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DRAGONS
HOME GROUNDS
The
Hurstville years
(FROM http://hurstvilleoval.homestead.com/index.html)
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As
an omen of things to come, St George had problems
securing an adequate home ground when they entered
the Sydney first grade competition in 1921.
As Hurstville Oval was unenclosed, the Saints
only played two games in the St George district
in 1921. Ian Heads in March Of The Dragons wrote,
"Hurstville at that time was not an enclosed
ground - despite persistent pressure on the
Council. The original area of Hurstville Park
(of seven acres) was bought from the McMahon
Estate in the early years of the century, and
vested in the council. The ground was fenced,
planted and developed by cricket lovers over
a period of several years - and in 1911
famous Australian left-hander Warren Bardsley
brought an invitation X1 to Hurstville Oval
to play the St.George district team, on the
official opening day.
The Saints
played their first game at Hurstville Oval on
the 28th of May, 1921. A crowd of 10,000 witnessed
a 19-16 St.George victory over University. Ian
Heads wrote, "The day reinforced the message
that a top quality sports ground was needed
for the district."
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Earl
Park - a godsend for the Saints
(FROM http://lancelotearl.homestead.com/index.html)
St.George had no permanent home
ground when they entered the Sydney first grade
competition in 1921. The Local Councils procrastinated
and the Saints' first team was nomadic.
After playing some games at Hurstville
from 1921-24, Saints moved to Arncliffe in 1925.
Ian Heads in the March Of The Dragons wrote, "Alderman
Lancelot Lewis 'Daddy' Earl made available his
property opposite Arncliffe Station as Saints'
home ground and headquarters.
The NSWRL signed a ten year lease
with Earl, a formidable character with sprouting
whiskers and paid him 1500 pounds. He spent the
same amount |
Looking towards the Earl Park site from Bonar
Street, Arncliffe. |
to
make the ground and build the grandstand. The ground
stood on what was once a flourishing Chinese market
garden.
Oldtimers
 remember
sheep grazing there.
According to a report at the time, it measured
175 yards by 150 yards, with a pavilion to seat
1,100 spectators and accommodation all over for
10,000.
The dressing rooms were the largest
in Sydney, replete with lockers, showers and every
facility.
The Saints were delighted - especially
when a gala day in March realised 710 pounds,
18 shillings and 5 pence. 'A great ground to watch
the game from' said Glynn Price. 'You were right
on the touchline, very close to play. People used
to sit on the railway bank.' Earl Park later was
offered to St.George and/or the NSWRL for 5000
pounds. Neither was in a position to buy it and
in the early 1940s the ground ultimately went
to Cooks Caramels who constructed a factory on
the site."
Pic right: A view of Almond Street
Reserve and the railway bank. "People used to
sit on the railway bank." Glynn Price |
The
Earl Park riot
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The
memory of Earl Park is assured because of the
riot that took place there on August the 11th,
1928 when St.George defeated Balmain 21-3 in a
spiteful match.
The referee, Brannaghan, lost control of proceedings
in the 2nd half sending off St.George forward
Harry Flower but took no decisive action against
the thuggery of the Balmain players.
George Carstairs was booted in the face whilst
playing the ball and five minutes from the end
was kicked in the head and knocked unconscious
by Balmain forward Tony Russell. Brannaghan only
cautioned Russell and this infuriated the Earl
Park crowd.
In the midst of the incident, St.George coach
Frank Burge and secretary Reg Fusedale entered
the arena to speak to Brannaghan.
The final straw for the Earl
Park crowd was when Balmain player George Bishop
began chasing Saints' Arnold Traynor off the pitch.
Hundreds of furious St.George supporters invaded
the field and ripped off fence palings and began
assaulting the Balmain players.
Alex Mackie remembers one man running around behind
the grandstand with an axe. |
|
 The
police attempted to restore order but this didn't
prevent Russell from being badly beaten by the
crowd.
Russell suffered leg and head
injuries and ended up in the same ambulance
as Carstairs. Unable to contain himself, Russell
lunged at Carstairs the ambulancemen had to
intervene to pull the two apart. Order was eventually
restored. A week later, the NSWRL conducted
it's own investigation blaming the crowd and
exonerating the players.
Pic right: Lancelot Earl was
President of the Arncliffe Scots JRLC from 1932-1935.
Today, the club remains part of the strong fabric
of St.George rugby league.
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Kogarah
Jubilee Oval Biggest
crowd at Kogarah Oval: 23,582
v Souths, May 4, 1975
Pic
below: The Penfolds Mural, inside the corporate
box at Kogarah Jubilee.
 On
the 23rd of December, 1853 a grant of 87 acres given
to Archibald McNab. Jubilee Oval stands on what would
have been part of this original grant.Edmund English
purchased the grant on the 23rd of May, 1854 for 400
pounds. This became known as Kogarah Park when acquired
by the Department of Lands on the 1st of July, 1896
and dedicated as the first public park in Kogarah.
Control of the park passed to the Council of the Municipality
of Kogarah on the 29th of August, 1906.
In
1935, as part of Kogarah's Jubilee celebrations, an
oval was built on the site and named Kogarah Jubilee
Oval. St George played a one-off exhibition match
at Jubilee Oval in 1936, defeating Newtown. The gate
takings were donated to St George Hospital.
 In
1950, St George left Hurstville and returned to Kogarah
Jubilee Oval
Positioned on
the Princes Highway and a short distance from the
old club house, Kogarah Jubilee Oval was to become
the most successful home ground in the proud club's
history. In what is almost certainly a record for
a winning streak, St George didn't lose a game
at Kogarah for an incredible 13 seasons between 1954
- 1966.
In 1986, work
began on the western grand stand and Saints
went into an extraordinary slump when for the first
time in 50 years, all three grades missed out on the
semi finals. Many put this down to the Dragons playing
their home games at the neutral Sydney Cricket Ground.
In fact, St George failed to make the semi finals
for the next three seasons while Kogarah was being
refurbished.
Kogarah
Jubilee Oval fell into disrepair and in 1999, the
ground failed to meet the home ground criteria set
down by the National Rugby League. It was announced
that the new Dragons joint venture of StGeorge-Illawarra
would be playing out of WIN Stadium (Wollongong) and
the Sydney Football Stadium. In the new century, many
fans have been lobbying for a return to Kogarah as
the team's St George home ground.
In 2002, following intense lobbying
from the fan-based R2K (Return To Kogarah) organisation
and hard work from members of the St George DRLFC
board, it was announced that the St George Illawarra
Dragons may be returning to Kogarah Jubilee Oval in
2003 as part of a share arrangement with WIN Stadium.
Pics above right: Dragons fans want
a return to the St.George district.
THE
TAJ MAHAL
In 1963, St
George opened the doors to Sydney's first Super Leagues
Club at 124 Princes Hwy, Kogarah. Dubbed 'The Taj
Mahal' because of it's extensive use of white marble,
the St George Leagues Club was perfectly positioned
opposite Kogarah Jubilee Oval. Built at a cost of
£800,000, the new 'club house' replaces the
red brick offices on the corner of Princes Hwy and
Rocky Point Rd (now Bethany Ladies Catholic College).
St George Leagues Club remains as one of the most
prestigious clubs in Australia.
WIN
Stadium (FROM
http://www.concreteboots.com/dummypage.htm)
 The
Illawarra Steelers played all their home games
at the one venue, WIN Stadium. In 1999, after
the joint venture of St George and Illawarra,
WIN stadium became the Wollongong home
ground for the Dragons.
 The
ground is still commonly referred to as 'The
Showground' due to it being called the Wollongong
Showground for many years (see pic left) before
also spending time as 'Steelers Stadium'. It
was the home ground of Wollongong and many great
grand finals have been played here featuring
teams like Dapto, Port Kembla and Wests.
The Wollongong
Wolves soccer team also played at the ground
before 1984
and there have been some great matches where
local teams have defeated international sides.
The record
crowd of 17,527 in 1992 for an Illawarra v St
George match was only recently surpassed when
18,048 people saw St George-Illawarra narrowly
go down to the Bulldogs (26-28) on 14 July 2002.
The capacity
of the ground was increased to 20,000 when in
early 2002 an $8 million injection of funds
brought the ground up to modern standards. |
The search for
a St George home ground...
 29
July 2000:
Dragon's supporters rallied in the name
of R2K (Return To Kogarah) outside Kogarah Jubilee
Oval. Despite the rally attracting a large crowd and
a number of speakers, the Dragons are still without
a home ground in the St George district.
Since then, there has been some effort
to negotiate a deal which would see Saints playing at
the St George Stadium at Barton Park in Rockdale.
Sunday Telegraph, 22 July 2001:
An article by Adam Hawse.
THE return of South Sydney to the NRL
is set to force St George Illawarra out of the Sydney
Football Stadium.
With the Rabbitohs and Sydney Roosters
to use the SFS as their home ground in 2002, the Dragons
are looking at alternative venues for their Sydney based
matches.
Among the options are the adjacent Sydney
Cricket Ground, Stadium Australia and the Sydney Showground.
A decision will be made by the end of
August.
"Souths arriving back has complicated
things for us," Dragons chief executive Peter Doust
said today. "We're just contemplating what other options
there are."
The Dragons are not bound to a lease next
year, allowing them to change venues if they wish.
Ultimately, the joint venture wants to
play it's Sydney home games at the proposed Barton Park,
a 20,000 seat stadium planned for Rockdale.
A return to their old home ground, Kogarah
Jubilee Oval, is not an option.
Doust also ruled out the club playing
all it's home games at WIN Stadium in Wollongong.
"We've made a commitment to play in Sydney
and we believe it actually strengthens our organisation
by playing two markets," he said.
"Playing all games at WIN is not an option."
3 August 2001:
Last night on 2GB, Dragons CEO, Peter
Doust announced that plans were now underway to
build the new Stadium complex at Barton Park, Rockdale.
If all goes to plan, the Dragons will
have a home ground in St George in time for season 2005.
These words were re-iterated in today's
SMH:
....the news came as St George Illawarra
chief executive Peter Doust outlined a proposed
return to southern Sydney, with plans for the redevelopment
of Barton Park already well under way.
St George soccer club is planning to construct
a 20,000-seat stadium in the Technology Park precinct,
near Sydney airport.
"If there was a ground there that met
the NRL criteria, we'd definitely play there," Doust
said. "At the end of the day a lot of people yearn for
a local presence and the signs are looking good."
Plans have been drawn up and are awaiting
development approval. Work on the ground is expected
to take 18 months.
"If it happens, we've been told it would
be ready for the 2005 season," Doust said.
27 October 2001:
An article in today's Sydney Telegraph
reports that the Barton Park project has been scrapped.
"St George Illawarra plan to build a $60m
stadium on the banks of the Cooks River and want to
play their home games there from 2003"
Further investigation revealed that the
Soccer club and Leagues Club are in fact referring to
a new project at nearby Cahill Park.
Peter Doust is quoted as saying
it is an exciting option and the board will be meeting
next week to discuss the venue.
Rumours that the Dragons may be playing
some games out of Kogarah in 2002 have taken a nose
dive with the news that Saints will be playing at the
Sydney Football Stadium in 2002.
05 November 2001:
Cr Peter Bryant of Rockdale Council
has informed interested parties that Cahill Park is
not a suitable location for the proposed St George Stadium.
This latest news places re-newed pressure on St George
Leagues Club to reconsider Kogarah Jubilee Oval as an
option for a St George Home Ground.
14 November 2001:
CEO Peter Doust has confirmed that
the 2002 home games will be played out of WIN Stadium
(7 games) and the Sydney Football Stadium (5 games).
Saints will be sharing the SFS with the Sydney Roosters
and the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
16 March 2002:
R2K hold information night at Kogarah
RSL. Guest speakers include legendary footballer and
radio announcer Frank Hyde, ABCTV's Tony Squires,
ex-St George hooker John Dowling, Oylmpic swimming
coach Dick Caine, Rockdale Mayor Peter Bryant
and ex-St George back rower and St George club DRLFC
CEO Robert Stone.
In a passionate but entertaining evening
attended by over 500 people, it was established that
money and not the NRL criteria was the main barrier
to the Dragons returning to Kogarah. The meeting also
launched R2K's campaign to sit for the St George Leagues
Club board. Headed by Lachlan McLean, the R2K
low budget 'red and white' ticket was later defeated.
More
on the board election - click here.
24 March 2002:
St George Illawarra captain, Trent
Barrett has added his support to a return to Kogarah.
In an interview with The Sun Herald, Barrett said, "Our
record at WIN speaks for itself [but] I don't think
we've got the same advantage at the SFS. I reckon our
games should be split between WIN and Kogarah."
Barrett's comments are consistent with
fellow St.George-Illawarra star Lance Thompson
who has previously stated that he would like to see
a return to Kogarah.
17 June 2002, Club commissions engineers
report:
St George DRLFC CEO, Robert Stone
has released details of an engineer's report which will
look into the viability of returning to Kogarah. The
report has been submitted to Kogarah Council and an
answer is expected in the coming weeks. Full
Saints On TV interview with Robert Stone - click
here.
Kogarah Council backs Jubilee return
22 July 2002:
The Mayor of Kogarah, Cr Jim Taylor,
has recommended a maintenance program for Kogarah Jubilee
Oval which will give the Dragons an opportunity to return
for the 2003 season.
Councillor Jim Taylor made the following
recommendation at the July 22 Council meeting:
"That Council endorse the proposed maintenance
program that will ensure that Kogarah Jubilee Oval is
maintained to an acceptable standard as a community
asset and is in readiness for use by the St.George-Illawarra
Dragons in 2003 if they decide to return to Kogarah."
The Mayor added, "It's time to bring the
Dragons back to Kogarah, it's time that the Kogarah
residents and the St.George Community had their football
team back playing at their local ground.
"Kogarah Jubilee Oval has been the home
for the Dragons for the last 50 years, I urge you to
support my Mayoral Minute, that will be the first major
step in ensuring the Dragons have the option to return
home in 2003 and remain at Kogarah for the next 50 years."
The Mayoral report indicates that the
maintenance program has been "formulated initially on
the basis of what essential work would need to be carried
out to ensure the Oval was available to be used by St.George-Illawarra
in the 2003 season."
Kogarah Council closely examined the Consulting
Engineers' report of the grandstand and an agreement
was reached with the Club on each parties responsibilities
for maintenance to be completed in Year 1 of the Maintenance
program.
The Mayoral report further states:
"A fully scheduled maintenance program
is to be prepared over the next month for year 2004
to the end of the lease (2011) following a detailed
approach of those outstanding items listed in the Consulting
Engineers report. The estimated cost of the work for
Council totals $73,000 while St.George-Illawarra Dragons
will incur estimated costs of $45,000 in the first year."
Cr Taylor advised his fellow Councillors
that over the last 5 years Council has received lease
income for Kogarah Jubilee Oval of $304,000. During
the same period, expenditure on the grandstand was $26,000,
while $142,000 was spent on the Oval and surrounding
areas.
Prior to the 5 year period, no significant
maintenance works were carried out.
The Mayor finished his report with
the following statement:
"Kogarah Jubilee Oval is a community asset
that belongs to our community. We have an obligation
to ensure that the asset is maintained to an acceptable
standard, and does not pose a public risk to those who
use it, now or in the future."
25-26 July 2002:
Kogarah well received at NRL and Gov't - Dragons
Media release
The NRL received Mr Robert Stone
and Mr Peter Doust, positively on Friday 26 July
2002, by stating they were willing to help the Club
with their endeavours.
They advised they were some "must haves":
· Adequate player and coaching
facilities
· Adequate video ref and referee
facilities
· Adequate medical facilities
Generally, Health and Safety Standards
for the patrons would have to be met.
The Club and the NRL agreed to undertake
a review on site over the next few weeks.
On
Thursday 25 July 2002, through the support of Cherie
Burton, Kevin Greene and George Thompson
- NSW State Parliament representatives for Kogarah,
Hurstville and Rockdale, respectively, representatives
from St George Leagues Club and the St George Illawarra
Dragons met with Mr Morris Iemma, Minister
for Sport and Recreation, when Mr Iemma encouraged
an application for Grant Funds to support the next
stages of the improvement at Kogarah Oval.
08
August, 2002:
St.George & Sutherland Shire Leader
reports that State funding grant applications close
on September 11, 2002 and that allocations will be
announced in October and November. The report outlines
that the Kogarah upgrade budget is $700,000 including
state and council contributions.
Artcle:
What's
needed to fix the oval - By Paul
Ellercamp
click
here
16
August, 2002:
NRL GIVE KOGARAH THE GREEN LIGHT
NRL representatives were confident that
all issues relating to player facilities could be
addressed, while representatives from Channel 9 and
Fox Sports outlined specific improvements required
to ensure media facilities were at an acceptable level.
more
(Dragons media release): click here
05
September, 2002:
IT'S OFFICIAL:
CLUB ANNOUNCE RETURN TO KOGARAH IN 2003 - NO MORE
HURDLES!
The Dragons will be playing at Kogarah
Jubilee Oval in 2003. The St George Illawarra club
confirmed the move today by official media release.
Dragons
chief executive officer Peter Doust made the announcement
at Kogarah Oval in the lead-up to what will now be
the club's last Sydney "home" game at Aussie Stadium
- their must-win clash with Newcastle on Sunday.
The
Dragons will play five 2003 NRL home games at Kogarah
and the remainder at WIN Stadium, Wollongong. The
pre-season Charity Shield against Souths will remain
at Aussie Stadium (SFS).
"Aussie
Stadium is an outstanding sporting facility … but
it is not in our community," said Doust.
"We
are not coming back to Kogarah next season to go away
again and will be working with all stakeholders to
ensure that doesn't happen."
Doust
said the Dragons Board unanimously decided to return
to Kogarah Oval following overwhelming support from
the three local councils, state government local members,
local community, St George Leagues Club and Dragons
fans.
"The
decision to move to Kogarah underlines our commitment
to the community and completes the position of the
club in our two key communities," he said.
"Our
research backs this up with supporters in both our
key communities in the St George and Illawarra districts
expressing frustration that we were not playing games
in the St George region. The move to Kogarah can only
enhance the club's growth in both environments."
Doust
said the united backing of the Kogarah, Hurstville
and Rockdale local councils for the first time and
the anticipated financial support of the state and
local governments had had a major impact on the decision.
"The
Kogarah Council and the St George Leagues Club have
agreed to the initial stage of $105,000 for maintenance
obligations under the lease," Doust said.
"The
NSW Minister for Sport, Recreation and Public Works,
Morris Iemma, and the three state local members, namely
Cherie Burton, Kevin Greene and George Thompson, have
encouraged the Council to make application for a Regional
Grant to be finalised by November.
A full
list of headline links that brought about the return
to Kogarah in 2002:
Feb 18, 2002: R2K
walkathon a success
Mar 04, 2002: Return
to Kogarah guest speakers for March 16th
Mar 18, 2002: Fans
demand new plans for Jubilee
Mar 22, 2002: R2K
defeat highlights Dragons disharmony
Mar 29, 2002: KOGARAH,
MY KOGARAH
Mar 29, 2002: Barrett's
support of Kogarah
Apr 08, 2002: R2K
snubbed as Kogarah working group is established
Apr 17, 2002: Interview:
Mark Coyne on Kogarah
May 03, 2002: Dragons
to look at Kogarah for 2003
May 19, 2002: R2K
interviews David Niu
Jun 17, 2002: Robert
Stone: interview with SOTV
July 17, 2002:
R2K
researches the local residents issue
July 22, 2002:
R2K
fund raiser dinner
July 22, 2002:
Kogarah
Council backs Jubilee report
July 25, 2002:
Heart
of a Dragon: Kogarah Mayor, Jim Taylor
July 26, 2002:
Kogarah
'well-received' at NRL HQ
July 26, 2002:
UPDATE
- Kogarah Oval
Aug 03, 2002:
R2K
interviews Kogarah Mayor Jim Taylor
Aug 05, 2002:
Kogarah:
letter from a Dragons supporter
Aug 16, 2002:
NRL
gives Kogarah the green light
Aug 26, 2002:
Immortals
dinner a success
Aug 26, 2002:
R2K's
big night
Aug 26, 2002:
Kogarah:
MONEY - the final hurdle
Aug 28, 2002:
Jubilee:
next two weeks critical
Aug 30, 2002:
Vote
1 - Lachlan McLean
Sep 01, 2002:
The
future of St George
Sep 03, 2002:
St
George councils seek Jubilee manager
 Sep
04, 2002: Dragons
set to return to Kogarah
Sep 05, 2002:
Its
official: Dragons to play at Kogarah in 2003
Sep 05, 2002:
Victory
day for R2K
Sep 05, 2002:
Dragons
return home
Sep 05, 2002:
The
Ghosts of Kogarah past (story)
Sep 08, 2002:
Kogarah
Council endorses grant application
Sep 13, 2002:
$50,000
requests, but Kogarah yet to put in
Oct 01, 2002:
R2K
REAFFIRMS ITS COMMITMENT TO JUBILEE
Oct 18, 2002: Kogarah
Council seek donations
Oct 24, 2002: Kogarah
fund raiser slogan and logo to be finalised soon
Nov 06, 2002: Return
to Kogarah drags in Dragons fans
Nov 12, 2002: Council
casts doubts on Kogarah
Nov 23, 2002: Kogarah funding 'secured'
Dec 07, 2002: Get your name immortalised at Jubilee!
Dec 10, 2002: Jubilee Oval Community Appeal
Dec 11, 2002: Jubilee Funding Update
Dec 12, 2002: Kogarah 2003 draw
Dec 12, 2002: Kogarah 2003 draw
Jan 29, 2003: Work commences on Jubilee Oval
Feb 02, 2003: Appeal from Great Saint - Jeff Hardy
Feb 13, 2003: Saints All Stars v USA at Kogarah: Its good to be back
Feb 26, 2003: Rockdale Council coughs up $50,000
Mar 16, 2003:
Kogarah retrospective - Time for the fans to step up
Apr 02, 2003:
R2K - Sunday, the 4th of May at 3:00pm
Apr 02, 2003:
TICKET RUSH EXPECTED FOR DRAGONS RETURN TO JUBILEE OVAL
Apr 03, 2003:
Hard yakka to complete Oval
Apr 13, 2003: Naming rights for Jubilee Oval
Apr 29, 2003:
New look Jubilee Oval has new name
May 01,2003:
R2K Groundforce
May 02, 2003: Dragons on the way to sell-out
May 02, 2003: Saints go marching home again...hurrah!
May 04, 2003:
Welcome back to Kogarah!
May 05, 2003: A Glorious Return To Kogarah
More
discussion:
BACK
to Kogarah!
Big
News: Kogarah Jubilee
Back
to top
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The
fact that Hurstville was unenclosed hurt St.George
financially. It wasn't until May, 1923 that
Hurstville Council agreed to enclose Hurstville
Oval. However as Ian Heads notes, "... the battle
to secure a suitable home ground was not yet
over." Hurstville Council decided not to enclose
the site due to the demands of local residents
and in 1924 there were no games played in the
St.George district. Saints made Arncliffe's
Earl Park their headquarters from 1925-39. Earl
park was sold to Cooks Caramels and they had
to return to Hurstville Oval in 1940. Saints
played at Hurstville from 1940-49 before moving
to Kogarah Jubilee Oval in 1950. Saints won
their first premiership in 1941 whilst based
at Hurstville and their tenth and final year
and Hurstville brought a second premiership
in 1949. Hurstville Oval continues to be used
by the St.George District Cricket Club.
The
Hurstville Propeller : "What the team requires
are proper training quarters, a ground of their
own, and, above all, perfect harmony among players
and officials and they are sure to be successful."
