NRL: St George Illawarra thrashed by North Queensland Cowboys on home turf

The Dragons led North Queensland 18-4 after 21 minutes, and yet finished the night 22 points adrift of the visitors on a horror night for the Red V faithful.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 23: Dragons look on after conceding a try during the round three NRL match between St George Illawarra Dragons and North Queensland Cowboys at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium on March 23, 2024 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)

The Dragons aren’t a good enough team yet to bomb tries and still secure victories. Let alone give up three certain tries and in turn allow the Cowboys to march up the field to score points of their own.

But that is exactly what occurred in front of a hopeful fan base for the Dragons on Saturday night. The Dragons led 18-4 after 21 minutes and looked destined to claim their second win of the season in front of 9,252 people. But two first half errors cruelled any chance of the home side upsetting North Queensland. On each occasion the Cowboys produced tries at the other end of the field.

The Dragons badly exposed North Queensland’s left edge in the opening minutes. Jack Bird had clear space and only had to find an unmarked Tyrell Sloan on his outside to score a try. Instead, Bird’s late off-load went forward.

Dragons players look on after conceding yet another try. Picture: Getty Images

A penalty in their next defensive set gave the Cowboys a prime attacking opportunity and resulted in a Murray Taulagi try.

The next bombed effort was even worse for the Dragons at a time in the game when they were well on top.

Ben Hunt produced a neat grubber into the in-goal with Raymond Faitala-Mariner only needing to place the ball down to score. Instead he fumbled the ball which cost the Dragons a chance to extend their lead to 20 which could have been a match winning margin.

The Cowboys scored through Sam McIntyre just minutes later.

Their woes were compounded when Sloan’s failure to ground a grubber in his own in-goal gifted a try to Griffin Neame. Two tries in seven minutes saw St George Illawarra surrender their grip on the lead to trail 22-18 at halftime.

If the Dragons had hopes of turning the tide in the second half it did not eventuate. Instead it was more of the same. Just like Faitala-Mariner and Sloan in the first half, Zac Lomax carried out all the hardwork only to fall at the most important hurdle – grounding the ball.

Lomax climbed high above the Cowboys defence to land a Hunt bomb only to spill the ball over the line.

And just like the first-half, the Cowboys went the distance to score to end any hopes of a Dragons unlikely victory.

Murray Taulagi of the Cowboys scores a try. Picture: Getty Images

DRAGONS FIND NEW WAYS NOT TO SCORE

Raymond Faitala-Mariner doesn’t score often – his last try was in round 19 of 2020. It might explain how he spilled a Ben Hunt grubber that sat up so perfectly it required the forward only to catch the ball and fall over.

A try would have given St George Illawarra Dragons a 22-4 lead over North Queensland Cowboys with an easy kick to come. Instead, the Cowboys hit back almost immediately with a try under the posts.

It was a microcosm of the Dragons evening at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium. Each time they came close to scoring, the Cowboys made them pay with interest at the other end.

After being down 18-4, the Dragons bombed three more tries and the Cowboys scored the next 42 points.

There were 12 tries and 70 points in 80 minutes. The Cowboys, who remain unbeaten, had amassed 46 points with 16 minutes to play. The Dragons didn’t score a point between the 19th and 70th minutes.

Open Game

The Cowboys opened the scoring when Scott Drinkwater fired a fast and flat cut-out pass that put Murray Taulagi over in the corner, the winger scoring despite his pants being pulled down to expose underpants advertising a brand of beer generally associated with Queensland.

Kyle Flanagan of the Dragons makes a break to score a try. Picture: Getty Images

Yet it was the home team that dominated the first quarter of the game.

Dragons Origin aspirant Zac Lomax was beneficiary of a tidy face ball by Ben Hunt and a terrible read by Valentine Holmes.

Another poor read by Holmes saw Jack de Belin put Hunt into a hole before the halfback fed quicksilver Dragons fullback Tyrell Sloan who iced a 60-metre movement.

A powerful run by Mikaele Ravalawa ignited the Dragons faithful and visibly lifted the home team.

The first set restart came after 63 minutes and relatively easy metres were made by the middle players while defence at the line was porous.

Decisions, Decisions

Kyle Flanagan doesn’t go himself often and when he sold a dummy to Cotter and Jason Taumalolo, the pair couldn’t buy it fast enough and the Dragons had try number three.

Cotter won a captain’s challenge when Ben Hunt tackled Jeremiah Nanai early. Cotter lost another challenge soon after when a ball-and-all tackle by Tom Eisenhuth was ruled to have not jostled the Steeden free.

Ben Hunt and Raymond Faitala-Mariner of the Dragons celebrate a try. Picture: Getty Images

Cotter was penalised for a crusher tackle on Jack Bird but not put on report, but did limp off the field with four minutes to play with an apparent ankle injury.

Finefeuiaki Fires

When Blake Lawrie ran a kick-off back hard, his head connected with Kulikefu Finefeuiaki’s head and saw the Cowboys man driven back and taken from the field with blood streaming from a facial cut. Finefeuiaki would pass a category two HIA.

Finefeuiaki returned to score a try, make bustling runs and effect 23 tackles in 59 minutes that will have other clubs interested given the 20-year-old is off-contract after this season.

If the Dragons had a positive it was the form of former Cowboys backrower Luciano Leilua who was dangerous on the left edge and played the ball quickly.

The Dragons have never conceded 50 points at the ground once known as Kogarah-Jubilee.