Scoreline: Dragons 12-10 Broncos
The Dragons still have plenty to work on in attack but their defence has to be commended once again as they beat Brisbane by two points here. The Broncos had plenty of chances in the second half, particularly late on but the Dragons held firm. This is a side full of belief and they take another big step in the right direction. The Broncos were gallant in defeat but Milford and Hunt didn’t have the best of games.
Two of the NRL’s in-form sides go head-to-head as the St George Illawarra Dragons host ladder leaders the Brisbane Broncos. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 7:35pm (AEST).
After a poor performance in Round 1 against South Sydney, the Broncos are now on a five-match winning streak and are well on their way to fulfilling their pre-season promise as premiership threats.
St George Illawarra meanwhile have produced an outstanding turnaround after a very poor opening fortnight of the season. Their Round 2 performance against the Tigers in particular raised enormous concerns about their ability to play first-grade football, let alone win matches.
The turning point however came against the Raiders. The Dragons trailed 18-nil at one stage but stormed home to secure a season-defining victory in Round 3.
Since then, the Dragons are playing with a resolve and attitude not seen since the glory days of 2010 when they last won the premiership.
Their defence ranks as the best in the competition and it was on display last week against the Bulldogs. With Canterbury attacking the line early on, Sam Perrett received a great offload and looked destined to score when he dived for the line, but the Dragons somehow managed to hold him up.
That try-saver speaks volumes about the Dragons’ defence this season. Paul McGregor’s players are in the right frame of mind and they will be braced for battle against Brisbane in front of what should be a full house at Oki Jubilee.
Although Brisbane have won their last eight matches against the Dragons, St George Illawarra are a great chance of winning tonight if they continue to defend like they have so far this season.
Join us for live scores of the match from 7:30pm AEST, and don’t forget to leave a comment with your thoughts in the section below.
Dragons by 6.
Jay C
Roar Guru
Hi Scott. Good to know re. the Polling. You are probably right about the private messages thing. I guess it could be used poorly by some. I love the live blogs, and it would be shame to diminish their value. Sometimes it is painful typing while trying to watch a game is all. But there isn't really a better system I suppose at this stage. This is a great site and it needs to definitely remain true to itself. The greatest strength by far is the ability to have a near real time conversation play out in the comments. The mods don't go overboard, so most comments are pretty quickly seen. Giving Joe Everyman the ability to submit articles is amazing as well because we get to see some new and fascinating ideas. Great site and keep up the good work guys.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Interesting thoughts there Jay C, It's a little known fact here on the Roar that polls can be attached to articles - Authors just need to ask for them. For mine a private message system is not the way to go. Its a sport opinion website played out between its members in the open. One of the best things about the Roar to be honest. A commentary team would be great but easier said than done... And it leaves our blogs looking a little bit left out. Live blogs are one of the things that honestly make the Roar what it is.
Jackson Henry
Roar Guru
Neither do I...
Jay C
Roar Guru
cool I don't know how to do that
SpongeBob
Guest
Now that would be nice, wouldn't it?
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
Yeah, I've often thought the same Jay.
Jay C
Roar Guru
Ohh and let us bold or italics things.
Jay C
Roar Guru
There are some issues with this site that would make it more user friendly; If you sign up for comment alerts in email, they should be sent as the whole conversation, so you can see what it is in reply to. Also if you click on the reply link in the email, you should be taken straight to that comment in the comments section. Finding them can be a nuisance. Also would be great if you could reply to the comments by replying to the email, but I understand that would result in less site visits and would not be a good commercial strategy. Authors should be able to attach polls to stories so we can better gauge fans reaction. Some sort of 'like/dislike' system for comments would be great. A private messaging system would be good, make it a bit more like a social media account, centred around football. Using an Australian dictionary for the proofing of comments instead of the yank one. I am sick of seeing squiggly lines under words like colour and centred. Bit more complicated, but a commentary team would be awesome, something you could stream live. Guys like Dane and Ryan calling games would be interesting. There are a couple more things but that should keep the Web D's going for a little while.
Jay C
Roar Guru
Told ya yesterday. Don't worry about the 140 metres in the field of play. Just get it that 1 metre where it counts. Parker wasn't even 1 from three. Didn't Milf kick the goal tonight? Thaiday has to expect that every week now. He has painted a huge target on his back.
Jay C
Roar Guru
I like Gillet. We call him Fergy, after the old Ferguson tractors from the 50s. Just these slow, clunky machines. But they are still great tractors. He doesn't seem to run fast or hard or be strong but he gets through the line regularly. Maybe he smells and the opposition just don't want to touch him.
Ken
Guest
Yeah but Dragons had Dylan Farrell to counter Vidot. His ability to drop the ball and make smooth plays stop in their tracks pretty much cancelled out the Vidot impact.
Walter Penninger
Roar Guru
Yee of little faith. The Dragons had a good preseason and then hit a rock hard storm and then the Tigers who will go somewhere in this competition and now they have found form I cannot see it falling apart. They are also injury free and able to call on experienced NRL replacements such Mata Utai, Runciman, Justin Hunt, Kris Keating, Beau Henry, George Rose and Matthews who had a spectacular game and has probably played his way onto the bench when Frizzell returns for the Souths game. Broncos, if they need replacements have virtual rookies the only possibility.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Jamesb, I really thought that game against the Broncos would tell us a lot. I'm not sure i'll continue to be able to write us off anymore as no chance!
Scott Pryde
Expert
Matthews made his debut with the Titans a couple of seasons ago and then got lost off the map. He came onto the Dragons bench at the back end of last season and for mine really impressed. Unfortunate he had to wait 7 rounds for an opportunity but heck did he take it. NSW material for sure in the future. JDB strikes me as a good bloke to. Seems to have fixed up his ball handling a lot this year and when he just runs and tackles he is pretty damn good.
Scott Pryde
Expert
WDD, Quinlan is now at the Eels.
Bronco Juggernaut
Guest
Lost but shouldn't have.
Jackson Henry
Roar Guru
"Brazilian with a British accent. does it get better than that?" Agreed (!)
William Dalton Davis
Roar Rookie
Brazilian with a British accent. does it get better than that? Also considering that most of the million he was payed by brisbane was being put straight in the bank after taxes, along with the job for life (from what I understand it's his as long as he wants its. I think he's in charge of the clubs Indigenous community relations.) he should be sweet.
Jackson Henry
Roar Guru
Yeah, he almost lost you the game twice last week..but then won it for you (!) Yow was one of my all-time favorites. He was a monster, yeah, but his focus, intelligence and attitude were just first rate. Hope everything works out well for him. If his Mrs is anything to go by, I'd say he's well on his way.
William Dalton Davis
Roar Rookie
What I wouldn't give to swap Minto with Vidot for those last 20 minutes lol Times like this make me think of poor YowYeh. All good on Hunt. He'll be the first to admit he was a little off tonight.