The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup, Round 22, St George Illawarra Dragons 24 def. Sydney Roosters 20
Game Summary
St George Illawarra pulled off a stunning comeback victory over the Sydney Roosters, winning 24-20 in a pulsating Round 22 clash of The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup at Wentworth Park on Saturday.
The Dragons drew first blood in the third minute when a loose pass from Roosters acting-half Reece Foley was scooped up by centre Nick Tsougranis, who broke through Toby Rodwell and Hayden Barton to score. Haele Finau missed the conversion, leaving the score at four-nil.
The Roosters struggled to convert their own opportunities in the first half, with Rex Bassingthwaigte and Brooklyn Heath both making costly errors when try-scoring chances were there for the taking. The Dragons capitalised on the home side's wastefulness, with second-rower Dylan Coutts crashing over from close range midway through the first half to extend the lead to eight-nil after another Finau miss.
The Roosters finally crossed just before the break, with Jaxson Rahme diving over from a metre out to make it 8-6 at half-time, Toby Rodwell adding the extras. The two-point margin gave the tri-colours genuine hope heading into the sheds.
However, any Roosters momentum was quickly extinguished when a grubber kick from Joseph O'Neill caught the visitors flat-footed in the in-goal just one minute into the second half, handing the Dragons a 12-6 lead. Finau this time converted to push it out to 14-6.
The Roosters hit back through Jnr Pauga before Rex Bassingthwaigte levelled at 14-all with a try under the posts, Toby Rodwell converting to give the tri-colours their first lead of the afternoon at 16-14. The lead was short-lived, however, as Ryan Hutchinson produced the play of the game — taking a superb ball from Finau to crash over and reclaim the lead for the Dragons at 18-16.
Matthew Alhazim crossed to push the margin out to 24-16 with around 14 minutes remaining, before Jnr Pauga bagged his second to make it a four-point game at 24-20. Despite desperate late pressure from the Roosters, the Dragons held firm to run out four-point winners.
Talking Points
- St George Illawarra's returning NRL stars made an immediate impact, with Daniel Atkinson directing traffic in the halves and Mathew Feagai providing energy and consistent metres throughout.
- The Dragons missed three conversions across the match — all from Finau — which kept the Roosters in the contest until the final minutes. Had the boot been more reliable, the margin could have been far greater.
- Rex Bassingthwaigte continues to impress for the Roosters, finishing with two try assists and a try of his own, and remains one of the more exciting young players in NSW Cup football.
- The loss leaves the Roosters' finals hopes in serious doubt, with the two points sorely needed to keep pace with the sides clustered between fourth and 10th on the ladder.
Key Moment
With the game poised at 16-14 to the Roosters midway through the second half, an O'Neill grubber in behind the Dragons' defence almost led to a try — but Luciano Leilua was unable to ground the ball over the try-line. Moments later, Hutchinson took a Finau offload to score and swing the momentum back to the Dragons for good, a shift from which the Roosters never recovered.
What's Next?
The Dragons will look to build on this result against the Newtown Jets next week as they continue to press their case for a remarkable late-season finals surge. The Roosters, with lots of work to do to push into the finals will take on the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs next Sunday.
