The St George Illawarra Dragons have officially begun the NRL season with the worst start in the league's history.
This unfortunate record goes back to 1998, with only two other teams, the Newcastle Knights in 2005 and the South Sydney Rabbitohs in 2006, remaining winless through their first nine matches.
The 2005 Knights, while not finishing the season with the poorest statistics, started with a troubling defense, allowing 308 points in those nine games, resulting in a for and against of minus 180.
Meanwhile, the Rabbitohs in 2006 were slightly better, conceding 304 total points across nine fixtures, but only achieving a for and against of negative 150.
This year, the Dragons have let in 309 points over their nine games, with a concerning 106 points scored against them in the last two outings, leading to a for and against of minus 185.
Under interim coach Dean Young, the Red V is giving up an average of 34.3 points per game, suffering an average loss margin of 20.6 points.
If their performance does not improve, they will be at risk of challenging the records held by the worst teams in NRL history, including the 2016 Newcastle Knights, 2001 Penrith Panthers, and 1999 Western Suburbs Magpies.
The 1999 Magpies team holds the record for the most points conceded in a single season, allowing a staggering 944 points at an average of 39.3 points per game, with an average defeat margin of 27.5.
The Panthers and Knights were slightly better defensively, with the 2016 Knights winning only once during their season- the fewest victories recorded by any team since 1998.