Dragons thrash Manly at Brookvale to go top of the ladder
Mitch Jennings@@Mitch_Jenno
8 Apr 2017, 2:15 p.m.
STOCKS RISING: The Dragons celebrate Euan Aitken's first try in their 29-10 win over Manly at Lottoland on Saturday. Picture: Getty Images
ST GEORGE Illawarra sit atop the NRL ladder, momentarily at least, after notching their fifth win from their opening six games against Manly at Lottoland on Saturday.
Pitched as the blockbuster no one expected, the Dragons made light work of the Sea Eagles, cruising past 20 points for the fourth time this season to claim a 35-10 victory, though the win was soured by a rib injury to key forward Tyson Frizell.
The incumbent Test back-rower left the field in the 25th minute and did not return, with medical staff diagnosing an oblique muscle strain. Coach Paul McGregor was coy on the seriousness of the injury post-match but it appears he could join fellow Test and Origin star Josh Dugan on the sidelines for Saturday’s huge test against North Queensland in Wollongong.
On the paddock, the Dragons barely skipped a beat in their absence, leading 16-0 after 17 minutes on the back of a Euan Aitken double, and running in three more tries in the second half to seal a victory McGregor dubbed the best of their season so far.
“I think it’s our best performance of this year, certainly,” McGregor said.”
“We threw the ball around a fair but when we did have the ball and our early off-loads stuck and we created opportunity off the back end of that. To do that and only have one or two errors was really good.
“As soon as we got a bit of footy we scored points which was really pleasing. It’s good that the boys are confident in their playing ability and certainly clarity and clear-minded about how we’re playing.
“We’ve certainly got a big month ahead of us but we’re just taking it one week at a time and the first thing was to come to a ground that hasn’t been good to us in the past.
“It was good opportunity for us to show that our character and resilience is real. I thought Manly came at us, especially before halftime and after halftime, and we absorbed that and got rewarded.
“It’s really early in the season and we know we’ve got to bring it every week to compete that the top. It’s great to see where we are, but we’ve got a game next week against a team that’s hardened and been in the top four for a couple of years now.”
It was another day of milestones for skipper Gareth Widdop, who went past Mark Riddell on the club’s all-time point-scorers list with a 19-point haul including a miraculous 79th minute four-pointer that put an exclamation point of the performance.
In another encouraging sign for coach Paul McGregor, halfback Josh McCrone produced his best game for the club, laying on three tries, including the final one for his halves partner moments before fulltime.
It leaves Widdop behind only premiership-winning half Jamie Soward in the club points-scoring tally and that mark could well be in jeopardy as he continues to do everything he can to earn a new deal at the club beyond 2017 with McGregor stating his skipper is in career-best form.
“Gareth’s been in what I feel’s the best form of his career the whole year, not just today,” McGregor said.
”He just continued what he did last week, and the week before and the week before that. It’s really good for your skipper to be in form and playing well. It certainly gives the players around him confidence.
“It’s something myself and Gaz spoke about preseason, that he’s very comfortable with Josh and you can see that in the way they’re playing they enjoy playing with each other.
“The combination they’re building is quite strong and it’s showing out there on the footy field. Gaz competing for that last try is really typical of the way he’s leading the team and Josh is certainly playing well to.
Undefeated competition leaders Melbourne are still to face Cronulla in a grand final rematch on Sunday, but should the Storm drop their first game of the season, the Dragons will lead the competition after multiple games for the first time since round 12, 2015.
It will no doubt see McGregor, who came into the 2017 season with his head on the chopping block, edge closer to a new long-term deal while it’s a case of back to the drawing board for his former teammate Trent Barrett, with the Sea Eagles three straight wins heading into the clash suddenly looking like a false dawn.
Widdop racked up his 600th NRL point with the opening try, and they were the easiest of his career after Matthew Wright – who was a late inclusion for the injured Akuila Uate – played the ball to no one just centimetres from his own try-line. Widdop collected the scraps but was unable to convert keeping the score at 4-0.
Euan Aitken extended the lead when he charged onto beautiful ball from Josh McCrone with Widdop’s conversion pushing the margin out to 10-0 after just 10 minutes. Aitken had his second seven minutes later when he stepped pass Brian Kelly and beat Tom Trbojevic to corner.
The hosts eventually hit back with just over a minute to halftime when Jorge Taufua carried two defenders across the line to score in the corner with Walker’s sideline conversion cutting the deficit to 10 at the break.
The Dragons absorbed some early second half pressure before McCrone fended past two defenders and found Jack de Belin who scored under the black dot, giving Widdop the easy task of once again extend the lead 16 points.
Kurt Mann bagged his first four-pointer of the season with 16 minutes remaining, sending most of the Eagles faithful in attendance rushing for the exits.
Taufua scored his second with 12 minutes remaining, earning the distinction of scoring the Northern Beaches club’s 30,000th at Brookvale since joining the league in 1947, but it had little bearing on the result with Widdop landing a field goal and sneaking past Trbojevic to plant the ball for his second try in the dying moments.
http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/4585239/frizell-injured-as-dragons-claim-top-spot/?cs=3713
