Jack Harbidge reviews St George Illawarra hosting the Canberra Raiders at Wollongong…
MATCHDAY RESULTS
SCOREBOARD
St George Illawarra Dragons 12
Tries: Talatau Amone (17), Moses Suli (38)
Goals: Zac Lomax 2 (25 – pen, 39)
Canberra Raiders 10
Tries: Xavier Savage (29), Hudson Young (53)
Goals: Jamal Fogarty (54)
MATCH REPORT
Embed from Getty ImagesSt. George Illawarra strung together back-to-back wins with a close-fought two-point win over the Canberra Raiders at a wet and windy WIN Stadium.
The Dragons got off to an ideal start in the 18th minute with promising young five-eigth Talatau Amone forcing a goal-line drop-out in slippery conditions. The Raiders attempted a short drop-out to regain possession but Jack Wighton could only find the Dragons’ five-eighth who gathered and dove over for the first try of the game.
The Dragons continued to press the Raiders and Zac Lomax converted pressure into points with a penalty goal from in front of the sticks 25 minutes in. The extended lead didn’t last long however, with Xavier Savage crossing the whitewash down the left edge off the back of a block play.
The two sides traded sets in tough conditions that created a lot of errors, but it was the Dragons who went into the break ahead with Moses Suli muscling his way over from short range.
The Raiders came out of the sheds after half-time the better of the two sides and Hudson Young burst through the smallest of gaps on the Dragons’ line to cut the margin to four points with just over 53 minutes played. Jamal Fogarty was able to convert this time and the lead was cut to two points.
The visitors looked to be on the up for the majority of the second half, and with the rain getting heavier as the game went on, opportunities came few and far between.
The pivotal point in the half came just five minutes from time when Wighton failed to put a penalty into touch in what turned out to be a frustrating night for the NSW Origin star: he ended the game with just 11 metres, four errors, and three missed tackles.
The Dragons managed to hold off the Raiders’ efforts for the rest of the half and Ben Hunt made a controversial yet decisive move to wrap up the game in the last play from marker to consequentially boost his side into the top eight.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR POINTS
Embed from Getty Images3 pts – Talatau Amone (Dragons), 2 pts – Xavier Savage (Raiders), 1 pt – Joseph Tapine (Raiders)
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