The St George Illawarra Dragons have taken out the scoreboard honours 18-10 over the Newcastle Knights in the pre-season NRL clash at WIN Stadium in Wollongong, the final ledger finishing four tries to two.
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Final score
St George Illawarra Dragons 18
Newcastle Knights 10
It is the second of the weekend’s pre-season NRL trial matches, as the St George Illawarra Dragons play host to the Newcastle Knights, at the re-scheduled match at WIN Stadium. Join The Roar from 4pm (AEDT) for live scores and blog of the game.
Finally, after what has felt like the longest off-season in the history of world sport, after last week’s glimpse of footy with the All Stars game some club colours finally grace the playing field.
What do the Dragons do with Jack de Belin? Well, for the purposes of today’s experiment, they don’t play him, which allows the under-fire Dragons to take a breath, and focus on that thing that all fans have been waiting months for: the footy.
The Dragons bring some new faces into their squad this year in 2019, so the likes of Corey Norman and Korbin Sims will be eager to get some runs on the board, and some miles under the belt.
The stalwarts of this team to keep an eye on though will be those who faded so badly come the pointy end of last season, the likes of Ben hunt, Gareth Widdop, and even Cameron McInnes.
So much rested on the shoulders last season of the Dragons’ 9, 7, 6, and their number 1, Matt Dufty, only for the end of the season to end in a whimper, and waste all those great early season runs.
Which makes you wonder if Mary (coach Paul McGregor) might try to better time his team’s run this season.
It will be interesting to see how much energy the Dragons put into this match.
As for Newcastle, they’re premiership favourites, aren’t they?
With the greatest player the game will ever see in Kalyn Ponga, the greatest forward going round in David Klemmer, and those proven premiership performers Mitchell Pearce and Tim Glasby, add the freshness of up and coming superstars Kurt Mann and Jesse Ramien, it’s Knights unbackable NRL premiership favourites.
Right?
Of course not, and the Knights will be very, very wary of that thing they have not had to deal with since the horrid days of Wayne Bennett: expectation.
Nathan Brown may well be the coach under the most pressure to start this year.
He has sold Newcastle his vision that he needed time for his plans to come to fruition, as its fans sat through wooden spoons, one win seasons, and last year, the lofty heights of finishing 12th.
This is the year of Brown, so coming into the trial against the Dragons, while word is that almost all but one starting position is settled, every player will be on notice that performances will, and should, speak louder than reputations.
A solid showing against a high profile opponent in Wollongong would be just the tonic to set the Knights up for a strong pre-season, and a strong season.
Prediction
Both teams will have their eyes on the prize this season, and neither will want to give away too much in a pre-season game against a rival contender.
This match is about match fitness, forming defensive patterns, and learning combinations. Won’t be many points, but for what it’s worth, the Dragons should come out on top.
St George Illawarra 16 Newcastle Knights 12
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Where: WIN Stadium, Wollongong
When: Saturday 23rd February 2019, 4:00pm (AEDT)
TV: Live streaming on the NRL website and app
Dragons
1. Euan Aitken, 2. Mitchell Allgood, 3. Matt Dufty, 4. Jai Field, 5. Jackson Ford, 6. Jacob Host, 7. Ben Hunt, 8. Josh Kerr, 9. Tim Lafai, 10. Jeremy Latimore, 11. Blake Lawrie, 12. Luciano Leilua, 13. Zac Lomax, 14. Joe Lovodua, 15. Lachlan Maranta, 16. Steven Marsters, 17. Cameron McInnes, 18. Darren Nicholls, 19. Corey Norman, 20. Jordan Pereira, 21. Mikaele Ravalawa, 22. Reece Robson, 23. Tristan Sailor, 24. Korbin Sims, 25. Tariq Sims, 26. Lachlan Timm, 27. Paul Vaughan, 28. Gareth Widdop
Knights
1. Aidan Guerra, 2. Brodie Jones, 3. Beau Fermor, 4. Connor Watson, 5. Daniel Saifiti, 6. Danny Levi, 7. David Klemmer, 8. Edrick Lee, 9. Herman Ese’ese, 10. James Gavet, 11. Josh King, 12. Jacob Gagai, 13. Jamie Buhrer, 14. Jesse Ramien, 15, Kalyn Ponga, 16, Kurt Mann, 17, Lachlan Fitzgibbon, 18. Mitchell Pearce, 19. Mason Lino, 20. Mitch Barnett, 21. Nathan Ross, 22. Pasami Saulo, 23. Phoenix Crossland, 24. Sione Mata’utia, 25. Star To’a, 26. Shaun Kenny-Dowall, 27. Tim Glasby, 28. Tex Hoy
Mordac
Guest
Widdop has no place in this team. Ship him off to the ESL immediately.
perry cox
Roar Guru
Full time The St George Illawarra Dragons have taken out the scoreboard honours 18-10 over the Newcastle Knights in the pre-season NRL clash at WIN Stadium in Wollongong. The final ledger finishing 4 tries to 2. The first half, and for that matter the second, was an entertaining affair, as both sides sent out their big guns to face each other. For the Dragons, with the wind at their back, in the first half they had fantastic ball carry from their forwards, with a charged up Korbin Sims eager to impress, but also a standout performance for the day from Paul Vaughan, who was the best forward on the ground. The Dragons will take a lot of comfort in the knowledge that Sims looks ready to lead the line for his new side, while Vaughan will continue to deliver the quality play that has delivered him representative jerseys. Paul McGregor will have a bit of thinking about how happy he is at this early stage with the 1-6-7 combination of Gareth Widdop, Corey Norman, and Ben Hunt. Widdop showed his deficiencies at fullback at times, and looked much stronger in attack. Widdop’s strong attacking play seemed to hold back Norman, who still needs time to find his way with his new teammates. Hunt delivered what Hunt delivers, with solid kicks, solid passing, and doing what he needs to in defence. As for Newcastle, the combination of Kalyn Ponga and Mitchell Pearce looked comfortable from the get-go, and when Lachlan Fitzgibbon scored off a Ponga inside pass, delivered to him from Pearce, for Knights’ fans, that would have bene like putting on some comfortable and expensive shoes. Nathan Brown will be more happy with Connor Watson, who at times struggled under the high ball in windy conditions, but otherwise looked comfortable at fullback. Given the move of Ponga to five-eighth forced Watson to fullback had a bit of contention about it, the first up outing will relieve the Knights coaching staff somewhat. In the forwards, David Klemmer simply stayed healthy, it was perhaps Daniel Saifiti who led from the front for the away side. Tim Glasby also looked comfortable when he came on. The second half was a complete change of rosters, and for the home side Mikaele Ravalawa stood out with a double, while the introduction of Tex Hoy for the Knights at fullback was a pleasant offering from the young player. What will concern Nathan Brown, already, is the Knights’ continued lack of polish and discipline. While failing to finish set pieces won’t bother the coach, losing the ball, not playing the ball, and further examples of a lack of application in their tryline defence should already be ringing alarm bells. Nathan Brown goes into this season with a strong preseason and a lot of talk about making finals, so the players’ attitude as much as their skill will be what he wants to see improve. Not getting your foot to the ball when playing it, that is a mentality that for too long has cost the Knights, and may well cost them as the season plays itself out. As for the Dragons, had they passed with more accuracy, they likely would have won the contest but much larger a gap, and McGregor will hope that a couple more preseason games will polish those plays nicely. What McGregor will more so be hoping for, though, is not to polish things too shiny too early, and make sure this team is firing late in the season. McGregor would have seen exactly what he expected from his side today, and that won’t be his main concern. As stated before the game, what the team does in rounds 21 to 26 will weigh more heavily on the coach than what they do in rounds 1 to 6, if today’s effort is anything to go by. Otherwise, the added bonus for both coaches will be the apparent lack of injuries that came out of the game. An overall entertaining game, and one that both coaches should come away from with enough to please them, and enough to keep them busy throughout the week, to give both sides a solid starting platform for season 2019. Dragons – 18 Knights – 10
perry cox
Roar Guru
dragons look good Scott. But as my write up will suggest, they always look good now. It is about how they look in August/September that will worry Mary.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Pretty solid first up performance from the Dragons. Happy with that. Thanks Karlo.
perry cox
Roar Guru
80‘ – Tex Hoy takes the final kick of the game, and that will be the ball game. Dragons – 18 Knights – 10
perry cox
Roar Guru
79‘ – Ramien almost reels in the re-start, but the referee has found a double knock on. Apparently. I don’t know, without replays, watching this sport is very frustrating. Dragons – 18 Knights – 10
perry cox
Roar Guru
78‘ – Knights are dragging their feet back to the halfway. Yes boys, you can’t run the clock down, you’re going to have to kick off again. Dragons – 18 Knights – 10
perry cox
Roar Guru
TRY 77' - Dragons with a great set, inside the Knights half, and the ball goes skybound. And the Dragons re-gather, and they are in through Ravalava on the edge. Knights just did not compete for that at all. Dragons - 18 Knights - 10
perry cox
Roar Guru
76' - Oh dear, same old Newcastle, they've lost the ball. Dragons' scrum feed. Dragons - 14 Knights - 10
perry cox
Roar Guru
Penalty 75' - Knights earn another penalty, another set in the Dragons' 10m line. Dragons - 14 Knights - 10
perry cox
Roar Guru
74' - Oh no, the Dragons have butchered the ball, and the Knights have a chance at a scrum on the Dragons' 10m line. Dragons - 14 Knights - 10
perry cox
Roar Guru
73‘ – Disjointed Knights attack, and the ball flows through the hands, over the heads, and the player is tackled on the sideline. Dragons with the ball. Dragons – 14 Knights – 10
perry cox
Roar Guru
72' - Dragons with a solid set, and the fifth tackle option ... oh no, Lomax loses the ball, and Tex Hoy goes for a race! Knights have their second tackle on their 40m line. Dragons - 14 Knights - 10
perry cox
Roar Guru
71' - Dragons have a deflected kick carried by the Dragons' players, and the secondary kick is chased down by Crossland. Knights with the ball now. Jesse Ramien is out there blowing the cobwebs out. Dragons - 14 Knights - 10
perry cox
Roar Guru
70' - Better set by the Knights there, and Ravalava races out to meet the line. Tackled on the 10m line, as we enter the last 10 minutes of the contest. Dragons - 14 Knights - 10
perry cox
Roar Guru
69' - Some surprisingly good knights defence on their line, holds up Robson in goal. And then, the Dragons make a meal of a try on the left, with another forward pass! Dragons could be streets ahead if not for their execution. Dragons - 14 Knights - 10
perry cox
Roar Guru
Penalty 68' - And the Knights wonderfully bad habits are all on show here today: poor penalties, poor penalties, and now, poor re-start, as the ball is kicked out on the full. Dragons penalty on the halfway line. Dragons - 14 Knights - 10
perry cox
Roar Guru
67' - And we won't be having conversions moving forward. Apparently. So the Dragons maintain their 4-point lead. Dragons - 14 Knights - 10
perry cox
Roar Guru
TRY 66' - And that is some of the weakest defence you will see, as Ravalava just pushes away knights players at will, the red and blue grabbing thin air, and the big winger barges over. Try time Saints. Dragons - 14 Knights - 10
Scott Pryde
Expert
Jee, don't mind Ravalawa.