By Dean Ritchie
News Ltd
May 5th, 2003
ST GEORGE Illawarra hooker Mark Riddell last night spoke of the enormous pressure his side faced going into yesterday's much-anticipated return to Kogarah's Jubilee Stadium.
Riddell revealed how his side had spoken about erasing the passion and emotion attached to the match just moments after the Dragons' 28-12 win over Cronulla.
Nearly 17,000 fans crammed Jubilee Stadium in a day described by NRL chief executive David Gallop as "fantastic".
Riddell said his nerves increased significantly when he drove into the ground yesterday afternoon and saw the queues of people to get in stretching 500m up nearby Jubilee Avenue.
"It was full on -- there was a lot of pressure on us," Riddell said.
"Being back here at Kogarah, the build-up to the game and the packed house meant we all felt the pressure when we got to the ground.
"But we had to remember that it was just another game and we couldn't worry about anything outside of the match itself."
Two heavy showers which swept across the field in the hour preceding the match refused to dampen the spirits of the army of Dragons fans who attended yesterday's local derby.
The match started about seven minutes late to ensure all spectators still queuing had the opportunity to get inside the ground and find a seat.
"It was awesome how the crowd turned up despite the weather," said Dragons forward Lance Thompson.
"There is nothing better than running out here at Kogarah and I told the boys that before the game.
"I'm just glad to be back."
Gallop was an interested spectator yesterday and took to mingling with the crowd at times in order to obtain spectator feedback.
"We did talk about getting the right balance between innovation and tradition," Gallop said. "It was great to see all the Dragons fans turn up today in their colours.
"It is important to fish where the fish are and the people at Kogarah got out today and supported their football team."
St George Illawarra chief executive Peter Doust described yesterday as a "relief" after such a hectic build-up.
Recent rain presented an obstacle in the club's bid to play the game yesterday but in the end there were no complaints from officials, players or fans.
The only minor hitch came when the clock on the scoreboard did not sound on time at halftime or fulltime yesterday.
"There was a lot of pressure mounted because of the rain so it was a great relief to get everyone in today," Doust said.
"It was a great feeling today. So much has happened here over the years, Kogarah is a special place.
"It is part of our future just as much it has been part of our past."
Dragons coach Nathan Brown told his players before the match that they must try and quash the emotion.
"I thought the boys handled the emotion well and the win today was the most important thing," Brown said.
The Dragons have now won three successive matches and have, as Brown said, "gone from the outhouse toward the penthouse".
Canberra remain the outright competition leaders following their victory over Souths on Saturday night although Penrith are among the competition's form teams following their thrilling one-point victory over Manly.
Copyright 2003 News Ltd