Early season whipping boys, St George Illawarra Dragons had a round thirteen encounter with a Sydney Roosters side currently sitting precariously in fourth on the ladder as they struggle with a number of injuries across the park. Neither side would likely improve their ladder position as a result of todays game, but for St George the win would keep them in touch with the top eight, whereas the Roosters needed the win to keep themselves in the top four.
The Roosters were the favourites, while the Dragons were shocked by the enforced omission of Paul Vaughan who had broken ‘bubble’ restrictions after eating out in a local restaurant.
The Dragons were without the aforementioned Vaughan, Jacob Host and Corey Norman having brought Adam Clune, Kaide Ellis and Trent Merrin into the side. An injury ravaged Roosters had lost the services of Waerea-Hargreaves and Flanagan with Drew Hutchison and Max Bailey in the side.
The Roosters set off at breakneck speed and opened the scoring after ninety seconds after Tedesco had gone close a few seconds earlier. Joseph Manu shimmied to the side of the ball player from acting half back and went over to score. Siosiua Taukeiaho had the kicking duties and put his kick through the uprights.
Mitchell Aubusson picked up a try in his 300th appearance on fourteen when he dropped the shoulder and went through a gap to score five on from the left touchline. Taukeiaho pushed his kick wide of the far upright, the Roosters 10-0 to the good.
St George finally got on the scorecard on twenty after some great goal line pressure. Keeping the ball alive in a left to right move the ball went to the hands of Zac Lomax who lunged for the line to ground. Lomax picked up an injury in the act of scoring but still took the kick, missing the target.
Five minutes from the end of the half Ryan Hall failed to deal with a grubber to the Roosters in-goal area and Lomax beat Matthew Dufty to ground the loose ball. This time Lomax added the conversion and from being a distant second best in the opening twenty minutes, to level the scores at 10-10.
Two minutes after the restart Ryan Hall was going for the line and flung the ball infield as he was tackled five short. Luke Keary picked up the loose ball and passed to Sitili Tupouniua who went ten metres to score. Taukeiaho added the conversion for 16-10, the Roosters regaining the lead.
A superb 40-20 from Adam Clune gave the Dragons a great chance on fifty but the Roosters defence held firm.
The fourth Roosters try came of sixty-seven as Manu was the beneficiary of a Keary high kick which was collected and passed by James Tedesco. Drew Hutchinson took over the kicking duties but pulled his kick wide of the near upright. At 20-10 it was a long way back for the Dragons.
A Keary attempted drop goal on seventy-five was deflected wide by the Dragons defence. Two tackles from the short goal line drop out Keary took the pass and despite being tripped two metres from the line he made it over to score. Lachlan Lam took the kick but couldn’t convert it.
A Dufty consolation try, under the sticks, with fifteen second left on the clock was mere consolation, as was the conversion that Lomax added for a final score of 16-24.
After being stunned in the opening minutes the Dragons did well to fight back and level the scores at half time but the Roosters kicked on in the second half to score three unanswered tries before the home side grabbed a late consolation to go down by 16-24. The Roosters will finish the round in the top four, their points difference unassailable, but the Dragons chances of a top eight spot look increasingly forlorn.
St George Illawarra Dragons: Dufty (T), Pereira, Aitken, Lomax (2T, 2G), Ravalawa, Hunt, Clune, Lawrie, McInnes, Kerr, Frizell, Sims, Ford. Subs: Sailor, Merrin, Fuimaono, Ellis.
Sydney Roosters: Tedesco, Hall, Manu (2T), Aubusson (T), Ikuvalu, Keary (T), Lam, Taukeiaho (2G), Friend, Collins, Butcher, Tupouniua (T), Liu. Subs: Hutchinson, Fifita, Bailey, Faamausili.
Referee: Ashley Klein.
Half-Time: 10-10.
Full-Time: 16-24.
Ground: WIN Stadium, Wollongong.
