For 31 years it was the monkey - actually, make that a gorilla - on the Dragons' back each time the calendar flicked over to September.
Over three frustrating decades the Red V either failed to make the play-offs or fell short of the main prize once they were there.
The lengthy title drought finally came to end last season after Saints beat the Sydney Roosters in the grand final, triggering week-long celebrations among the club's massive and patient fan base.
Long-serving hooker Dean Young believes that success has lowered the heat on the current side as they prepare to enter the 2011 finals series.
"I don't think there'd be many sides under the amount of pressure this club was under last year," he said ahead of Friday night's first qualifying final against Wests Tigers.
"We'd been there a couple of times before and failed and, especially the year before, we went bang, bang straight out the back door."
"We were there again, same game, (last year's preliminary final) and if we didn't get to the grand final it would have been hard for the club to turn it around."
"I don't know if there's been any club under the amount of pressure the Dragons were, it's such a famous club."
"In your (the media's) eyes we failed so many times so we were really under the pump."
"There's certainly less pressure on us this year."
The next challenge for St George Illawarra is to go back to back.
No club has done it in since Brisbane won the 1997 Super League crown and the NRL premiership the following year.
Their coach? Current Saints boss Wayne Bennett.
Asked why it was so hard to win consecutive premierships, Young replied: "I don't have the answers. A lot of sides don't have the answers because they can't do it."
"Ask the big man (Bennett). He's got plenty of answers."
"We'll find out in the next couple of weeks whether we're good enough or not."
First stop is the Tigers before a big ANZ Stadium crowd on Friday night.
The loser of the 4 v 5 match usually survives into the second week but Young doesn't want to take any chances.
"You don't want to lose and be dead man walking, waiting around on other results," he said.
"Our focus is totally on this week and whatever happens next week, we'll worry about it when it happens."