The St George Illawarra Dragons have stunned the Brisbane Broncos, running up a huge victory in the second NRL elimination final at Suncorp Stadium. Here are my talking points from the game.
Are the Dragons really back, or was that false hope?
The Dragons might just be back in business. It’s going to take one hell of an effort moving forward, but they looked something like the team who terrorised the competition for three months and were sitting top of the table in dispatching the Broncos.
There were still quiet moments, sure. They were behind at one point. But they overcame that, put the foot down and ran away with the game.
I’ve commented previously, but one of the great traits of the Dragons is that their style of play – when playing well – seems to put other teams off, and that’s exactly what happened yesterday.
The Broncos played poorly, sure, but they were in the game and going well early. Once the Dragons started turning the screws, they turned to rubbish.
It was a truly dreadful period of either side of halftime which cost Brisbane the game, but the Dragons forced the pressure, played at the top of their game and walk away deserved winners.
While the Red V looked like the team they were at the start of the season, turning things around and making that consistent still may be a way off, especially with the potential injuries they sustained (more on this later).
The Dragons ran direct, played what was in front of them with less structure and did everything which worked for them during the first half of the season, and speaking purely as a fan, it was a joy to watch.
For now though, fans can enjoy the win and get ready for next Saturday, with their team at least partially turning a corner for the start of the finals.
Tariq Sims of the Dragons. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
The Broncos got complacent
All the talk in the press during the week was that the Broncos simply had to turn up and they would win. Most on social media and here at The Roar believed that to be the case as well. This was supposed to be a walk in the park.
Heck, there were even reports the Broncos purposely stopped scoring last weekend so they could face the Dragons this weekend.
It worked out awfully for them, but when David Fifita scored an early runaway try to put the Broncos ahead by eight points, they seemed to get complacent.
As mentioned, the Dragons put the pressure on and made them play well below their best, but the Broncos seemed stunned and unable to turn it around.
That’s a sure fire sign they were severely under-prepared for the game and believed far too much of their own hype.
Let’s not get carried away – Ben Hunt still has a lot to work on
One of the big positives for the Red V was the performance of Ben Hunt. It was his best performance in quite some time, and given the knockers who have been all over him recently, to go to his old stomping ground in front of a hostile crowd and play like he did – that takes courage.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. Hunt had a solid game, but it wasn’t spectacular.
His kicking game was good and he made the right options more often than not, but there were still some errors and he failed to take over when halves partner Gareth Widdop got injured.
With Widdop now to miss the remainder of the finals campaign according to all reports out of the Dragons sheds, the pressure is going to be on Hunt to take control again.
He has a lot of work to do if the Dragons are to keep kicking in the coming weeks.
Ben Hunt of the Dragons (AAP Image/Craig Golding)
Tariq Sims has the potential to be unstoppable
Sims started the year like a freight train and got back to that level yesterday, terrorising the Broncos on the left edge.
The big Dragons’ second rower has the potential to be one of the best in the competition, and arguably, for the first half of this season, he was right up there.
It got him a New South Wales Origin debut, and while his form has fallen away over the second half of the season, it wasn’t even the hat-trick of tries on Sunday which his effort will be remembered for.
Rather, Sims’ performance will be remembered for his intensity, how fired up he was and the fact he put on big hits and made big runs whenever the Red V needed.
There is no doubting it was one of his best performances for the year. He ripped in, and the emotion he displayed after each of the tries will show you exactly how much this finals series means to him.
The stats will show Sims only made 92 metres and 21 tackles, but he made every single one of them count. The tackles hurt his opposition, the runs were tough to stop and with a return to form, alongside a strong performance from Tyson Frizell, the Dragons can again have a claim their edge runners are the best in the competition.
If they continue on that level and get early ball, the sky is the limit.
It’ll be the same problems next year unless the Broncos mix up the halves
The one area Brisbane never quite mastered in 2018 came back to bite them yesterday.
Their inconsistency across 80 minutes and from week-to-week probably cost Brisbane a spot in the top four at the end of the regular season.
It looked like Wayne Bennett’s men had turned a corner coming into the finals though, putting a few wins on the trot together.
Unfortunately, in front of their home fans and in Sam Thaiday’s last game, they fell apart. One of the keys was neither Anthony Milford or Kodi Nikorima being able to take over the game and get them back into the contest until it was too late.
The duo are both primarily ball runners, and while they are great when Brisbane have the momentum and are on the front foot, the complete opposite occurs once they find themselves stuck in their own half and behind on the scoreboard.
Milford and Nikorima are both good players in their own right, don’t get me wrong, but as a combination they simply aren’t working.
They could get Brisbane to the finals again, sure, but winning the comp just looks unlikely unless one of them sticks their hand up as a good organiser.
Both have tried, and neither have been able to make it work.
Can the Dragons really hope to compete with South Sydney if there is no Widdop?
The worst news to come out of yesterday’s game for the Dragons was the injury to Gareth Widdop. Trying to stop a try, he re-dislocated his shoulder, which had never been completely fixed in the first place.
It was always a risk to send him on the field, given it was only strengthened over the last few weeks, rather than surgically repaired.
If it was early in the season, Widdop would have gone straight in for surgery, but with the finals around the corner, the decision was made to delay the surgery.
Gareth Widdop might not play again this year (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)
In the end, it got him on the field and may have bought the Dragons an extra week, with his kicking game being quite strong through the first 50 minutes, but his season now looks over.
Not only that for the Dragons, but both Jack de Belin (leg) and James Graham (concussion) may struggle to line up next week.
At full strength and playing like they did against the Broncos, St George Illawarra might have been a chance against the Rabbitohs, but without all of those players, their only hope seems to be that the Rabbitohs are still incredibly fatigued from a trip to Melbourne.
In saying that, the Red V put in a gutsy performance to hang onto their lead with just 14 players left over 20 minutes from fulltime, so anything is possible.
Souths will go in as heavy favourites to advance though, and rightly so.
Roarers, what did you make of the game? Drop a comment below and let us know.
Walter Penninger
Roar Guru
Broncos forwards are too inexperienced and crumbled under pressure from the Dragons forwards. Souths will be hard and it will come down to who has the best attack, and Leilua is vital and needs more time from McGregor.
TIGER MIKE
Guest
What a gteat game! They'll do that again this week should get past Souths hey. Saw on the news sam Burgess resigned but then the next match I didn't see all of it but three big knock on droppsies! Go the Saints
Ray Paks
Roar Rookie
Naah, he'd be crazy to do that. Aitken can't kick conversions from the sideline so I'm hoping some common sense prevails and Lomax stays. Carted the ball up with venom and has a deft side step that almost got him over the try line
Dodgy Dragons
Roar Rookie
Please no, Lomax is a star of the future, and unfortunately Aitken and nightingales poor reads in defence on that side of the field have been the main reason teams have been able to score at will over the last ten weeks or so. Injury forced the change, but defensively it has worked in the dragons favour as that side doesn’t look as fragile now with the replacements in place. If we show the same determination and attitude next week against the rabbits we will give it a great shot. It was so good to see them play like they did in the first 10 rounds yesterday, as anything less would have been bitterly disappointing as a supporter. Go the mighty saints
souvalis
Roar Rookie
even though it will be rookie versus the deadliest left edge in the NRL...I wouldnt.
thecolumn
Roar Rookie
The big question for Mary is whether he will bring in Euan Aitken at the expense of Zac Lomax.
Pedro the Saint
Roar Rookie
Love the debate' - Loosing JDB will hurt but its like Blake Lawrie had the bolts installed in his neck and was hit with 15000 volts. He impressed all afternoon. Kurt Mann needs to step up in terms of work load and game management if he is to pair with Hunt. Souths have been pretty consistent - its hard to go past that back line play. Best of luck to both teams...
Wayne Turner
Guest
Not what I said or think. Nitpicking one sided penalties are a blight,regardless on who they favour. I just mentioned game/s that were against Dragons.Where plenty of games in their favour. Also,my main point was,the refs let this game flow.
Hez
Roar Rookie
Latimore played big minutes and was a steady rock with the early loss of Graham, that point of the game was a potential slide and he played his role perfectly for a long time. Blake Lawrie is one to keep an eye on too
Peter
Guest
Your second sentence suggests that you think "nitpicking penalties" are only ever awarded against St George, never in their favour. True?
Nat
Roar Guru
Haha, I don't think I'm that bad, losing SoO maybe!?!? Disappointed in the final game but plenty to take out of the season. Yeah, if the remaining teams team plays like they did on the weekend we will be in for a few good weeks.
Ray Paks
Roar Rookie
Great game! At last the Red-V have turned up! Wayne's world went up in flames and it was evident watching him have a whinge at the post match interviews. And that Andrew Gee situation really got him fired up.. :)
Glenn
Guest
Get real Thomas! I'm sorry you didn't get excited but I'm sure all of us Dragons fans certainly are. We have thrashed the Broncos twice this year and humiliated them in front of nearly 50 thousand of theirs yesterday after being given "no chance". If their so called "real" team didn't turn up yesterday or in Round 1 (and goodness knows why- they all think so highly of their own abilities!)- it was only because the Dragons never gave them a whiff. We have beaten all of your so-called "giants" Souths, Storm, Roosters at least once this year and Cronulla twice and yesterday we did it with a 100% team effort and without stars Widdop and DeB being at their best for most of the game. You also overlook a fine try by Tim Lafai and a brilliant one by Hunt/Lomax/ Dufty, all converted. And 4 tries from two forwards seemed like quite "enough" to me and were hardly barge over jobs. Bring on the "big well oiled teams", if I were them I'd be a little worried about our performance, yesterday reminded them why we led the comp for 23 rounds. To be continued....?
The Barry
Roar Guru
Great call on the commitment ken... Recently - in particular the losses to Parra and the Bulldogs - they looked flat as a tack and like they’d rather be anywhere else. It shows the difference of running hard and putting in. It will be interesting to see how Dufty comes out next year and how much he works on his ball playing in the off season. He’s very elusive but he gets corralled inretty quickly because defenders know he’s very unlikely to be setting up his outside men. He was a lot better yesterday than recently but is still the main culprit of the stop, prop, hop, step and skip...just no pass in there at the moment. He’ll be a far more valuable player with some basic ball playing in his arsenal.
Bernie Vinson
Roar Rookie
The worst decision of the weekend - the broncos are making a late charge for a grandstand finish with the crowd back in the game and Dufty is taken out in the air by Broncos and the ref finds Saints winger Mcdonald runs a block on a Bronco ( McDonalds eyes were on the ball and if that is interference there would be a penalty after every kick)
jimmmy
Roar Rookie
The losing hangover . The worst kind.! I was supposed to drive up to the game but a family issue prevented me from going. Glad I didn’t . I go with my cousins and they don’t talk for 24hrs if the Broncs lose. It would have been a quiet old night. Have a great finals series. If the games are as good as the weekend ones we are in for a real treat.
elvis
Roar Rookie
I disagree having two running halves is a weakness, it's the point of difference that got them to the finals and have the best record against top eight teams. It will be even better next year with reduced interchange. The Broncos backline is more potent because the defence can't slide like it does with halves that don't pose a threat. The Broncos were beaten by forward power, a simple attack plan in the 22 by the Dragons and too many errors in the wrong place. It happens. Another day they don't make as many errors and the game is a lot closer. Next year they will be a lot better with combinations settling and the young guys a year older.
Glenn
Guest
a fantastic performance from the entire Dragons pack, including the bench, which was a pleasure to watch yesterday When forwards dominate like they did the backs were able to take full advantage. We put 30 on the Broncos at Suncorp in a final- how good is that? SAINTS! Obviously we would love to have a fully fit Widdop and De Belin for Souths, but feel free to write us off again this week if we don't. I am concerned that the referees are not severe enough on players lifting their forearms and elbows either with the ball or without it. It is no different to lifting their legs running the ball, or point of shoulder charges but potentially even more dangerous when an elbow hits the head. Sometimes ball carriers hold the ball high and contact is unavoidable but there is no excuse for using the free arm/elbow to bang an opponent's head. There is a lot of nonsense said about "unintentional" connections but when some of the biggest forwards in the game do it regularly and it concusses their opponents I think the NRL must come down hard to protect the players. It is potential brain damage and no one should have to take that risk when effecting a legitimate tackle.
thomas c
Guest
It's too early for dragons fans to get excited. They played the team that lost to the bulldogs, not the one that toppled some giants. They got barge-over tries and some ones that relied on the fullback being in the line. Well executed, but they were often on the back of penalties or broncos mistakes. I don't think their props did enough for them to suggest that that style of try will be an option against a big, well-oiled team.
souvalis
Roar Rookie
Such an important win for the club, another loss in or around semi time and it would have taken a generation to cleanse ‘choker’ from the perceptions of detractors..if they can back this up next week under injury duress with another brave performance from the pack,we’ve got ourselves a fairy tale..