St.George Alive at 85
November 8, 2005
Today marks the 85th anniversary of the formation of the St.George District
Rugby League Football Club, which came to life at the Kogarah School of
Arts in close proximity to the Dragons’ spiritual home of OKI Jubilee
Stadium.
Above: Where it all began - the Kogarah School of Arts. November 8, 1920.
While St.George had unsuccessfully
attempted to enter the Sydney premiership in 1908 following a meeting
at Rockdale Town Hall, the meeting at Kogarah cemented St.George a place
in the NSWRL and sealed Annandale’s expulsion from the competition.
The successful outcome of the meeting was a result of the hard work of
St.George Junior League officials such as Joe McGraw, Allan Clark and
George Holt. These officials worked with continual vigour after the failed
bid in 1908 to propagate rugby league in St.George and to ensure the Saints
gained a place at the elite level.
The vision and dedication of these men created a Club that became the
most famous and successful in rugby league. While it took St.George twenty
years to win the first of their fifteen premierships, the Club went on
to set a host of records that are unlikely to be broken:
Most Grand Final victories (13)
Most successive premierships (11)
Most Club championships (18)
Most Third Grade premierships (14)
Biggest winning margin (91-6 vs Canterbury in 1935)
Last First Grade team to be undefeated in a season (1959)
Last team to win all three grades (1963)
In 1998 the Daily Telegraph officially recognised St.George as the greatest
club in rugby league history when they recorded their 906th victory and
surpassed South Sydney’s tally of victories. Having given the foundation
Clubs 13 years’ head start, the St.George record is truly remarkable.
While the 50% stake in the St.George-Illawarra joint venture hasn’t
always provided complete satisfaction for proud St.George supporters,
the return to Kogarah and the steady revival of the St.George juniors
have been critical in the resurgence of St.George as a rugby league district.
Due to the efforts of the officials who met at the Kogarah School of Arts
on this day in 1920 and the extraordinary success of the Club over the
past 85 years under officials such as Frank Facer, St.George will always
be the most glorious Club in the great game of rugby league.
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