Dragons beat Newcastle Knights 13-12 with golden point field goal

All the talk might have been about Kalyn Ponga returning to the fullback role for the Knights but for the second week in a row it was a Corey Norman field goal that delivered victory to the Dragons.

Dragons players celebrate winning against the Knights after Corey Norman kicked a golden point field goal. Picture: AAP

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Ask Corey Norman about field goal practice and the No.6 simply shakes his head, grinning.

“Nah, nothing,” he laughs.

Nothing?

“I didn’t even take a shot at training this week,” rugby league’s newest sharpshooter insists, going again. “I don’t practice it.”

Which isn’t exactly a lesson for the kids, is it?

Yet while he may not be hauling a bag of Steedens around his local park practicing field goals, Norman is undeniably proving a master of the art after sinking Newcastle in this one with a 42m Golden Point belter.

Only a week after kicking the field goal that upset Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium, the new Dragons five-eighth doubled down against a Knights side that had Kalyn Ponga, in his return to fullback, looking every inch the next NRL millionaire.

Dragons players celebrate winning against the Knights after Corey Norman kicked a golden point field goal. Picture: AAP

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And more on that shortly.

First, we asked Norman how, having not practiced all week, and then missing with his first two attempts at the death in this one, he still managed to sink the shot that mattered?

“I just took it upon myself to step up and have a crack,” he shrugs. “As I said last week, I don’t have a very good success rate but they just happen to be going over at the moment.

“I just keep saying give me the ball.

“Even after missing two, I still stepped up believing I was going to hit it.”

PONGAMANIA

Officially, this was a game determined by one point.

And still, for Ponga it was all about zeroes.

Specifically, the six that will appear above his next NRL contract.

Only 18 months after North Queensland insisted he wasn’t worth $750,000, Newcastle’s 21-year-old poster boy went and confirmed himself rugby league’s next millionaire.

Kalyn Ponga was excellent for the Knights in his return to the fullback role but the home side just couldn’t get the job done. Picture: AAP

And, no, he didn’t win the game. Also erred late, kicking when he should have run.

But after struggling for three weeks at five-eighth, Ponga returned to fullback with immediate success -- orchestrating two tries, saving a third, kicking goals, running for 169m, busting out the goose step, even diffusing bombs like he were lifted straight off The Hurt Locker set.

“He had some really, really good periods in the game didn’t he?” coach Nathan Brown said. “And there were some things late in the game he’ll learn from.”

DIM SIMS

Tough night for Korbin Sims, who proved himself even tougher by playing over 20 minutes with what could be a broken left arm. Coming off the bench against the club he made 76 appearances for, Sims was whacked heavily in his first carry by Dave Klemmer and Daniel Saifiti.

Having broken his right arm in 2017, it’s understood Sims feared immediately what was wrong but chose to battle on for the rest of the half, continually defending despite his left arm hung limp by his side.

STRIPPERS

Normally in rugby league, strippers is a Mad Monday thing.

But only a week after Melbourne’s Cameron Munster made three one-on-one strips against Penrith, returning Dragon Tyson Frizell did exactly the same for a try that would effectively prove the difference.

Tyson Frizell scored a try in his return from injury after snatching the ball in a one-on-one strip. Picture: AAP

Moments after entering the game off the bench, Frizell chased through a kick, stripped the ball from Mitchell Pearce and crashed over underneath the posts. Better, the NSW Origin star was outstanding in his return from a lacerated testicle.

DUFF MAN

It was a mixed night for fullback Matt Dufty, who set up one try, almost orchestrated another and yet dropped a spiralling bomb with the game right in the balance. Elsewhere, centre Tim Lafai was outstanding out wide, making five tackle busts and partnering well with Norman.

PUNCH

OK, it wasn’t a punch in the truest sense of the word. But in 2019, well, who knows? Newcastle prop Dave Klemmer could perhaps have caught the attention of League HQ after appearing to put a little one on the chin of Tariq Sims in a scuffle. Will it be a problem? Hopefully not.

Originally published as Dragons beat Newcastle Knights 13-12 with golden point field goal