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Round 9 vs Dogs

thebigredv

First Grade
Messages
5,407
Made a win over a side who has just won 1 game all year, look so hard. Storm will rip up us apart.

True for the first half but second forty was acceptable. Not sure what but we need to shake it up a bit to keep the Storm from embarrassing us next week.
 

Dion

Juniors
Messages
59
Telstra Premiership Round 9 Dragons vs Bulldogs
Telstra Premiership


Match: Dragons vs Bulldogs
Round 9 - Sunday 9th May

Kick off: 4:05pm
dragons-badge.svg

home Team

Dragons

6th Position

bulldogs-badge.svg

away Team

Bulldogs

16th Position

Venue: Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, Sydney

Match broadcasters:

Ground Conditions: N/A

Weather: Unknown

Buy Tickets
Stats
Head-to-Head
St. George Illawarra Dragons and Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs have played 40 games. St. George Illawarra Dragons has won 15 games. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs has won 25 games.

Head-To-Head
Since 1998
Played
40

15
Won

25

Previous Meetings

Match: Dragons vs Bulldogs

Saturday 18th July 2020

F ull T ime

home Team

Dragons

Scored 28 points

away Team

Bulldogs

Scored 22 points


Match: Bulldogs vs Dragons

Monday 8th June 2020

F ull T ime

home Team

Bulldogs

Scored 22 points

away Team

Dragons

Scored 2 points

Form Guide
Dragons recent results:
Bulldogs recent results:
Current Season
Wins this season
57%
4/7
12%
1/8

Points Scored
home St. George Illawarra Dragons
153

away Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
80
Points Conceded
home St. George Illawarra Dragons
141

away Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
248
Completion Rate
79%

80%

Tackle Efficiency
87.9%

88.1%

Average Points Scored
home St. George Illawarra Dragons
21

away Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
10
Average Points Conceded
home St. George Illawarra Dragons
20

away Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
31
Average Play The Ball
3.67s

3.23s

Key Stats
Wins at this venue
59%

55/94

75%

6/8

Wins overall
48%

282/582

51%

311/613


https://www.dragons.com.au/draw/nrl-premiership/2021/round-9-dragons-v-bulldogs/
Much improved performance by the Dragons.
The stand out features of this game for me.:
1. The twins were fabulous!!! I reckon they are significantly better than Piera, Rava and Cody on the wing.
They just look like they are natural footballers with skills and instinct.
Fearless under the high ball and just looked like accomplished first graders on debut.
2. Forwards did much better this week. Canterbury's claim to fame is their forward pack which we tamed comfortably this afternoon.
3. Our spine actually looks dangerous and at least competitive with the teams above us.
Ben Hunt looked back to full fitness and made a huge difference.
4. Heartwarming to see Blake Lawrie off load the ball to create a break and a try.
Lawrie is fast developing into a formidable front rower.
Under McGregor, he was told to put away his offload and just become a battering ram.
This bloke is better than that and I hope Hook gives him some more freedom. We need more second phase options.
5. Exciting to see the try celebrations which just shows there is plenty of team spirit in this group.
Under an experienced (and qualified) mentor they will not lose games because of dumb coaching.
That will only build confidence.
6. Looking at the 3 debutants, I couldn't help but wonder why we haven't promoted more of them in the past.
Obviously we have a heck of a nursery and we could take a leaf out of Penrith;s book and expose more of the youngsters to FG.
The next premiership will most likely eventuate because of our home grown talent.
7. The only sobering thought tonight was that we were playing the 2021 wooden spooners tonight.
The dogs have nothing to offer and will not win many games at all.

Let's see if we can go out and give Melbourne hell next week.
Win, lose or draw, I want to see us go to battle and do our jersey proud.
If we slash the errors, we definitely have a chance.
 

Crush

Coach
Messages
11,338
Much better second half.
Feagai twins look the goods. Amone wasn't on the field long enough to make an assessment, but he'll remember his debut for all the right reasons.

I'll give my 3-2-1 to Blake Lawrie (3) Corey Norman (2) Jack Bird (1)

We needed those 2 points cos next week is going to be a tougher ask.
Hey mate, stoked Dragons won!
Question though and not meaning to be confrontational at all.
What makes you give Norman 2 points?
For me he is so clunky with every touch. Yes he took the line on today but he is the 6 so he will get the ball more often than most. In the second half when they started going to Hunt more than Norman we clicked.
Norman plays in slow motion. Every time he gets the ball everything slows down to a stop. He was terrible today as usual in my opinion.
The only decent thing he does is kick. His running game is terrible and stiffles the attack.
Anyway, happy for the win.
 

getsmarty

Immortal
Messages
34,334
Dismal Dogs sink to new depths as Dragons star pushes Origin claim: 3 Big Hits
NRL Premiership
simon_brunsdon.jpg

a3b97bdcaeb7ee6f6ef5fdc05497b888

Tyrell Fuimaono of the Dragons is tackled.Source: Getty Images
Canterbury sunk to new depths and narrowly avoided a seven-year low as St George Illawarra scored a much needed and morale-boosting 32-12 Round 9 win on Sunday.
The Bulldogs scored two late tries against the run of play to avoid being the first team since Cronulla in 2014 to go scoreless in four games in a season.

They have failed to score a point three times already this year.

The Dragons were impressive and a recruit pushed his claims for a State of Origin jumper, while some debutants enjoyed maiden NRL tries.

Round 9
Here are our 3 Big Hits.

— Fox League (@FOXNRL) May 9, 2021
DOGS NO.7 BENCHED IN WOEFUL NEW LOW

Canterbury let Kieran Foran walk out the door and the club hasn’t replaced him with an experienced playmaker in the spine.

Jake Averillo and Kyle Flanagan filled the halves on Sunday and they are both only young still, despite Flanagan playing an entire season with the Roosters last year.

The Chooks let Flanagan leave and we can now understand why, with teenage superstar Sam Walker braining it in his rookie season.

Flanagan, on the other hand, is struggling to improve much at Belmore where he’s the senior playmaker in one of the competition’s worst teams.

The problem is there’s no one more experienced than him at the club to show him the way.

Lachlan Lewis and Brandon Wakeham are the other halves at the Bulldogs but neither of them have done enough to deserve a permanent spot in the side, let alone be tasked with putting the team on their shoulders.

Their attack has been miserable for three or four years now and it’s not improving quickly under coach Trent Barrett, who was Penrith’s attack guru last year.


:football: #NRLDragonsBulldogs
:tv: WATCH https://t.co/e78RZl1lLQ
:pencil: BLOG https://t.co/QLx3u52GJr
:calling: MATCH CENTRE https://t.co/oU9MqfZtjVpic.twitter.com/3egQsJoUYB

— Fox League (@FOXNRL) May 9, 2021
At one point during the first half against the Dragons, Flanagan chose to kick to his winger early in the set.

The ball sailed into touch on the full.

“He would have just fallen off his chair, Trent Barrett,” exclaimed league legend Steve Roach on Fox League.

Fox’s sideline reported Matt Russell labelled the Bulldogs attack “stunted”… and that was being kind.

They didn’t score a point in the first half, despite being tackled in the opposition’s 20-metre zone 18 times compared to St George Illawarra’s eight times, for one try.

They have Matt Burton on deck from 2022 but, again, he’s only young and not overly experienced at NRL level.

The club is splashing cash on centres and wingers but a senior halfback wouldn’t go astray.

BIRD BACK IN ORIGIN FORM

It’s been four years since Jack Bird played in State of Origin but NSW coach Brad Fittler should consider ending the drought next month.

The 26-year-old has rediscovered his best football after a few lean seasons hampered by serious injury up at Brisbane.

Since moving home to Wollongong, Bird has been in purple form for the Dragons – the club who let him go to Cronulla as a young star all those years ago.

He won a premiership with the Sharks and played five Origin games for the Blues before injuries looked like ruining his career.

He has been put at left centre by Red V coach Anthony Griffin but he could just as easily jump into the middle of the park and play lock, or in the halves if needed.

His ball skills are elite, his running is strong and he’s aggressive in defence.

His five Origin games were off the bench but he wouldn’t look out of place in the three-quarters for NSW this year.

Renouf Atoni does it all on his own :clap:

:football: #NRLDragonsBulldogs
:tv: WATCH https://t.co/e78RZl1lLQ
:pencil: BLOG https://t.co/QLx3u52GJr
:calling: MATCH CENTRE https://t.co/oU9MqfZtjVpic.twitter.com/vezfWKmPqd

— Fox League (@FOXNRL) May 9, 2021
BRIGHT SIGNS AS DRAGONS FIND ANOTHER PAIR

St George Illawarra produced the NRL’s best identical twins when Josh and Brett Morris came through the club’s ranks in the mid 2000s.

Brett would play a role in the Dragons’ 2010 premiership while Josh unfortunately had to leave the Red V to do his best work, but later found success at the Roosters.

Now the Dragons have another set of twins to excite fans.

Mat Feagai made his NRL debut on Sunday, joining brother Max in the top grade for the first time.

Mat, 20, scored a try thanks to a brilliant cut-out pass from Ben Hunt to the left winger.

He ended up having eight tackle busts and three linebreaks along with his 131 running metres, before he was forced off the field with a knee injury late in the piece.

His brother Max is a few games into his NRL career but is equally talented and he had four tackle busts on the other side of the park against the Bulldogs.

The Dragons showcased another young star on Sunday, too.

Junior Amone came off the bench late in the game to score a try on debut.

He is a playmaker, but the club has hopes of turning him into a ball-playing backrower.

It’s been a rough few years in Wollongong but the future is looking bright.

https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nr...o/news-story/6fb37ddac2b0169c222ec20d3055b276
 

Forbes Creek Dragons

First Grade
Messages
5,078
Hey mate, stoked Dragons won!
Question though and not meaning to be confrontational at all.
What makes you give Norman 2 points?
For me he is so clunky with every touch. Yes he took the line on today but he is the 6 so he will get the ball more often than most. In the second half when they started going to Hunt more than Norman we clicked.
Norman plays in slow motion. Every time he gets the ball everything slows down to a stop. He was terrible today as usual in my opinion.
The only decent thing he does is kick. His running game is terrible and stiffles the attack.
Anyway, happy for the win.
On the positive Amone didn’t look out of place at all and should keep his bench spot. He really will start piling the pressure on Norman and hopefully ends up getting a go at 6.
 

boardlumps62

Juniors
Messages
1,481
Hopefully people realise that one Feagai has never played a game of FG the other only 3 or so don’t scrutinise every little error they make. It will be more, can they handle the physicality? Do they have a bit of speed/footwork? generally do they have early signs they could make NRL players. I’m not expecting miracles.
I think they have something. Looked solid know their job. Max good defence and Mat good attack and supporting play.
 
Messages
1,871
Hey mate, stoked Dragons won!
Question though and not meaning to be confrontational at all.
What makes you give Norman 2 points?
For me he is so clunky with every touch. Yes he took the line on today but he is the 6 so he will get the ball more often than most. In the second half when they started going to Hunt more than Norman we clicked.
Norman plays in slow motion. Every time he gets the ball everything slows down to a stop. He was terrible today as usual in my opinion.
The only decent thing he does is kick. His running game is terrible and stiffles the attack.
Anyway, happy for the win.

I'm as critical of Norman as anyone but I thought he really stood up today. He took the line on more, didn't throw any hospital passes that I can recall, looked to offload and was easily 50% better than any of his other performances this year. Maybe he can feel the hot breath of Junior Amone or Jayden Sullivan on the back of his neck...?
 

Gareth67

First Grade
Messages
8,834
Pleased about the win and 2 competition points , but we certainly do have a long road ahead of us before we become a candidate for the top 4 and a true premiership threat .

Still the boys are singing their victory song in the sheds tonight and the win itself will hopefully spur them on to bigger and better performances .

I really enjoyed Laurie's defense today , ball and all and damn hard , he has now become the mainstay of the Big Red V’s forward pack .

Parting thought - just loved the old jerseys and the black shorts the boys were wearing , really thought it was 1921 for a moment , that was until I heard the voice of Freddy the Fiddler , then I was rudely brought crashing back to this the 21st century . :flushed:
 
Last edited:

getsmarty

Immortal
Messages
34,334
duftym-try-210509_bc_a75i3017_202159155217.jpg


MATCH REPORT


Dragons blow away benign Bulldogs
Author
Troy Whittaker NRL.com Reporter
Timestamp
Sun 9 May 2021, 06:06 PM
Share on social media
Only two rounds ago, Canterbury coach Trent Barrett shed tears of pure relief on the Kogarah sideline after his team secured their first win of the season over the Sharks.

That felt like a distant memory on Sunday as the last-placed Bulldogs returned to Netstrata Jubilee Stadium on Sunday and suffered an utterly demoralising 32-12 loss to the Dragons.

Trailing 6-0 at half-time, Barrett boldly benched halfback Kyle Flanagan and injected playmaker Lachlan Lewis from the interchange.

Flanagan got a reprieve at the 60-minute mark when centre Corey Allan was stretchered from the field, then Lewis looked worse for wear as he headed up the tunnel.

St George Illawarra were far from great, but class prevailed as the match wore on.


Match: Dragons v Bulldogs

Round 9 - Sunday 9th May

Full Time

Home Team

Dragons

Scored 32 points

Away Team

Bulldogs

Scored 12 points

Venue: Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, Sydney

Still, they're now in outright sixth spot and one of only six teams with a winning record (5-4) after nine rounds. There are five sides behind them with four victories.

The sloppy match mightn't be one that sticks in the memory for casual fans, but Dragons debutants Mat Feagai and Junior Amone will never forget it as they scored tries.

Feagai, who replaced injured winger Cody Ramsey (ribs), shared the experience with his twin brother, Max, on the other flank but left the field injured with 10 minutes to go.

Amone, a highly rated half, played the final 17 minutes. He remarkably featured in Illawarra's SG Ball (under 19s) grand final loss to Canberra last Saturday before being called onto Anthony Griffin's NRL bench.

remote.axd

Hunt sends Mathew Feagai over


Hunt sends Mathew Feagai over

Dragons fullback Matt Dufty's 22nd-minute try from a slick set play was a rare highlight in an opening 40 minutes that was characterised by mistakes.

Five-eighth Corey Norman turned Jack Bird underneath him before the centre linked with the livewire No.1, who stepped past Dallin Watene-Zelezniak.

Flanagan potentially cost Canterbury an earlier try when he opted for a cross-field kick on tackle zero instead of passing when they had an overlap on the right edge.

In fairness to the playmaker, his teammates didn't help him build or sustain pressure with six handling errors – many of them unforced – before the break.

Watene-Zelezniak did his best to inspire the visitors by hurtling into the opposition time and again while prop Ofahiki Odgen had some strong surges, but Canterbury couldn't capitalise.

With Lewis given a chance to run the show when the action resumed, the Bulldogs dominated possession yet found themselves unable to crack St George Illawarra's wall.

remote.axd

Amone gets his first NRL try


And when Feagai crossed from a Ben Hunt pass in the 53rd minute, sending the crowd into raptures, the Dragons were firmly in control.

Canterbury sent the resulting kick-off out on the full and St George Illawarra seemingly made them pay when Bird was first on the scene to a Hunt grubber. The Bunker ruled that Bird knocked on, but that worked out well for the Dragons.

Will Hopoate was sin-binned for impeding Bird before prop Paul Vaughan crashed over to extend the lead despite the NRL Bunker reviewing an obstruction on Luke Thompson after Hunt stood in the line.



Norman crossed in the 63rd minute, backing up after a well-worked left-edge shift, then Dufty grabbed his double in the next set from a Billy Burns bust to wrap up the result.

Bulldogs duo Renouf Atoni and Nick Meaney bagged opportunistic tries either side of Amone’s touchdown to salvage something for their club.

The hosts were kitted out in a "blood and bandages" jersey worn by the inaugural 1921 team as part of the St George side of the joint venture's centenary celebrations.


https://www.dragons.com.au/news/2021/05/09/dragons-blow-away-benign-bulldogs/
 

BLM01

First Grade
Messages
9,977
Dismal Dogs sink to new depths as Dragons star pushes Origin claim: 3 Big Hits
NRL Premiership
simon_brunsdon.jpg

a3b97bdcaeb7ee6f6ef5fdc05497b888

Tyrell Fuimaono of the Dragons is tackled.Source: Getty Images
Canterbury sunk to new depths and narrowly avoided a seven-year low as St George Illawarra scored a much needed and morale-boosting 32-12 Round 9 win on Sunday.
The Bulldogs scored two late tries against the run of play to avoid being the first team since Cronulla in 2014 to go scoreless in four games in a season.

They have failed to score a point three times already this year.

The Dragons were impressive and a recruit pushed his claims for a State of Origin jumper, while some debutants enjoyed maiden NRL tries.

Round 9
Here are our 3 Big Hits.

— Fox League (@FOXNRL) May 9, 2021
DOGS NO.7 BENCHED IN WOEFUL NEW LOW

Canterbury let Kieran Foran walk out the door and the club hasn’t replaced him with an experienced playmaker in the spine.

Jake Averillo and Kyle Flanagan filled the halves on Sunday and they are both only young still, despite Flanagan playing an entire season with the Roosters last year.

The Chooks let Flanagan leave and we can now understand why, with teenage superstar Sam Walker braining it in his rookie season.

Flanagan, on the other hand, is struggling to improve much at Belmore where he’s the senior playmaker in one of the competition’s worst teams.

The problem is there’s no one more experienced than him at the club to show him the way.

Lachlan Lewis and Brandon Wakeham are the other halves at the Bulldogs but neither of them have done enough to deserve a permanent spot in the side, let alone be tasked with putting the team on their shoulders.

Their attack has been miserable for three or four years now and it’s not improving quickly under coach Trent Barrett, who was Penrith’s attack guru last year.


:football: #NRLDragonsBulldogs
:tv: WATCH https://t.co/e78RZl1lLQ
:pencil: BLOG https://t.co/QLx3u52GJr
:calling: MATCH CENTRE https://t.co/oU9MqfZtjVpic.twitter.com/3egQsJoUYB

— Fox League (@FOXNRL) May 9, 2021
At one point during the first half against the Dragons, Flanagan chose to kick to his winger early in the set.

The ball sailed into touch on the full.

“He would have just fallen off his chair, Trent Barrett,” exclaimed league legend Steve Roach on Fox League.

Fox’s sideline reported Matt Russell labelled the Bulldogs attack “stunted”… and that was being kind.

They didn’t score a point in the first half, despite being tackled in the opposition’s 20-metre zone 18 times compared to St George Illawarra’s eight times, for one try.

They have Matt Burton on deck from 2022 but, again, he’s only young and not overly experienced at NRL level.

The club is splashing cash on centres and wingers but a senior halfback wouldn’t go astray.

BIRD BACK IN ORIGIN FORM

It’s been four years since Jack Bird played in State of Origin but NSW coach Brad Fittler should consider ending the drought next month.

The 26-year-old has rediscovered his best football after a few lean seasons hampered by serious injury up at Brisbane.

Since moving home to Wollongong, Bird has been in purple form for the Dragons – the club who let him go to Cronulla as a young star all those years ago.

He won a premiership with the Sharks and played five Origin games for the Blues before injuries looked like ruining his career.

He has been put at left centre by Red V coach Anthony Griffin but he could just as easily jump into the middle of the park and play lock, or in the halves if needed.

His ball skills are elite, his running is strong and he’s aggressive in defence.

His five Origin games were off the bench but he wouldn’t look out of place in the three-quarters for NSW this year.

Renouf Atoni does it all on his own :clap:

:football: #NRLDragonsBulldogs
:tv: WATCH https://t.co/e78RZl1lLQ
:pencil: BLOG https://t.co/QLx3u52GJr
:calling: MATCH CENTRE https://t.co/oU9MqfZtjVpic.twitter.com/vezfWKmPqd

— Fox League (@FOXNRL) May 9, 2021
BRIGHT SIGNS AS DRAGONS FIND ANOTHER PAIR

St George Illawarra produced the NRL’s best identical twins when Josh and Brett Morris came through the club’s ranks in the mid 2000s.

Brett would play a role in the Dragons’ 2010 premiership while Josh unfortunately had to leave the Red V to do his best work, but later found success at the Roosters.

Now the Dragons have another set of twins to excite fans.

Mat Feagai made his NRL debut on Sunday, joining brother Max in the top grade for the first time.

Mat, 20, scored a try thanks to a brilliant cut-out pass from Ben Hunt to the left winger.

He ended up having eight tackle busts and three linebreaks along with his 131 running metres, before he was forced off the field with a knee injury late in the piece.

His brother Max is a few games into his NRL career but is equally talented and he had four tackle busts on the other side of the park against the Bulldogs.

The Dragons showcased another young star on Sunday, too.

Junior Amone came off the bench late in the game to score a try on debut.

He is a playmaker, but the club has hopes of turning him into a ball-playing backrower.

It’s been a rough few years in Wollongong but the future is looking bright.

https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nr...o/news-story/6fb37ddac2b0169c222ec20d3055b276
Bird for origin..cmon...only because Channel 9 bring it up when a player does something in a game they throw them up for origin for something to do and throw it at Fittler.
He is no where nrear the leading centres for NSW
Bird's game and physicality no doubt suits origin but more as a back rower or bench player.
he needs more NRL game time and to start breaking more defences open to be considered in the flanks at NSW level.
Love him in the RED V playing for us only ATM
 

BLM01

First Grade
Messages
9,977
Dismal Dogs sink to new depths as Dragons star pushes Origin claim: 3 Big Hits
NRL Premiership
simon_brunsdon.jpg

a3b97bdcaeb7ee6f6ef5fdc05497b888

Tyrell Fuimaono of the Dragons is tackled.Source: Getty Images
Canterbury sunk to new depths and narrowly avoided a seven-year low as St George Illawarra scored a much needed and morale-boosting 32-12 Round 9 win on Sunday.
The Bulldogs scored two late tries against the run of play to avoid being the first team since Cronulla in 2014 to go scoreless in four games in a season.

They have failed to score a point three times already this year.

The Dragons were impressive and a recruit pushed his claims for a State of Origin jumper, while some debutants enjoyed maiden NRL tries.

Round 9
Here are our 3 Big Hits.

— Fox League (@FOXNRL) May 9, 2021
DOGS NO.7 BENCHED IN WOEFUL NEW LOW

Canterbury let Kieran Foran walk out the door and the club hasn’t replaced him with an experienced playmaker in the spine.

Jake Averillo and Kyle Flanagan filled the halves on Sunday and they are both only young still, despite Flanagan playing an entire season with the Roosters last year.

The Chooks let Flanagan leave and we can now understand why, with teenage superstar Sam Walker braining it in his rookie season.

Flanagan, on the other hand, is struggling to improve much at Belmore where he’s the senior playmaker in one of the competition’s worst teams.

The problem is there’s no one more experienced than him at the club to show him the way.

Lachlan Lewis and Brandon Wakeham are the other halves at the Bulldogs but neither of them have done enough to deserve a permanent spot in the side, let alone be tasked with putting the team on their shoulders.

Their attack has been miserable for three or four years now and it’s not improving quickly under coach Trent Barrett, who was Penrith’s attack guru last year.


:football: #NRLDragonsBulldogs
:tv: WATCH https://t.co/e78RZl1lLQ
:pencil: BLOG https://t.co/QLx3u52GJr
:calling: MATCH CENTRE https://t.co/oU9MqfZtjVpic.twitter.com/3egQsJoUYB

— Fox League (@FOXNRL) May 9, 2021
At one point during the first half against the Dragons, Flanagan chose to kick to his winger early in the set.

The ball sailed into touch on the full.

“He would have just fallen off his chair, Trent Barrett,” exclaimed league legend Steve Roach on Fox League.

Fox’s sideline reported Matt Russell labelled the Bulldogs attack “stunted”… and that was being kind.

They didn’t score a point in the first half, despite being tackled in the opposition’s 20-metre zone 18 times compared to St George Illawarra’s eight times, for one try.

They have Matt Burton on deck from 2022 but, again, he’s only young and not overly experienced at NRL level.

The club is splashing cash on centres and wingers but a senior halfback wouldn’t go astray.

BIRD BACK IN ORIGIN FORM

It’s been four years since Jack Bird played in State of Origin but NSW coach Brad Fittler should consider ending the drought next month.

The 26-year-old has rediscovered his best football after a few lean seasons hampered by serious injury up at Brisbane.

Since moving home to Wollongong, Bird has been in purple form for the Dragons – the club who let him go to Cronulla as a young star all those years ago.

He won a premiership with the Sharks and played five Origin games for the Blues before injuries looked like ruining his career.

He has been put at left centre by Red V coach Anthony Griffin but he could just as easily jump into the middle of the park and play lock, or in the halves if needed.

His ball skills are elite, his running is strong and he’s aggressive in defence.

His five Origin games were off the bench but he wouldn’t look out of place in the three-quarters for NSW this year.

Renouf Atoni does it all on his own :clap:

:football: #NRLDragonsBulldogs
:tv: WATCH https://t.co/e78RZl1lLQ
:pencil: BLOG https://t.co/QLx3u52GJr
:calling: MATCH CENTRE https://t.co/oU9MqfZtjVpic.twitter.com/vezfWKmPqd

— Fox League (@FOXNRL) May 9, 2021
BRIGHT SIGNS AS DRAGONS FIND ANOTHER PAIR

St George Illawarra produced the NRL’s best identical twins when Josh and Brett Morris came through the club’s ranks in the mid 2000s.

Brett would play a role in the Dragons’ 2010 premiership while Josh unfortunately had to leave the Red V to do his best work, but later found success at the Roosters.

Now the Dragons have another set of twins to excite fans.

Mat Feagai made his NRL debut on Sunday, joining brother Max in the top grade for the first time.

Mat, 20, scored a try thanks to a brilliant cut-out pass from Ben Hunt to the left winger.

He ended up having eight tackle busts and three linebreaks along with his 131 running metres, before he was forced off the field with a knee injury late in the piece.

His brother Max is a few games into his NRL career but is equally talented and he had four tackle busts on the other side of the park against the Bulldogs.

The Dragons showcased another young star on Sunday, too.

Junior Amone came off the bench late in the game to score a try on debut.

He is a playmaker, but the club has hopes of turning him into a ball-playing backrower.

It’s been a rough few years in Wollongong but the future is looking bright.

https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nr...o/news-story/6fb37ddac2b0169c222ec20d3055b276
Ditto..I thought for a moment I was seeing double
 
Last edited:

Dragonslayer

First Grade
Messages
7,815
Good to get the 2 competition points.

A couple of observations:
First half we player at their level.
Second half we played at ours.

Great to see the 2 debutantes score on debut. The celebration for Mat's try was great, however, the sheer joy of Juniors try was GF victory like. So good to see the team comraderie.

Lawrie is fast becoming a force at prop, and puts to bed any doubts over his ability, in another year, wow.
Fuimaono has completly turned his game around from last year, a great utility now.

Interesting side note:
This is the first time, in a long time, ALL 3 grades have won on the same weekend ie JF, KOE Cup and 1st grade. Just in time for the 100yr celebrations.

Finally my congratulations to Ben Hornby, Ben Creagh and Jason Nightingale, as well as the inaugrial 1921 team for their inclusion on the 'Legends Walk'. An honour truly deserved. Nice to hear Hornby say "the club means the world to him".
 

Crush

Coach
Messages
11,338
I'm as critical of Norman as anyone but I thought he really stood up today. He took the line on more, didn't throw any hospital passes that I can recall, looked to offload and was easily 50% better than any of his other performances this year. Maybe he can feel the hot breath of Junior Amone or Jayden Sullivan on the back of his neck...?
Fair enough, I thought he was ordinary. He took the line on yes but had zero punch. Offered nothing creative at all. Watch the game back and notice the speed at which he makes his plays compared to Hunt. Norman gets the ball and everything grinds to a halt. Hunt gets the ball and it all speeds up.
Norman was ordinary, maybe not terrible but not terrible doesn’t equal good.
 

jeffdragon

Bench
Messages
3,921
We didn't hold the ball in the first half.
Second half we did better but made some errors.
Got the 2 points.
Faegai's were good, Bird, Corey, Vaughan and Hunt were the best.
Shame we gave them twelve points.
Enjoy the win,
Don't worry about the storm game.
Next week is a free hit, nobody expects us to get close.
If we fo get flogged we won't be the first or the last.
 

kit66

Bench
Messages
4,032
That was diabolical, just as bad as last week. If they play like that next week and show the same lack of respect for the ball and field position they'll get smashed back to 1921. The Dragons boys don't need a coach they need a psychiatrist.

Congrats to Matt and Junior on their debut and their tries and congrats to Tyrell Fuimaono for having a go when those around him sucked.

Bold prediction - Manly will flog the Broncs, Storm will flog us resulting in Manly jumping us on the ladder ( yes we are +24 and Manly are -57 ). I wonder if that wnkr Joel Caine has odds for me on that.
 

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