79'
Goals:
Mathew Head 1/3
Stadium: WIN Stadium
Player of the Match: Neville Costigan
16 July 2004 Sydney Roosters   18-14   St. George Illawarra Dragons Sydney, New South Wales
19:30
Ryan Cross   26' to 36' Clint Greenshields   53' to 63'
Nathan Blacklock   18'
John Carlaw   27'
Goals:
Mathew Head 3/3
Stadium: Aussie Stadium
25 July 2004 St. George Illawarra Dragons   26-14   Cronulla Sharks Kogarah, New South Wales
15:00
Reece Simmonds   9, 75'
Trent Barrett   18'
Lincoln Withers   45'
Mark Riddell   73'
Goals:
Mathew Head 3/5
Stadium: OKI Jubilee Oval
Player of the Match: Trent Barrett
31 July 2004 North Queensland Cowboys   34-10   St. George Illawarra Dragons Townsville, Queensland
19:30
Ben Creagh   40'
Nick Youngquest   60'
Goals:
Mark Riddell 1/1
Mathew Head 0/1
Stadium: Dairy Farmers Stadium
Player of the Match: Matt Bowen
6 August 2004 St. George Illawarra Dragons   34-10   Melbourne Storm Wollongong, New South Wales
19:30
Matt Cooper   3, 62'
Trent Barrett   37'
John Carlaw   46'
Reece Simmonds   59'
Lincoln Withers   69'
Goals:
Mark Riddell 3/4
Mathew Head 2/2
Stadium: WIN Stadium
Player of the Match: Jason Ryles
14 August 2004 St. George Illawarra Dragons   28-10   New Zealand Warriors Wollongong, New South Wales
19:30
John Carlaw   10'
Mark Riddell   13'
Reece Simmonds   36'
Ben Hornby   39'
Nick Youngquest   50'
Ashton Sims   73'
Goals:
Mark Riddell 1/3
Mathew Head 1/3
Stadium: WIN Stadium
Player of the Match: Mathew Head
20 August 2004 Newcastle Knights   22-24   St. George Illawarra Dragons Newcastle, New South Wales
19:30
Nick Youngquest   8, 60'
Mathew Head   53, 56'
Matt Cooper   73'
Goals:
Mathew Head 2/4
Mark Riddell 0/1
Stadium: EnergyAustralia Stadium
Player of the Match: Mathew Head
29 August 2004 St. George Illawarra Dragons   36-34   Manly Sea Eagles Kogarah, New South Wales
14:30
Nathan Blacklock   57, 62'
Shaun Timmins   33'
Lincoln Withers   47'
Ben Hornby   64'
Matt Cooper   67'
Justin Poore   77'
Goals:
Mark Riddell 3/5
Mathew Head 1/2
Stadium: OKI Jubilee Oval
St. George Illawarra Dragons   v BYE
10 September 2004 Penrith Panthers   31-30   St. George Illawarra Dragons Penrith, New South Wales
20:00
Preston Campbell   
Trent Waterhouse   
Luke Priddis  


Goals: Ryan Girdler 5/5
Field Goals: Craig Gower
Nathan Blacklock   33'
Ben Hornby   37'
Shaun Timmins   53'
Lance Thompson   66'
Dean Young   77'
Goals: Mathew Head 5/5
Stadium: Penrith Stadium
Attendance: 21,963
Referee: Sean Hampstead
Player of the Match: Trent Waterhouse

Ladder

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Pos Team Pld W D L B PF PA PD Pts
1   Sydney Roosters 24 19 0 5 2 710 368 +342 42
2   Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (P) 24 19 0 5 2 760 491 +269 42
3   Brisbane Broncos 24 16 1 7 2 602 533 +69 37
4   Penrith Panthers 24 15 0 9 2 672 567 +105 34
5   St George Illawarra Dragons 24 14 0 10 2 624 415 +209 32
6   Melbourne Storm 24 13 0 11 2 684 517 +167 30
7   North Queensland Cowboys 24 12 1 11 2 526 514 +12 29
8   Canberra Raiders 24 11 0 13 2 554 613 −59 26
9   Wests Tigers 24 10 0 14 2 509 534 −25 24
10   Newcastle Knights 24 10 0 14 2 516 617 −101 24
11   Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 24 10 0 14 2 528 645 −117 24
12   Parramatta Eels 24 9 0 15 2 517 626 −109 22
13   Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 24 9 0 15 2 615 754 −139 22
14   New Zealand Warriors 24 6 0 18 2 427 693 −266 16
15   South Sydney Rabbitohs 24 5 2 17 2 455 812 −357 16

Home Ground Attendances

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Transfers

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Gains:
Losses:

Squad

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No. Position Player

Luke Bailey PR Trent Barrett FE (captain) Nathan Blacklock WG John Carlaw CE Matt Cooper CE Ben Creagh SR Brett Firman HB Andrew Frew WG Mark Gasnier CE Clint Greenshields FB Mathew Head HB Michael Henderson PR Daniel Holdsworth FE Ben Hornby HB David Howell CE Michael Howell LK Tony Jensen SR

No. Position Player

Brent Kite PR Nathan Long PR Bryan Norrie PR Henry Perenara SR Justin Poore PR Ryan Powell HK Mark Riddell HK Lachlan Russell HB Jason Ryles PR Reece Simmonds WG Ashton Sims SR Lance Thompson SR Shaun Timmins LK Aaron Wheatley SR Lincoln Withers HK Dean Young LK Nick Youngquest WG

References

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