Dragons
12
Match Complete
Knights
45
| 79 |  | M. Pearce | ||
| 72 |  | K. Ponga | ||
| 70 |  | C. Watson | ||
| J. Field | | 64 | ||
| Z. Lomax | | 63 | ||
| J. Field | | 60 | ||
| T. Sims | | 59 | ||
| 53 | | K. Ponga | ||
| 52 | | M. Pearce | ||
| 43 | | S. Kenny-Dowall | ||
| 36 | | K. Ponga | ||
| 35 | | K. Mann | ||
| 28 | | K. Ponga | ||
| 27 | | K. Ponga | ||
| 23 |  | K. Ponga | ||
| 14 | | K. Ponga | ||
| 13 | | K. Ponga | ||
| 10 | | K. Ponga | ||
| 5 | | K. Ponga | ||
| 3 | | T. Glasby |
| 2 | Tries | 7 | ||
| 2 | Conversions | 6 | ||
| 0 | Penalty Goals | 2 | ||
| 0 | Field Goals | 1 |
The St George Illawarra Dragons bring the Newcastle Knights across to Mudgee for this round 10 NRL clash. Join The Roar from 2pm (AEST) for live scores and coverage.
The Dragons have blown early leads in their last two matches. 14-6 against The Eels 2 weeks back and an 18-6 half time lead against the Warriors in Magic Round.
The Dragons will be keen to atone for the dropped points, but they would have to be stronger defensively to avoid recent history repeating.
Newcastle meanwhile have looked settled with Kalyn Ponga back in the 1 after the experiment in the halves looks to have been binned – for the time being at least.
Both sides have named an unchanged 17 from their last matches, though St George are flirting with the idea of bringing in the returning Korbin Sims. As it stands, he is listed in reserve.
Prediction
The teams sit near each other on the ladder in ninth and eleventh with equal points. But Newcastle have looked much stronger recently.
Dragons to score first, but Knights by 12.
Join The Roar for live scores and updates from 2pm (AEST) and don’t forget to leave a comment below.
Where: Glen Willow Oval, Mudgee
When: Sunday 19th May, 2pm (AEST)
TV: Fox League, NRL Live Pass
St George Illawarra Dragons
1 Matthew Dufty
2 Jordan Pereira
3 Zac Lomax
4 Timoteo Lafai
5 Mikaele Ravalawa
6 Jai Field
7 Ben Hunt
8 James Graham
9 Cam McInnes
10 Paul Vaughan
11 Tyson Frizell
12 Tariq Sims
13 Blake Lawrie
14 Jeremy Latimore
15 Euan Aitken
16 Jacob Host
17 Luciano Leilua
Newcastle Knights
1 Kalyn Ponga
2 Edrick Lee
3 Hymel Hunt
4 Jesse Ramien
5 Shaun Kenny-Dowall
6 Connor Watson
7 Mitchell Pearce
8 David Klemmer
9 Danny Levi
10 Daniel Saifiti
11 Lachlan Fitzgibbon
12 Mitchell Barnett
13 Tim Glasby
14 Kurt Mann
15 Herman Ese’ese
16 James Gavet
17 Sione Mata’utia
Illawarra Flame
Roar Rookie
Paul McGregor has been at the helm at The Dragons since 2014, when he took over from Steve Price who struggled with a weakened roster following the successful Wayne Bennett reign. He has enjoyed limited success but has never quite lifted the side to the heights most would have liked. Gaps in the playing roster were cited as a reasonable excuse.The purchase of Ben Hunt filled the Dragons’ perennial halfback void last year and they played out of their skins in the semi against a favored Broncos side. There was a telling image of McGregor in the coaching box looking nonplussed as his side trampled over The Broncos after some miserable performances in the previous weeks , prompting some cynical fans to suggest that their performance had little to do with his coaching. The Dragons are a close knit club who rarely look outside their own house to fill roles in either executive positions or coaching roles with the notable exception of Wayne Bennett’s successful reign from 2009 to 2011. McGregor was awarded a two year extension to his contract last month, a move that many fans saw as premature given his mediocre record and the season had hardly began. The Jack de Belin saga and injuries to key players must be taken into account this season but the clock is ticking for McGregor to show he has what it takes to justify the faith Dragons management has shown him over the last five years. Other sides have been hit by casualties and managed to overcome adversity. He must hope that yesterday’s anemic performance will be a catalyst for a revival of the teams’ and his fortunes.
Kashmir Pete
Roar Guru
First live game of League I've seen since well into the last millenium... Greatly enjoyed - especially the fluid running and swerve of Kayln Ponga. Well done Knights! Cheers KP
matth
Roar Guru
I may have to make a late change.
Succhi
Roar Rookie
At least the Dragons didn’t fade in the second half - they decided to do it throughout the whole game ????
Neel
Roar Guru
Dragons are in trouble. Ponga was all class.
Jacob Blakeney
Roar Guru
A dominant performance from The Newcastle Knights sees them move into 5th on the ladder, while The Dragons poor run continues to leave them in 11th. Knights scored 28 unanswered points through a Tim Glasby try, 2 Kalyn Ponga tries, 2 Ponga penalty goals and 3 Ponga conversions. The second half started much the way the first half finished. Mitchell Pearce sent Shaun Kenny-Dowall across for an unconverted try, before Pearce scored one for himself. Kurt Mann was sent to the bin after The Knights conceded a few penalties in quick succession on the goal line. Against 12 men, The Dragons would open their scoring. First Tariq Sims, then Zac Lomax crossed for tries. Jai Field converted both tries. Mann rejoined the match with just over 10 minutes to go where Connor Watson scored off the back some clever offloads from his forwards. With a minute to go in a flex of how well he and his team had played, Pearce slotted through a field goal from 50 meters. Final score was Dragons 12, Knights 45.
Emcie
Roar Guru
A contract isn't a garuntee of anything, and I'm sure the Dragons would have some conditions for Mary to keep his job
Doug Graves
Guest
Mary isn't going anywhere unless he's sacked but they can't sack him (although they should) cause they just re-signed him again. What a shambles the Dragons are.
Jacob Blakeney
Roar Guru
Thank you for joining The Roar for the coverage of this one. A strong performance from The Knights sees them win by 33 points and move up to 5th on the ladder. The Dragons meanwhile have plenty to and improve. Report up soon, but for now we head over to here for Tom English's take on Cronulla v Manly!
Emcie
Roar Guru
When was the last time a coach getting resigned mid season ended up going well?
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
Hmmmm Mary's presser will be interesting.
Emcie
Roar Guru
So can we put the rule through Hunts name for Origin now?
Doug Graves
Guest
Dragons did OK in the 2nd Half they only lost 17-12
Jacob Blakeney
Roar Guru
Full Time! Dragons - 12 Knights - 45
Jacob Blakeney
Roar Guru
Error Dragons Dufty knocks on blocking Ramien's pass. Dragons - 12 Knights - 45
Jacob Blakeney
Roar Guru
80' Dragons attempt a short kick off, but it goes into touch. Dragons - 12 Knights - 45
79
Jacob Blakeney
Roar Guru
Field goal Knights 79' Pearce with a 50 metre shot that never looked like missing. Dragons - 12 Knights - 45
Emcie
Roar Guru
damnit guys, that wasn't a try...
Emcie
Roar Guru
come on Newcastle, one more try and one more team out of the hunt!