St George Illawarra Dragons snuffed out the Roosters in an ANZAC clash 14-12 at the The Sydney Cricket Ground. Ben Hunt’s masterclass helped The Dragons to pull off the upset.
The Dragons opened the scoring with a superb try from Francis Mother of God Molo after slicing through a gap from a Ben Hunt try assist.
Hunt produced his second try assist of the half when Paul Momirovski spilt a pinpoint kick, allowing Jaydn Su’A to pounce to make it 12-0. Hunt then set up David Fifita in the 57th minute.
The Roosters had a tough start to the second half with Victor Radley penalised for a crusher tackle on Blake Lawrie. Zac Lomax’s successful kick made it 14-0.
However, the Roosters battled back with tries to Sitili Tupouniua and Joey Manu setting up a grandstand finish at 14-12 heading into the final 10 minutes.
However, the Dragons overcame injuries to Jack Bird and Jaydn Su’A to hold on for a famous win.
Join the celebration with these limited The Dragons jersey style:
Here are the key takeaways from the match.
Ben Hunt Is Back And So Are St George Illawarra Dragons
Ben Hunt played so well!
He was looking good out there with his 32 run metres, an offload, and a linebreak assist. But his kicking game really won the Dragons the game.
The Dragons were in all sorts defensively early before Hunt produced some brilliant long kicks early in the tackle count to swing momentum in his team’s favour. They set up the first try to Francis Molo and never looked back!
No pants no worries ????
???? Watch #NRLDragonsRoosters LIVE on ch. 502 or stream on @kayosports: https://t.co/kLHRm1aTPy
✍️ BLOG: https://t.co/ljgYMxI748
???? MATCH CENTRE: https://t.co/Uo9Q6w3H96 pic.twitter.com/NtSgEnpW3W— Fox League (@FOXNRL) April 25, 2022
St George Illawarra Dragons Finally Find Defensive Mojo
The Dragons built their victory on a much improved defensive performance that can set up their season.
Injuries to Jack Bird and Jaydn Su’A saw the Roosters mount a comeback, but the Dragons channelled the ANZAC spirit to turn around their woeful defence from the first five weeks of the season.
Cooper Cronk lauded the Dragons defence in the opening stages as they repelled wave after wave of Roosters’ attack.
Two crucial Dragons’ guns have been forced to leave the field in a tight ANZAC Day encounter ????
NRL Casualty Ward ???? https://t.co/MAvKX0UCK8 pic.twitter.com/mOxrh8w7Qg
— Fox League (@FOXNRL) April 25, 2022
