NRL 2018: Ben Hunt stars as St George Illawarra’s spine fires in win over Brisbane
NRL Premiership
Ben Hunt of the Dragons celebrates an intercept try.Source: AAP
BEN Hunt has showed exactly why St George Illawarra forked out $6 million for his services after the halfback put in a stellar performance in his side’s 34-12 win over Brisbane on Thursday night.
In front of a vocal crowd of 14,457 fans at UOW Jubilee Oval, Hunt returned to haunt his former club as the Dragons’ new-look spine of Gareth Widdop, Cameron McInnes, Matt Dufty and Hunt powered the Red V to their first win of the season.
The 27-year-old set up a first-half try for Tyson Frizell before scoring off an intercept shortly after the break.
Hunt's revenge intercept try
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“He built his game beautifully,” Fox League expert
Matty Johns said of Hunt post-game.
“What was really important in the first half was patience and direction and he came up with a couple of big plays — a couple of repeats sets and laid on a kick for a try.
“I love the spine of the side. Hunt and Widdop are going to work. McInnes and Dufty are really clever.
“What I loved about the Dragons in the second half — in the first they looked like they were always trying to set up something — but they relaxed into their game and there was more flow.
“They hit them on one side, they hit the on the other. Less set up, more football.”
“The biggest strength of the Dragons has been Cameron McInnes out of dummy half,” Ennis said.
“The inroads they made through the Broncos’ forward pack — he’s had some really attacking runs through their centre third.
“He’s come out the other side and generated some quick play the balls.”
THE REPORT
Two of the NRL’s biggest pre-season stories collided on Thursday night when Hunt intercepted a Matt Lodge pass in the 50th minute. The No.7 ran half the field to score for the Dragons to take a 16-6 lead.
His intercept summed up the fortunes of both he and Lodge in a dramatic opening to the season at Jubilee Oval.
Hunt set up the Dragons’ first try when he grubbered out of dummy-half for the chasing Tyson Frizell, while his long kicking game was equally impressive in the first half.
Just as positive for Dragons fans is the impact he already appears to have on their new-look spine.
Vaughan vomits after late hit
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Widdop looked dangerous running the ball in attack, and struck up a nice combination with young fullback Dufty, who was as quick as ever through the midfield and on kick returns.
Hooker McInnes looked improved on last year. He ran freely from dummy- half in the first half to finish with 48 metres from his five up-tempo carries.
Jack de Belin, Jason Nightingale and Euan Aitken each finished with tries for the Dragons in their 50th win at Kogarah as a merged club.
Brisbane couldn’t find any cohesion after Jordan Kahu scored the first points of the NRL season for the third year in a row, this time through a penalty goal.
James Roberts scored twice for them in the second half, but the game was as good as gone after Lodge’s intercept pass.
The headline story of the past month, Lodge looked every bit the nervous player on return from his two-year exile, stemming from his infamous New York rampage.
Booed every time he touched the ball by the crowd of 14,457, he was whacked by a Frizell shoulder charge on his first run - earning the Broncos a penalty.
However, he was later penalised for a high shot on Dragons prop James Graham, and dropped a pass cold minutes later in the first half as he looked to take a hit-up.
ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA 34 (E Aitken J De Belin T Frizell B Hunt J Nightingale tries G Widdop 7 goals) bt
BRISBANE 12 (J Roberts 2 tries J Kahu 2 goals) at UOW Jubilee Oval. Referee: Matt Cecchin, Alan Shortall. Crowd: 14,457.
— with AAP
https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nr...g/news-story/30031ecae2d7ba9a73d36c19ca001fea
