Magic Round 9 of the NRL season was a memorable one for a number of clubs that stepped up to take the two points. St George Illawarra wasn’t one of them.
The Dragons looked to be in control at Suncorp Stadium when they led a reshuffled New Zealand 18-6 at half time on Saturday, but the Warriors bounced back fiercely to win the game 26-18 and break a three-game losing streak.
It was a stunning comeback by Kodi Nikorima’s new side and injected some much-needed confidence into the club, but does the result exacerbate a worrying pattern for the Dragons? On today’s episode of the Game of Codes podcast, we asked Roar rugby league expert Joe Frost just that, along with what it all means for Paul McGregor.
Listen to the debate:
The late blitz by New Zealand over the weekend marks the fourth major fadeout by the Dragons this season, who have been outscored 116-50 in second halves so far in 2019:
• Round 1: Trailed Cowboys 8-6 at HT, lost 24-12
• Round 2: Led Souths 12-6 at HT, lost 34-18
• Round 8: Led Parra 14-6 at HT, lost 32-18
• Round 9: Led Warriors 18-6 at HT, lost 26-18
St George Illawarra fans will be hoping this doesn’t translate into another forgettable back-end of the season, which the club has struggled with virtually every year since 2015.
Visit our Game of Codes hub to catch the full episode and be sure to subscribe and review on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or wherever else you’re listening.
Neel
Roar Guru
That second half against the Warriors was disappointing. 20 unanswered points which was kind of similar to the Warriors giving away their 1st half lead against the Panthers in 2017.
Doug Graves
Guest
It's called choking. Dragons have been doing it for decades and their 2010 Claytons Cup has about as much validity as the Knights 1997 premiership.
Pedro the Saint
Roar Rookie
Most of the issues are edge defense, Jai Field went well considering he has had one chance in the halves pairing. Saints lack that 2nd phase play / punch without JDB at lock. Blake Lawrie is doing a good job but doesnt have the same impact as JDB. I dont see any change in performance anytime soon if they dont stop leaking points....
Charles Meurer
Guest
Never mind, the Dragons will need some changes to put them on track! Put Matt Duffy into 1/2 back, Jai Field into 5/8, Zac Lomax into fullback. This will give plenty of speed and coupled with strength in the forwards this is what we need. Ben Hunt as one of the centres with Corey Norman also in the centres where we will have them doing a lot of the attack. The wingers will need some work to know who to put in there.