The 2011 St. George Illawarra Dragons season was the 13th in the joint venture club's history. Coached by Wayne Bennett and captained by Ben Hornby they competed in the NRL's 2011 Telstra Premiership as defending champions. The Dragons finished the regular season 5th (out of 16) before being knocked out of the finals by the Brisbane Broncos. This was Bennett's last match with the Dragons, as he moved to the Newcastle Knights for the 2012 NRL season.
Pre-season In the pre-season, the Dragons won their annual Charity Shield match against South Sydney before travelling to take on reigning Super League champions, Wigan Warriors.
The Dragons won all three of their pre-season games. This included a victory in the 2011 World Club Challenge, giving them the title of best club rugby league team in the world.
Date Round Opponent Venue Score Attendance Report13 FebruaryCharity Shield South Sydney RabbitohsANZ Stadium, Sydney32–1019,26718 FebruaryMercury Challenge Canterbury-Bankstown BulldogsWIN Stadium, Wollongong28–126,17427 February2011 World Club Challenge Wigan WarriorsDW Stadium, Wigan21–1524,268 Legend:
Regular season By the middle of the regular season the Dragons were leading the competition.
Date Round Opponent Venue Score Attendance Report12 March1 Gold Coast TitansSkilled Park, Gold Coast25–1621,70921 March2 Cronulla-Sutherland SharksToyota Stadium, Cronulla10–1612,183 27 March3 New Zealand WarriorsMount Smart Stadium, Auckland 25–1211,651 3 April4 Newcastle KnightsAusgrid Stadium, Newcastle20–1820,986 10 April5 Canterbury-Bankstown BulldogsSydney Cricket Ground, Sydney25–631,122 18 April6 South Sydney RabbitohsANZ Stadium, Sydney16–022,771 25 April7 (ANZAC Day Test) Sydney RoostersSydney Football Stadium, Sydney24–1034,976 1 May8 Parramatta EelsWIN Jubilee Oval, Kogarah30–019,319 8 May9 North Queensland CowboysWIN Jubilee Oval, Kogarah 22–813,056 13 May10 Canterbury-Bankstown BulldogsANZ Stadium, Sydney15–1034,322 1129 May12 Wests TigersWIN Jubilee Oval, Kogarah24–1819,892 3 June13 Parramatta EelsParramatta Stadium, Parramatta14–1416,066 10 June14 Gold Coast TitansWIN Jubilee Oval, Kogarah14–2810,139 17 June15 Brisbane BroncosSuncorp Stadium, Brisbane14–2134,185 27 June16 Manly-Warringah Sea EaglesWIN Stadium, Wollongong24–618,974 3 July17 Newcastle KnightsWIN Stadium, Wollongong10–1417,205 1818 July19 Cronulla-Sutherland SharksWIN Jubilee Oval, Kogarah38–816,897 25 July20 Canberra RaidersCanberra Stadium, Canberra19–2410,425 31 July21 South Sydney RabbitohsWIN Stadium, Wollongong24–3418,980 5 August22 Wests TigersSydney Football Stadium, Sydney14–16 27,687 14 August 23 Sydney RoostersWIN Stadium, Wollongong12–20 14,141 19 August 24 Melbourne StormAAMI Park, Melbourne6–8 24,081 28 August 25 New Zealand WarriorsWIN Stadium, Wollongong26–22 15,732 2 September 26 Penrith PanthersWIN Stadium, Wollongong32–12 13,621 Legend:
Finals
Date Round Opponent Venue Score Attendance Report9 SeptemberQualifying Final Wests TigersANZ Stadium, Sydney12 – 21 45,63117 SeptemberSemi Final Brisbane BroncosSuncorp Stadium, Brisbane12 – 13 48,474 Legend:
Ladder
Squad
Transfers Gains Player Gained from Adam Cuthbertson Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Daniel Penese Penrith Panthers David Gower Wests Tigers
Losses Player Lost to Neville Costigan Newcastle Knights Jeremy Smith Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Jarrod Saffy Melbourne Rebels Ricky Thorby North Queensland Cowboys Michael Lett Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs Beau Henry Newcastle Knights Kalifa Faifai Loa North Queensland Cowboys Junior Paulo Penrith Panthers Luke Priddis Retirement
References