OCCASIONALLY, the players come together, fill their glasses and reflect on what might have been.

Not the legends of the past who infused the Red V with its sense of immortality - although they are known to often reminisce, too - but those who played more recently. Or still are.

"A few of us who have played for the club in the last few years come together for a drink now and then and we look at one another and think, 'What if?"' reveals former halfback Mathew Head. "We reminisce about 2004, '05 and '06 and we all know it - we should've won a premiership at some stage."

An era is coming to an end at the joint-venture club. Many predict the 'what ifs?' will end tonight when they meet Manly at Brookvale Oval in the opening week of the finals. Coach Nathan Brown, captain Mark Gasnier and front-rower Jason Ryles will fly out for Europe as soon the as their campaign ends, breaking up forever the nucleus of a side many believe should've done better with a roster that included a constellation of representative players, such as Trent Barrett, Luke Bailey, Shaun Timmins.

Like their famous political supporters, John Howard and Morris Iemma, they never got it quite right in the end.

"I think Saints have disappointed their supporters, everyone can see that," says premiership-winning coach and ABC Radio expert Warren Ryan. "It's a fair comment that their supporters have been disappointed on an annual basis by the returns when they had a highly talented side. I think they're less talented now then they were before."

They are being widely dismissed but you consider the volatile journey of this club since the marriage between St George and Illawarra in 1999 and it would be unwise to entirely discount the Dragons. When Brown was told Broncos coach Wayne Bennett would replace him at the end of this season, the Dragons blew out in premiership betting to $51. Yet there they were last Friday night, still a heartbeat away from finishing in the top four.

"I was talking to someone about this the other day," says Head, who will rejoin the club next season after leaving midway through last year. "You can see how the pressure and expectation isn't there like it has been in the past."

Ryan puts it like this: "When the coach is told he won't be there any more, the players start to think: 'Shit, we better prove it's not us that's the problem."'

Expectation has been their bane for years. In 2005, the expectation was they would play Parramatta in the grand final and win it, despite Head rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in his knee in June. They lost the preliminary final to the Tigers.

In 2006, the expectation was they could outmuscle Melbourne in the same match. The Storm won, another opportunity not taken. "I still think that was our best chance," Head laments.

Was the pressure too much to bear? "It's very difficult, you always live with it. I found it tough. The supporters are very passionate, as everyone knows. If it wasn't for 'Brownie', I would not have handled it as well as I did. I know one thing, I'm glad I wasn't Trent Barrett. That's one bloke who copped more than anyone. It was very unfair."

The Dragons faithful often forget the injuries that have beset their side at times, not least to Gasnier last year.

They think back to 1999 when they were an Anthony Mundine dropped ball away from the title and wonder why they have not reached one since - all the while forgetting the salary cap concessions afforded them in that watershed year.

Sometimes the criticism is justified. But when you've been waiting 29 years for your side to do a victory lap, you start pointing the finger of blame at anything. Much-maligned chief executive Peter Doust has deflected the criticism this season, highlighting the club's ability to still be around at this time of year. The Dragons have reached the finals seven times since the merger.

"[But] by bringing Bennett in, it's almost an admission that they made an error in the first place, to some extent," Ryan argues.

Brown has one ace tonight, as he has all season: zero expectations. "Who knows?" is an easier mindset for a side than "What if?".