Two red-and-white records (one bad and one good) fell tonight.
In the AFL, the Sydney Swans lost a premiership match by over 100 points for the first time since round 10, 1998.
Here in the NRL, the St George Illawarra Dragons won a match in Melbourne for the first time since the 1999 second qualifying final, defeating the Melbourne Storm 18-16.
Dragons fullback Tyrell Sloan wasn’t even born the last time the Dragons won in the Victorian capital.
@yellow_sock will be very happy!
My Sharkies had a win tonight too, over Souths, but it wasn’t a great game, particularly the first half. They’ll need to improve a lot.
Yep, i am super happy with the Dragons win, against the Storm in Melbourne. A first since 1999. Most of us Dragons fans hate playing them down there, and were quite surprised, but happy, that they had won. My Facebook buddies who are fans were going off tonight. lol.
To put this all into context:
It comes to prove that hoodoos are meant to be broken, not extended. Spare a thought for the Rabbitohs who have never won in the Victorian capital, and have only beaten the Storm twice away from New South Wales (in Perth in 2010 and in Magic Round last year).
The Dragons may have missed out on Magic Round this year but made up for it by beating the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium three weeks ago.
The Broncos have been the biggest disappointment this year. They led 24-8 in the Grand Final last year, and now languish in 14th place after being humbled by the Gold Coast this afternoon 46-18, with the Coasters scoring 36 unanswered points to run away with it in the 2nd half.
fun fact: the past three runners-up (Broncos, Eels and Rabbitohs) occupy three of the bottom four places on the ladder, only ahead of the last-placed Wests Tigers.
Of the three, only the Rabbitohs (in 2022) managed to reach another finals series after their loss to the Panthers in the '21 decider, again losing to the mountain men in the preliminary final (as they also did in 2020).
Wow, i thought the Dragons record was bad against the Storm. Poor Bunnies.
Wayne Bennett and Jack Gibson will join administrators Ken Arthurson and John Quayle, as well as broadcast legends Frank Hyde and David Morrow, as this year’s inductees into the NRL Hall of Fame.
Western Bears set for NRL inclusion after North Sydney, WA bid team sign historic agreement
After months of negotiations, officials from North Sydney and Western Australia’s bid team have signed off on a historic agreement to bring the Bears back into the NRL.
The Bears will return to the NRL for the first time since 1999.
While the Perth Bears name was floated, the parties have agreed to the Western Bears which is a nod to Western Australia’s first team – the Western Reds.
The Western Bears will now spend the next few days finalising their submission ahead of the August 14 deadline imposed by the NRL to be part of the expanded competition.
By the end of this year, the Western Bears will be formally announced as the NRL’s 18th team to compete in 2027, with PNG introduced a year later.
Pleased to see my Sharkies return to form with a thumping 44-0 rout of the Titans. Sharks have now won 3 of their last 4 after a mid season slump.
@yellow_sock are you going to the Dragons vs Bulldogs game tomorrow night, should be a great crowd at Kogarah.
Great win for the Sharks tonight. I expected a much closer match, so well done to you guys.
Yes, I will be going to the Dragons Bulldogs game tomorrow night at kogarah. I was very lucky to get a ticket, as it got sold out very early in the week.
I went to the Dragons vs Panthers game two weeks ago (and the NRLW match that preceded it) - ended up being a very rough day for the red-and-whites not once, not twice, but three times (the Sydney Swans copped a beating from the Western Bulldogs at the SCG the same day).
I rarely go to league games, I tend to go to more AFL games but will sneak in a league game every now and then.
I was also at that double header and I agree with that assessment. 
Sigh. I went to the Dragons v Bulldogs game tonight at Kogarah Oval. Stood with “the Dragon Army”. The crowd was impressive for a suburban ground, of 18,400. As for the game itself, first half was good. Second half - not so good.
As a Dragons fan, at around the 65-70 minute mark, we just looked at each other, and said “yep, we’ve lost” Nothing we can do but just banter with each other.
Under this partnership, KIIS 1065 branding will be prominently displayed during the Panthers’ home games at BlueBet Stadium, featuring KIIS LED signage that will light up the field.
The KIIS brand will also be integrated across the Panthers’ social footprint, as well as activations at the games including the introduction of the infamous ‘KIIS Cam’.
On air and across socials, KIIS 1065 will offer match tickets to listeners. Additionally, The Kyle & Jackie O Show’s Cooper Johns will deliver unique content with behind-the-scenes access to the Panthers’ players.
Tickets are hard enough to get for most Panthers home games as it is, though should be a lot easier when they temporarily relocate to Parramatta for the next year or two whilst their home ground gets redeveloped, and hopefully afterwards when the redevelopment is finished their “dynasty” comes to an end (sooner rather than later hopefully).
I just hope they go all in with the Perth base
Agree, i don’t think it will work as well if they try and split home games between Perth and North Sydney or Goaford.
At the NRL Judiciary last night, Dragons’ Kyle Flanagan was found guilty of biting a Bulldogs opponent, and banned for four games.