By Jeff Petersen
Fresh from last week’s Bye Round the Sharks do battle with local rivals the St George-Illawarra Dragons at WIN Jubilee Stadium this Sunday.
With the dramatic field goal victory for the Cronulla side over the Titans still ringing in our ears the Sharks are set to atone for the 2014 defeats at the hands of the Dragons and wrestle back the Monty Porter Cup trophy.
This will be our first game back at Kogarah since Round 19, 2011. The Sharks record reads won 2, lost 5 from 7 starts at this venue since the St George and Illawarra clubs merged.
Sunday’s game will be our 35th game (and also our 20th away game since 1999) against the Dragons, with the honours almost even. The Dragons have the edge, winning 17, the Sharks 16, with one drawn game – 26-26 all in 2001 at the Sydney Football Stadium.
The Sharks first game against the merged St George-Illawarra was an 18-16 win at Shark Park, Rd 08, 1999 in front of a 22,000+ crowd. This was followed up only three Rounds later with another Sharks victory, this time at Kogarah 20 to 12 with Brett Howland crossing twice.
Former Sharks winger David Simmons leads the Cronulla try scoring record at Kogarah with three, while overall the Club record goes to David Peachey with seven tries against the Dragons at all away venues.
This match is a significant one for Coach Shane Flanagan as he now ties with Ricky Stuart for fourth spot on the all-time Coaching List for Cronulla with 91 games.
Last time they met at Kogarah: Monday, July 18, 2011 Round 19. 7:00pm.
St George-Illawarra 38 (M. Cooper, J. Green, J. Marketo, B. Morris, J. Soward, M. Weyman tries; J. Soward 7 goals) Cronulla-Sutherland 8 (C. Best, J. Cordoba tries) at the WIN Jubilee Stadium, Kogarah.
St George-Illawarra: Boyd, Morris, Gasnier, Cooper, Nightingale; Soward, Fien (Capt); Hunt, Rein, Weyman, Merrin, Creagh, Prior. Interchanges: Green, Cuthbertson, Marketo, Gower. Cronulla: Gardner, Wright, Pomeroy, Best, Stapleton; Graham, Townsend; Snowden, Morris, Douglas, Smith, Bukuya, Gallen (Capt). Interchanges: Cordoba, Tupou, Tagataese, Tautai. Crowd: 16,879.
Our previous meeting down in Wollongong: Saturday, June 7, 2014 Round 13. 7:30pm.
St George-Illawarra 30 (J. Dugan 3, G. Beale 2, P. Mata'utia tries; G. Widdop 3 goals) Cronulla-Sutherland 0 at the WIN Stadium, Wollongong.
St George-Illawarra: Quinlan, Mata'utia, Dugan, Beale, Nightingale; Widdop, Marshall; Creagh (Capt), Garvey, Cooper, Ah Mau, Thompson, Frizell. Interchanges: Merrin, de Belin, Pumipi, Matthews. Cronulla: Gardner, Stapleton, Ayshford, Gordon, Gagan; Brown, Holdsworth; Tagataese, De Gois, Gibbs, Arona, Graham (Capt), Heighington. Interchanges: Vave, Fifita, Sopoaga, Lichaa. Crowd: 12,079.
SHARKS FACT: Former Hooker and playmaker and now the clubs’ Elite Development coach John Morris scored the Sharks 100th try against the St George-Illawarra Dragons in Round 03 last season.
Go Sharks!
SHARKS / Dragons – BY THE NUMBERS
OUR AWAY RECORD (1999-2015)
All-Time Record: Played 34 Won 16 Drawn 1 Lost 17 Points For 570 Points Against 672
Away Record v Dragons at Kogarah: Played 7 Won 2 Drawn 0 Lost 5 Points For 90 Points Against 150
Away Record v Dragons at Wollongong: Played 6 Won 1 Drawn 0 Lost 5 Points For 58 Points Against 150
Away Record v Dragons at Neutral Venues: Played 6 Won 4 Drawn 1 Lost 1 Points For 144 Points Against 120
Sharks Record v Dragons at All Away Venues: Played 19 Won 7 Drawn 1 Lost 11 Points For 292 Points Against 420
Sharks Form in Last 5 Away Games v Dragons: Loss 0-30 (Rd 13 2014) Won 22-18 (Rd 23 2013) Loss 10-18 (Rd 19 2012) Loss 8-38 (Rd 19 2011) Loss 0-38 (Rd 08 2010)
Sharks Form in Last 5 Games v Dragons: Loss 0-30 (Rd 13 2014 at WIN Stadium, Wollongong) Loss 12-14 (Rd 03 2014 at Remondis Stadium) Won 22-18 (Rd 23 2013 at WIN Stadium, Wollongong) Loss 12-25 (Rd 04 2013 at Sharks Stadium) Loss 10-18 (Rd 19 2012 at WIN Stadium, Wollongong)
Sharks First-Ever Game v Dragons: Rd 08 at Shark Park, April 25, 1999 (Won 18-16) Sharks Scorers: David Peachey 2, Brett Howland tries; Mat Rogers 3 goals Att: 22,279
Sharks First Away Win v Dragons: Rd 11 at Kogarah Oval, May 14, 1999 (Won 20-12) Sharks Scorers: Brett Howland 2, Chris McKenna tries; Mat Rogers 4 goals Att: 16,514
Sharks Biggest Away Win v Dragons: Won 40-24 at Aussie Stadium, Semi Final, September 21, 2002 (16pts margin)
Sharks Heaviest Away Defeat v Dragons: Loss 0-38 at WIN Stadium Wollongong, Rd 08, May 01, 2010 (38pts margin)
Sharks Best Away Attendance v Dragons: 62,255 at Stadium Australia, Rd 01 February 05, 2000; at Kogarah – 20,047, Rd 03 March 29, 2009
Sharks Away Attendance Average v Dragons: 31,480 at All Neutral Venues; at Kogarah – 16,594
Sharks Points Average Per Away Game v Dragons: 15.4pts
Most Away Points Scored by the Sharks v Dragons: (40pts) Won 40-24 at Aussie Stadium, Semi Final, September 21, 2002; at Kogarah (20pts) Won 20-12 Rd 11, May 14, 1999 & Won 20-16 Rd 13, June 11, 2007
Most Aggregate Points Scored in an Away Game v Dragons: (64pts) Won 40-24 at Aussie Stadium, Semi Final, September 21, 2002; at Kogarah (46pts) Loss 8-38 Rd 19, July 18, 2011
Most Sharks Points Conceded Away v Dragons: (38pts) Loss 0-38 at WIN Stadium, Wollongong, Rd 08 May 01, 2010 & Loss 8-38 at WIN Jubilee, Kogarah Rd 19, July 18, 2011
Most Total Away Points Scored by a Sharks Player v Dragons: 58 pts by Luke Covell, (3 tries 23 goals)
Most Points Scored by a Sharks Player in an Away Game v Dragons: (12pts) by Brett Kimmorley, (6 goals), Semi Final (Won 40-24) at Aussie Stadium, September 21, 2002 & (12pts) by Luke Covell, (1 try, 4 goals), Rd 13 (Won 20-16 at Oki Julibee, Kogarah, June 11, 2007
Most Tries Scored in an Away Game v Dragons: (2 tries) by Brett Howland , Rd 11 at Kogarah Oval, May 14, 1999; (2 tries) by Colin Best, Rd 01 at Stadium Australia, February 05, 2000; (2 tries) by David Peachey, Rd 01 at Aussie Stadium, March 17, 2002; (2 tries) by Paul Franze, Semi Final at Aussie Stadium, September 21, 2002; (2 tries) by Wade Graham, Rd 19 at WIN Stadium, Wollongong, July 15, 2012
Most Goals Scored in an Away Game v Dragons: (6 goals) by Brett Kimmorley, Semi Final at Aussie Stadium, September 21, 2002; at Kogarah (4 goals) by Mat Rogers, Rd 11 May 14, 1999 & (4 goals) by Luke Covell, Rd 13 June 11, 2007
Most Sharks Team Tries Scored in an Away Game v Dragons: (7 tries) Semi Final at Aussie Stadium, September 21, 2002 (Won 40-24) Sharks Scorers: Paul Franze 2, Phil Bailey, Matt Bickerstaff, Greg Bird, Paul Mellor, David Peachey tries; Brett Kimmorley 6 goals Att: 31,783; at Kogarah – (3 tries) Rd 11 May 14, 1999 (Won 20-12) Sharks Scorers: Brett Howland 2, Chris McKenna tries; Mat Rogers 4 goals Att: 16,514; (3 tries) Rd 20 July 25, 2004 (Loss 14-26) Sharks Scorers: Ryan McGoldrick, Matthew Rieck, Nigel Vagana tries; Matt Hilder goal Att: 16,436; (3 tries) Rd 13 June 11, 2007 Sharks Scorers: Mitch Brown, Luke Covell, David Simmons tries; Luke Covell 4 goals Att: 12,455
Total Try Scorers for the Sharks v Dragons at Kogarah since 1999: (16 Tries, 13 Try Scorers) David Simmons 3; Brett Howland 2; Chris McKenna 1; Greg Bird 1; Laloa Milford 1; Ryan McGoldrick 1; Matthew Rieck 1; Nigel Vagana 1; David Peachey 1; Mitch Brown 1; Luke Covell 1; Colin Best 1; Josh Cordoba 1.
Total Goal Scorers for the Sharks v Dragons at Kogarah since 1999: (13 Goals, 5 Goal Scorers) Luke Covell 5; Mat Rogers 4; Brett Kimmorley 2; Matt Hilder 1; Nathan Merritt 1.
Total Field Goal Scorers for the Sharks v Dragons at Kogarah since 1999: None.
Total Try Scorers for the Sharks v Dragons at All Away Venues: (51 Tries, 31 Try Scorers) David Peachey 5; Colin Best 4; David Simmons 4; Brett Howland 3; Greg Bird 3; Chris McKenna 2; Matthew Rieck 2; Paul Franze 2; Nigel Vagana 2; Paul Gallen 2; Wade Graham 2; Andrew Ettingshausen 1; Preston Campbell 1; Brent Grose 1; Damien Mostyn 1; Matthew Johns 1; Phil Bailey 1; Matt Bickerstaff 1; Paul Mellor 1; Laloa Milford 1; Ryan McGoldrick 1; Beau Scott 1; Mitch Brown 1; Luke Covell 1; Bryson Goodwin 1; Brett Kearney 1; Josh Cordoba 1; Isaac De Gois 1; Andrew Fifita 1; Ben Pomeroy 1; Beau Ryan 1.
Total Goal Scorers for the Sharks v Dragons at All Away Venues: (44 Goals, 9 Goal Scorers) Brett Kimmorley 12; Luke Covell 11; Mat Rogers 9; Todd Carney 4; Preston Campbell 3; Jason Ferris 2; Mitch Healey 1; Matt Hilder 1; Nathan Merritt 1.
Total Field Goal Scorers for the Sharks v Dragons at All Away Venues: None.
All-Time Total Try Scorers for the Sharks v Dragons: (100 Tries, 48 Try Scorers) David Peachey 7; Colin Best 6; David Simmons 6; Chris McKenna 5; Ben Pomeroy 5; Brett Howland 4; Paul Mellor 4; Brett Kearney 4; Andrew Ettingshausen 3; Matthew Rieck 3; Greg Bird 3; Nigel Vagana 3; Luke Covell 3; Wade Graham 3; John Morris 3; Paul Franze 2; Phil Bailey 2; Matt Bickerstaff 2; Paul Gallen 2; Andrew Fifita 2; Mat Rogers 1; Preston Campbell 1; Brent Grose 1; Damien Mostyn 1; Matthew Johns 1; Brett Kimmorley 1; Karl Lovell 1; Laloa Milford 1; Jarrad Anderson 1; Matt Hilder 1; Jason Kent 1; Michael Sullivan 1; Sam Isemonger 1; Ryan McGoldrick 1; Beau Scott 1; Darren Albert 1; Lance Thompson 1; Fraser Anderson 1; Mitch Brown 1; Bryson Goodwin 1; Brett Kimmorley 1; Blake Ferguson 1; Isaac Gordon 1; Anthony Tupou 1; Josh Cordoba 1; Jeff Robson 1; Isaac De Gois 1; Beau Ryan 1.
All-Time Goal Scorers for the Sharks v Dragons: (84 Goals, 14 Goal Scorers) Luke Covell 23; Brett Kimmorley 19; Mat Rogers 15; Todd Carney 6; Michael Gordon 4; Blaine Stanley 3; Jason Ferris 3; Preston Campbell 3; Jarrad Anderson 2; John Williams 2; Mitch Healey 1; Matt Hilder 1; Nathan Merritt 1; Lance Thompson 1.
All-Time Field Goal Scorers for the Sharks v Dragons: (2 Field Goals, 2 Field Goals Scorers) Michael Sullivan (1 in 2003); Brett Kimmorley (1 in 2008).
