Dragons let victory slip in charity Shield draw
By MITCH JENNINGS
Feb. 7, 2015, midnight
DRAGONS fans looking for a true indication of their side's chances this year will take little from and underwhelming 12-all draw with a depleted Rabbitohs outfit in Saturday's Charity Shield clash.
The Dragons led 12-0 after 65 minutes but let the game slip with two defensive lapses in the final 12 minutes in a match that never reached any great heights and said little about either sides prospects come the NRL season proper
Fans looking or positives can take some heart from some class touches from Benji Marshall who stood up Rabbitohs young-gun Luke Keary for the first try of the match and looked sharp until being replaced with 10 minutes to go. Gareth Widdop was comparatively quiet but will be better for the run just a month after rejoining squad following an extended break after last Four Nations.
Both sides will fly out to England this week to take part in the World Club Series and both coaches appeared to have that in mind with Maguire taking a 27-man squad into the match while McGregor gave Dugan, Marshall and Widdop early showers. It was after the star trio left the field that the Rabbitohs got back in the match.
Dugan sent a scare through the Dragons camp when he hyper-extended his left knee fielding a kick close to his own try line seven minutes into the second half. He got to his feet but was replaced minutes later and will have scans on Sunday. Dugan missed the opening five rounds of the 2014 season after injuring the same knee in last year's clash though Saturday's mishap appeared minor in comparison. Dugan was the only major injury concern for either side following the match though Dragons forward Will Matthews was nursing a suspected fracture in his right hand.
The Rabbitohs were without star halfback Adam Reynolds and battering ram George Burgess who were both late withdrawals as were new recruit Glenn Stewart and back-rower Ben Lowe. It left Luke Keary to steer the ship with fellow young-gun Dylan Walker shifting from centre to five-eighth. It showed with the home side lacking cohesion with the football and asking few questions of the Dragons defensive line. The Dragons also made late changes with Dan Hunt (knee), Jack de Belin (virus) both late withdrawals while Mike Cooper was given the night off after partner Katie gave birth their first child overnight.
Preseason form is a notoriously unreliable gauge of a side's potential come round of the NRL season - the Dragons won their first three straight after a dreadful performance in the corresponding clash last year - but there is certainly room for big improvements prior to round one.
The Dragons looked to have scored first when hooker Mitch Rein burrowed over from close range but was denied after several replays by video referee Shayne Hayne who ruled he'd pulled up short. It was the beginning of a glut of possession for the Dragons inside the Rabbitohs half but despite a clear willingness to move the ball they couldn't find the stripe until Marshall showed Keary a clean pair of heels from a scrum win to post the first four-pointer in the 24th minute.
Dugan dropped a Keary bomb cold with 10 minutes to go before the break but the Rabbitohs couldn't convert the opportunity with Bryson Goodwin spilling a pass from Keary two rucks later to hand back possession. They squandered another chance just 90 seconds from the break when Tom Hughes - a late replacement for Walker at centre - dropped a pass from Goodwin with the try line beckoning.
Jason Nightingale looked to have scored the Dragons second try four minutes after the resumption when he finished a slick exchange of passing on the left edge before replays showed the veteran had fumbled the across the line. The Dragons weren't denied midway through the half when Eto Nabuli made his presence felt with a bat back of a Widdop kick for Charly Runciman to score take a 12-0 lead.
The Dragons looked well in control before Rabbitohs were able to make a match of it with 15 minutes remaining when young centre Sam Manuleleua swooped on a Dylan Farrell fumble and raced 60 metres to score. They drew level after a try to interchange forward Chris Grevsmuhl from close range with just three minutes remaining to level the scores at 12-all
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