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2024 Season Review: Catalans Dragons

7 Nov 2024

Catalans Dragons’ hopes of going one step further than last year undone by late season form.

Grand Finalists in 2023, the Dragons failed to make the top six this year after a disappointing end to the campaign that saw them win just twice in eight games at a crucial stage.

Prior to that, Steve McNamara’s side look entrenched in the Play-Off positions and were second at various points of the season as they looked to replicate past successes.

In the first eight rounds of the year they beat Warrington twice, St Helens and Hull KR. But two run of results cost the Dragons dearly.

After they were surprisingly dumped out of the Betfred Challenge Cup by a 34-6 home defeat to Huddersfield Giants, they won just once in six games in April and July.

Four wins from five - including a golden point triumph at Hull KR and a 20-0 win over Salford - hinted that McNamara’s men were back on track.

That is outstanding @DragonsOfficiel ?

Tom Johnstone finishes this outstanding Dragons try to give them a 14 point lead at the break ?#SuperLeague pic.twitter.com/Ip1ar19TZK
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) July 6, 2024

But then they stumbled again and couldn’t recover sufficiently to make the six. Talisman Michael McIlorum missed large chunks of the campaign through injury and a mid-season off-field incident led to Siua Taukeiaho, Jayden Nikorima and Damel Diakhate all exiting the club.

Super League legend Sam Tomkins announced he would be coming out of retirement to help their depleted squad in July. But despite a promising start in which he scored in a win over Hull FC that briefly lifted the Dragons back up to fourth, one win from the next six ultimately cost Catalans, with a narrow defeat at bottom club London Broncos proving particularly damaging.

Returning with a bang ?

Sam Tomkins dances through the Hull FC defence to score in his comeback game ?#SuperLeague pic.twitter.com/EwehEdIPRK
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) July 27, 2024

There were undoubtedly positives for McNamara during the course of the year, particularly in the fact that Frenchmen Arthur Morgue, Arthur Romano, Theo Fages and Cesar Rouge joined the likes of Benjamin Garcia and Julian Bousquet in being mainstays of the side.

Tom Davies was a prodigious worker and accomplished finisher on the wing, although on the opposite flank Tom Johnstone was a key miss after he broke his leg in July, with Mike McMeeken another to sit out a significant part of the year.

Chris Satae and Tariq Sims both stood up in the pack, but ultimately it wasn’t enough to make the Play-Offs and mount a push for an Old Trafford return.

Now focus has switched to rebuilding for next year and beyond, with a whole host of established figures from both sides of the world moving to Perpignan.

From the NRL, Luke Keary, Nick Cotric, Tevita Pangai Junior and the returning Elliott Whitehead will link up with the Dragons, along with Betfred Super League stars Tommy Makinson and Ollie Partington.

Experienced coach McNamara has vowed that his side will return stronger in 2025, and he said: “The fire in our belly is from a team that is not currently good enough to make the top six.

“There’s a whole lot of change going on, but it’s needed.

“It’s the end of an era in some regards with some players leaving who’ve played two Grand Finals.

“But right now the need for change is there and I’m really excited about the prospects for next year.”

Key Man

The Catalans captain, Benjamin Garcia, was yet again a pillar of industry and work-rate in the middle of the field throughout the entire campaign, comfortably topping the Dragons’ tackle count.

Rising Star

Cesar Rouge, 21-year-old utility back, became a key member of Steve McNamara’s side in whichever position he was called on to play, and made 11 appearances in 2024.

Season Highlight

The Dragons were flying high in second when they compressively accounted for Hull KR 36-6 at Stade Gilbert Brutus in mid-April, but that was as good as it got for last year’s Grand Finalists.