Team of the Decade (2010s): Hooker
The Dragons have been blessed with four of the club's finest hookers over the past decade.
Whether they're centurions, captains or Origin and Test representatives, the following candidates for the Dragons' best hooker of the 2010s is certainly an intriguing one.
It's time for Red V members and fans to hook the scrum for their say on our Team of the Decade (2010s) rakes; an initiative by the Dragons aimed to help navigate, and distract, through these harrowing times.
Offering up a great opportunity to look back at not only the club's 2010 premiership success, the Team of the Decade will reflect on a whopping 48 players – including our seven nominated centres – who traversed the triumphs, the trials and the tribulations in the years that followed.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram and stay tuned to Dragons.com.au for not only the latest on the Team of the Decade but all Red V-relevant news.
Voting for your favourite halves of the 2010s closes at midnight, Sunday, April 26. This Team of the Decade (2010s) vote is proudly brought to you by Paul's Customs and Forwarding Solutions.
Hooker of the Decade nominees
Nathan Fien (2009-13)
Dragons appearances: 80 (70 games in the 2010s)
The astute purchase of Nathan Fien midway through the 2009 season from the New Zealand Warriors provided a huge boon for the Red V at the turn of the decade. In Fien, the Dragons had a 200-game veteran who had tasted both State of Origin and international football and who was capable of playing in the halves and at hooker. A member of the Dragons' 2010 premiership-winning team (from the interchange), Fien rounded out his career with a further 14 Tests for New Zealand and the 2013 Immortals Trophy.
Cameron McInnes (2017-present)
Dragons appearances: 73
Known for being tough as nails and having a removable front tooth, Cameron McInnes has already won all four performance-based year-end awards in the space of his first three seasons at the Dragons: the Immortals Trophy (2017), Red V Members Player of the Year, Geoff Selby Memorial Trophy and Dragons Medal (all 2019). McInnes – proudly sponsored by Dincel Structural Walling – has built a reputation for his never-die-attitude and strong leadership; attributes that led to him being handed the Dragons captaincy in 2020. At the age of 26, McInnes still has plenty left to show after an impressive start to his Red V career.
Mitch Rein (2011-16)
Dragons appearances: 132
A home-grown product and an old school, grafting type hooker, Mitch Rein was solid in defence and scheming in attack during his time at the club. Renowned for his defensive workload, Rein appeared on the NRL radar after making 18 tackles in a 20-minute debut in 2011. The 'Rein Train' went on to play sporadically in his first season, before locking down the No. 9 jumper in the five seasons that followed – he has the most appearances in the No. 9 jumper in joint-venture history to date. In 2016, Rein departed the Dragons for Penrith and currently plays for the Gold Coast Titans.
Dean Young (2003-12)
Dragons appearances: 209 (63 in the 2010s)
From his famous embrace with father Craig after winning the 2010 premiership to his current role as Dragons assistant coach, Dean Young is etched into the history of St George Illawarra. Young first debuted for the Dragons in 2003 and went on to spend his entire 10-year career at the club. Although spending the majority of his time at hooker and lock, Young’s versatility landed him in second-row, front-row and the halves on more than one occasion. A two-time Dragons Immortals Trophy recipient, his career peaked at the turn of the decade when he scored a try in the Dragons’ premiership victory on his way to a Test debut for Australia. Young made his debut for New South Wales the year following before retirement called in 2012.
