Dragons fans deserve egalitarian name

How great was it when the Saints won? Go the mighty Dragons! Finally St George have broken their 31-year drought.Superb stuff. A well-deserved moment for long-suffering fans of that long-established and proud club, St George. But last weekend's grand final victory was also a massive moment for the people of the Illawarra.Days before the grand final, supercoach Wayne Bennett was reported as saying: "It's good living down at Wollongong. No-one kind of knows it's on." Well, with due respect, we knew it was on, Wayne. We knew it was on like Donkey Kong. We've been waiting to give the opposition the taste of steel in a grand final since 1982.Now, giving Wayne the benefit of the doubt, I gather he was expressing how much he appreciated the respite Wollongong offered him and his players away from the glare of the Sydney media. Certainly, Wayne appreciates the important role the Illawarra and the Steelers have played in the Dragons' success.But his choice of words might have rankled among those Illawarra fans still harbouring resentment at what they see as the takeover of the Steelers and our region's relegation to bit player.The revelation in Peter Newell's article in today's Mercury that a three-way merger between St George, Cronulla and Illawarra was discussed during those dark days in the 1990s goes some way to explaining why many of those in the know are adamant that the joint venture we ended up with was a good deal for the Steelers.Certainly, it was a far better option than becoming the minor partner in a three-way merger with no games at WIN Stadium.And the Illawarra's influence within the joint venture has certainly strengthened - even Wayne lives down here. But you're kidding yourself if you think the St George Illawarra fan base is one big happy Dragons family.A perennial issue Steelers' fans have with the merger - sorry, joint venture - is the name.When the Balmain Tigers and Western Suburbs Magpies merged they became the Wests Tigers, so why didn't we become the Illawarra Dragons? At the very least, as Steve Parsons suggested last week, why couldn't we have been the Illawarra St George Dragons?Yes, technically, the Steelers' two demands were met when the clubs joined forces.Home games were split between Kogarah and Wollongong and "Illawarra" was kept as part of the team name. But only just. And I'll tell you why it matters. As our name stands, the "Illawarra" has a tendency to be dropped like a red-hot dragon's egg. It might as well be the St George (cough) Dragons or the St George (clear throat) Dragons. Commentators and the Sydney media drop the "Illawarra" routinely. When the commentary team mentioned the Illawarra's contribution after the grand final, it had a "let's not forget" feel about it, as if viewers needed reminding that despite appearances, that team in the Red V was a joint venture.The Illawarra is integral to the joint venture but incidental to its name. And that's tough for Steelers fans who've already lost the jersey they remember, their moniker, mascot and song.The fact is, when it matters - when there's passion in the cry - it's "the Dragons" or "the Saints". It's "mighty St George". It's the first paragraph of this column.This first premiership for the joint venture should act as the glue that finally, formally, solidifies the union but, just as a caring partner might sense what their other half needs, perhaps it is time for the Dragons to consider a more egalitarian name.