Updated 2 Jun 2006, 10:14pm
A late try to Matt Cooper gave St George Illawarra an 8-1 victory over Parramatta in their round 13 NRL match at Kogarah Oval on Friday night.
Cooper's effort, converted by Aaron Gorrell, came in the dying stages and it capped off one of the lowest-scoring NRL matches in recent memory.
Wet and cold conditions had not allowed for a free-flowing match and this was made apparent when the two sides went into half-time at 0-0.
Parramatta five-eighth John Morris finally broke the deadlock when he slotted a field goal in the 70th minute, but his score was matched by Dragons half-back Ben Hornby when he kicked a one-pointer six minutes later.
Hornby missed with a field goal attempt from 45 metres out soon after, however he made amends in the 79th minute to put the Dragons 2-1 ahead.
The Eels then turned over possession after winning a scrum in the own half with only seconds to play, allowing Cooper the opportunity to score the only try of the match.
The scoreline reflected the even nature of the contest with the two sides each enjoying 50 per cent of the possession.
The Dragons may have kept the Eels tryless, but their cause had not been helped by the fact they made 27 mistackles.
However, the home side found the decisive points when it mattered most giving them their seventh win of the season.
The Eels, under caretaker coach Jason Taylor, have now suffered their ninth defeat.
