NRL 2021: Anthony Griffin concedes Dragons were taught brutal lesson by rampaging Rabbitohs

The Dragons have fallen so far in expectations that they are now closing in on wooden spoon favouritism. But a 15-day break before facing the Sharks is (some) cause for optimism.

St George Illawarra coach Anthony Griffin has conceded Saturday night’s embarrassing loss to South Sydney was a “slap in the face” his shell shocked side needed before round one.

“We got a good lesson off them,” Griffin said.

In Griffin’s first official match as head coach, Saints crashed 48-16 to a red-hot Rabbitohs - it was 32-4 at halftime - in a one-sided Charity Shield match in Mudgee.

Despite their side not having yet played an NRL game this season, uptight Dragons fans went into meltdown again on social media at full-time.

Watch Live & On-Demand coverage of NRL pre-season trial matches on Kayo. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial now & start streaming instantly >

The Dragons have 15 days to get over a humbling loss and prepare for round one.

Griffin’s side has 15 days to regroup and recover ahead of his side’s big NRL season opener against rivals Cronulla at Jubilee Stadium.

“We got a real slap in the face on Saturday night rather than in two weeks’ time,” Griffin said.

“It was a lesson and we can learn some stuff about ourselves.

“Had we scrambled away and had a 10-point loss, against a lesser side, we might not have the opportunity to review ourselves thoroughly.

“We have a chance to learn a lot out of the game – and we will.

“Souths are arguably the best team in the comp with the spine they’ve got. We got a really good lesson off them and we’ll get a heap out of that going forward.

Ben Hunt and the Dragons have plenty to do ahead of their clash with the Sharks.

“It was what it was. We weren’t good enough defensively and they were red hot in attack. I think they completed 20 from 20 and were really slick.

“There is obviously a heap of stuff we have to work on. They were too good for us in the first half, obviously.”

After the loss, Saints tightened from $4.50 into $4, according to the TAB, to claim the NRL wooden spoon. They are second favourites behind Brisbane ($3.50).

And the Dragons are paying a whopping $51 – alongside the Broncos - to win the grand final.

St George Illawarra was competitive in the second half although Souths coach Wayne Bennett had replaced virtually his entire run-on side.

And while St George Illawarra was disappointing, most agree Souths will be among the competition favourites throughout 2021.

Jack Bird getting through the game was a huge positive for the Dragons.

“Our inside 20 defence has to improve but we made nine line breaks each for the night. They scrambled a lot better than us,” Griffin said.

“They probably saved two or three certain tries. There is some stuff we did really well. We’ve got Cronulla in round one, the last game of the round on Sunday night. It’s a long build-up, which is good. That will give us time for a solid couple of weeks.”

One positive for Griffin was an empty casualty ward.

“Jack Bird got through and (Andrew) McCullough was really good,” he said.

“We had a couple of HIA’s but we have two weeks before our next game so they won’t be an issue.”

The same Saints fans screaming for sacking of then coach Paul McGregor last year are back again demanding more changes at the joint venture club.

‘Not good enough’: Dragons shame after trial nightmare

Anthony Griffin’s honeymoon period at St George Illawarra lasted all of 11 minutes. Thanks, in no small part, to South Sydney poster boy Latrell Mitchell. But more on him in a second.

First, the Dragons.

This most hyped of Sydney clubs who in its first real showing for 2021 – and, effectively, the debut of new coach Griffin – were badly touched up by a rival already firming as NRL premiership favourites.

In the first half of this Mudgee bush bash, Souths scored 32 points. Conceded four.

All up, creating the type of lead that meant coach Wayne Bennett could replace all his superstars – and, indeed, most of his starting side – by half-time and still win the club’s ninth straight Charity Shield.

Yet still the Bunnies hadn’t stopped scoring – eventually home 48-16.

The Dragon season hasn’t even started and already they look dejected. Picture: Getty Images.

Apart from being cut up on both edges defensively, the Dragons also made a series of handling errors when in attack, leaving fans, not for the first time, fuming on social media.

We’ve barely kept pace with the South’s 2nd/3rd grade team.

Our defence has been woeful. It has shown no signs of improvement, and if anything it’s gotten worse.

Our starting spine was woeful apart from Dufty who was average.

A total embarrassment #redv#charityshield

— Ben (@bkp083) February 27, 2021

Pretty ordinary performance tonight..I think the team will improve in attack as the season goes on but geez Griffin has his work cut out getting this defence sorted..this was never going to be an easy job with the mess he has to fix..need patience #CharityShield#redv

— Joe REDV YNWA (@dragons2194) February 27, 2021

Absolute disgraceful effort

— Benny (@saintbenny63) February 27, 2021

Afterwards, Griffin conceded his side, with only two weeks until the start of the season, still “clearly has a lot of work to do”, particularly defending their tryline.

“Souths were pretty slick -- taught us a lesson,” Griffin said afterwards. “As soon as they got good ball they outplayed us, clearly.

“We have to get better.

“It’s disappointing and it’s not good enough.

“Nobody likes having 30 points put on them in a half of football, obviously.

“We’re just lucky it was a trial and not round one.

“There were a lot of positives with what we did with the ball -- both sides made nine linebreaks each I was told and we bombed a couple of tries ... but we got to have a look at ourselves against a really good opposition and we have a lot to work on, obviously.

“When we had to defend our end, defend one of our errors, we weren’t good enough. So it was two fold, they were brilliant and we clearly weren’t anywhere near where we need to be.

“And we have to turn things around quickly.”

The Dragons started off well, but it lasted less than 11 minutes before it all fell apart.

Yet the Bunnies?

They looked every inch the title contenders they are already being hyped to be – thanks largely to an outstanding opening 40 minutes from Mitchell.

Incredibly, it was this time 12 months ago that everyone was asking if the newly-acquired Roosters centre could even play at the back.

Now, the biggest question appears to be just how good the 23-year-old is going to get.

In an outstanding effort, Mitchell scored one try, orchestrated three more, took bombs, made breaks and will likely drive the team bus back to Sydney after Sunday’s local races.

All this too before half-time, when he was replaced.

In his second game back from the hamstring injury that finished his 2020 season prematurely, having also played solidly for the Indigenous All Stars, Mitchell proved this Souths backline may be the most lethal in the NRL.

Better, the fullback received tremendous support in attack – and no surprises here – from his usual partner in crime, South Sydney No.6 Cody Walker.

In fact, it was Walker who effectively blew the game apart when, in the space of eight minutes, he scored three tries – popping up on both sides of the field to do it, too.

It was a perfect first half for the Bunnies, with Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker dominating.

Which is when coach Wayne Bennett replaced not only his two indigenous stars, but almost the entire starting side, to effectively let the B-team have a crack on the second half.

Not that it mattered, with Bunnies interchange forward Mark Nicholls crashing over, with just four minutes gone, near the posts.

While both sides had replaced their biggest names with 20 minutes to play, this was an overwhelming victory for Souths, and a result that leaves plenty of questions for Griffin.

As usual, the town of Mudgee proved outstanding for a game that is quickly becoming something of a signature, and a must-do event for not only fans, but a host of Old Boys from both clubs who descended on the town.

Despite COVID restrictions, a crowd of 6840 – or close enough to its restricted capacity – turned out to watch the Bunnies run riot.