The St George Illawarra Dragons have held on in an incredibly tight tussle with a two-point victory over the Penrith Panthers.
Points were scarce in the first half with Jason Nightingale denied an early try after it was ruled he illegally stripped the ball of Waqa Blake with Timoteo Lafai coming into the tackle just miliseconds before he took possession from the Fijian.
The Dragons scored soon after however with a penalty goal in the 11th minute to put them in front by two points.
The home side were gifted a massive opportunity spending five minutes deep in the Panthers’ half after Penrith gave away penalties galore however, the Red V were unable to break the mountain men’s defensive line and took the 2-0 lead at half-time.
The scores were soon levelled with Jamie Soward putting a penalty goal over two minutes into the second half.
The first try of the match finally came in the 53rd minute with Euan Aitken going over to put the Dragons in front 8-2 however, Peta Hiku went over just eight minutes later to once again level the scores.
With ten minutes remaining, Will Smith was taken from the field joining Bryce Cartwright on the sideline after Joel Thompson was put on report for a shoulder charge with Josh Mansour scoring in the corner to put the visitor’s in front for the first time in the match 12-8 three minutes later.
Jamie Soward was unable to convert which proved costly as Josh Dugan went over just three minutes later to put the Dragons in front 14-12.
St George Illawarra held that lead as the Panthers had one last attempt after Mike Cooper was put on report for a crusher tackle on Mansour but the joint venture managed to hold on for their second win in a row.
Josh Dugan, Jack de Belin, Mitch Rein, Tyson Frizell, Mike Cooper and Gareth Widdop all starred for the Dragons while Trent Merrin led the way for the Panthers with Peter Wallace, Isaah Yeo, Josh Mansour and Jamie Soward also showing strong signs.
The Dragons will now head north to Townsville where they will take on the North Queensland Cowboys as they commence a three-week journey through Queensland before returning to Sydney for the annual Anzac Day clash.
The Penrith Panthers meanwhile will be boosted by the likely return of captain Matt Moylan when they head to Parramatta to take on the Eels in a Western Sydney derby next Sunday afternoon.
Final score
St George Illawarra Dragons 14
Penrith Panthers 12
Rugby league returns to Wollongong and Trent Merrin prepares to face his old team the St George Illawarra Dragons when the Penrith Panthers head south to WIN Stadium. Join The Roar from 4pm (AEDT) for live coverage.
Merrin has overcome glandular fever which saw him sidelined in the chocolate soldiers’ 23-22 win over premiership favourites the Brisbane Broncos at Pepper Stadium last Saturday.
Merrin will be eager to run out against the club which nurtured him as a junior as the Panthers look to build on last week’s performance led by rookie Te Maire Martin who scored a try, set one up and kicked the winning field goal on debut.
Merrin returns for Penrith alongside Waqa Blake which sees Isaah Yeo move back into the second row while Elijah Taylor and Tyrone Peachey drop to the bench. Jeremy Latimore will miss the match with a suspension while James Fisher-Harris has been named on an extended bench.
Dragons coach Paul McGregor has made no changes to his side after the Red V defeated the South Sydney Rabbitohs in a gritty win in wet weather at the Sydney Cricket Ground 8-6.
Gareth Widdop led the way for the joint venture while their forward pack also stepped up with Mitch Rein, Jack de Belin and Tyson Frizell all prominent with McGregor expecting them to once again lead from the front while he will also be hoping that Joel Thompson and Russell Packer take on a greater role with both unimpressive against Souths.
Josh McCrone will also be asked to improve on his performance from last week as he struggled in replacing Benji Marshall on his debut for St George Illawarra.
The Dragons and Panthers have met a total of 29 times since St George and Illawarra entered their first season as a joint venture in 1999.
The Red V have won the majority of matches with 17 compared to the mountain men’s 12.
In 2015 they played each other just once with the Dragons winning 19-12 in the ‘Gong during Round 24.
Prediction
Josh McCrone will take on a larger role with the Dragons forwards to provide greater input and deliver the Red V their second consecutive win.
Dragons by four
Join The Roar from 4pm (AEDT) for live score updates and debate in our live blog.
JohnnoMcJohnno
Roar Rookie
Are you on meds or something? Dozing off here, repeating your comments in another article. Thought this game was riveting.. The bulldogs-penrith game two weeks ago - now that was sleep-inducing.
The Barry
Roar Guru
Gee tge dragons are a good to team to ...zzzzzz.....watch. They really..,zzzzz..know how to att...zzzzzz....ack
Gavin
Guest
Having been at the game, its safe to say jamie soward is literally the laziest footballer in the nrl
Josh
Guest
i reckon he does not deserve any suspension. But each to their own. Free country
The eye
Guest
Not even a solitary point for Mitch Rein ? He carried the Dragons in the first 40..his running and ball play from dummy half has improved 1000% this year..and that defence is tough as nails..he lead the way,Merrin wasnt in the same ballpark today,neither was De Bellin...3rd best was Hiku..
Scott Pryde
Expert
I thought Rein was deserving, certainly over Merrin but a case can be made for any player.
Riley Pettigrew
Roar Guru
That concludes The Roar's coverage of St George Illawarra Dragons vs Penrith Panthers. Be sure to join us tomorrow for live coverage of all three games on Easter Monday starting with Alan Nicolea taking you through Warriors vs Knights from 2pm (AEDT). Thanks for following along.
Josh
Guest
I really enjoyed this game. It was hard fought with a lot of last gasp tackles to keep the other out. Some of it amazing. I felt Dugan in particular was outstanding. It probably belongs to another forum but I am a tad frustrated with the tackled player being hurt, it goes to the Video Ref / Bunker, there is nothing in it, a penalty is given - player on report. The game has changed to a degree that nobody is allowed to be hurt. I don't like anybody getting hurt but it is a contact sport and it will happen. Also at the end of the second half Panthers gave away 5 penalties in a row in their own 20. There was no sin-binning. Wayne Bennett brought up the argument that some teams were giving away 2 points in lieu of 6 - deliberately. I agree with him that that is the case, but I don't blame teams for doing it. It appears that a couple of years ago it was quietly agreed to not sin-bin anyone. There have been times when it was blatantly obvious it was a sin-bin. So why would a coach or his team not give away a penalty? Apart from that, teams know the Broncos are going to kick for goal. So, to get around this, why not coach them to take a tap on occassion. Take the opposition by surprise.
Riley Pettigrew
Roar Guru
MVP Nominations 3 - Josh Dugan 2 - Jack de Belin 1 - Trent Merrin Its hard to fault any players performance with nearly every player making a case for MVP nominations. Peter Wallace, Josh Mansour, Isaah Yeo, Jamie Soward, Mike Cooper, Tyson Frizell, Mitch Rein and Gareth Widdop could all easily have earned points from this match. St George Illawarra Dragons 14 Penrith Panthers 12
Dean - Surry Hills
Guest
Gutsy win to The Dragons. 100% effort from everyone on the park.
Riley Pettigrew
Roar Guru
FULL-TIME Possession: 49% - 51% Completions: 32/39 (82%) - 30/39 (77%) All Runs: 184 - 176 All Run Metres: 1446 - 1573 Line Breaks: 3 - 6 Offloads: 19 - 14 Tackles: 354 - 321 Missed Tackles: 30 - 50 Penalties Conceded: 8 - 10 Errors: 7 - 11 St George Illawarra Dragons 14 Penrith Panthers 12
Riley Pettigrew
Roar Guru
FULL-TIME The St George Illawarra Dragons have held on in an incredibly tight tussle with a two-point victory over the Penrith Panthers. Points were scarce in the first half with Jason Nightingale denied an early try after it was ruled he illegally stripped the ball of Waqa Blake with Timoteo Lafai coming into the tackle just miliseconds before he took possession from the Fijian. The Dragons scored soon after however with a penalty goal in the 11th minute to put them in front by two points. The home side were gifted a massive opportunity spending five minutes deep in the Panthers' half after Penrith gave away penalties galore however, the Red V were unable to break the mountain men's defensive line and took the 2-0 lead at half-time. The scores were soon levelled with Jamie Soward putting a penalty goal over two minutes into the second half. The first try of the match finally came in the 53rd minute with Euan Aitken going over to put the Dragons in front 8-2 however, Peta Hiku went over just eight minutes later to once again level the scores. With ten minutes remaining, Will Smith was taken from the field joining Bryce Cartwright on the sideline after Joel Thompson was put on report for a shoulder charge with Josh Mansour scoring in the corner to put the visitor's in front for the first time in the match 12-8 three minutes later. Jamie Soward was unable to convert which proved costly as Josh Dugan went over just three minutes later to put the Dragons in front 14-12. St George Illawarra held that lead as the Panthers had one last attempt after Mike Cooper was put on report for a crusher tackle on Mansour but the joint venture managed to hold on for their second win in a row. St George Illawarra Dragons 14 Penrith Panthers 12
Josh
Guest
I agree. That was garbage. Thankfully it did not impact the game
Big J
Guest
Clearly not if its bad enough to go on report it's bad enough for a send off or a sin bin, this report rule is just another stupid thing that management has brought into the game for the worst.
Riley Pettigrew
Roar Guru
FULL-TIME The Dragons have come away with yet another hard-fought two-point win in an absolute thriller! Match report, statistics and MVP nominations coming up. St George Illawarra Dragons 14 Penrith Panthers 12
Whites
Guest
Go for the Ingles.
Riley Pettigrew
Roar Guru
80' The Panthers with one last opportunity, Blake makes the cut-out pass, Matthews intercepts and the Dragons win St George Illawarra Dragons 14 Penrith Panthers 12
Ac
Guest
Can't stand keague sometimes. Score a try then the waged minutes between kick of goal.
Riley Pettigrew
Roar Guru
ON REPORT: MIKE COOPER 79' Cooper on report for a crusher tackle. St George Illawarra Dragons 14 Penrith Panthers 12
Scott Pryde
Expert
CRUSHER? WHAT? Ashley Klein can go and take a hike into the Pacific Ocean.