Fire fizzles out as Warriors stun Dragons 26-18 at Suncorp Stadium
Ben Hunt has had more costly fumbles in his life. Like, say, the 2015 NRL grand final. But, geez, the star halfback will still wake on Sunday morning feeling bloody ordinary after a loss to the Warriors.
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So what did Ben Hunt think as he looked down at that Steeden on the grass?
Just like he did last year, at Leichhardt Oval.
Or more famously, the 2015 Grand Final.
Back when as a Brisbane Bronco, poor ‘ol Hunty dropped that Golden Point kick off which, every headline screamed Monday, had cost his side a title.
And on Saturday?
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Well, replace ‘premiership’ with two points.
So again, how did Hunt feel as, having fumbled a Warriors drop out on halfway, he then looked down at that bastard piece of pigskin on the grass?
“Ah, yeah,” he shrugged on Saturday night, “I thought ‘here we go again’.”
For the third time in his storied career - one that includes both Queensland and Australian jerseys - Hunt has come up with a clanger that has, for all intents and purposes, decided a game.
With roughly nine minutes remaining against the Warriors at Suncorp Stadium, and the scores locked 18-all, Hunt stood for an eternity under a drop out before finding the fumble that would see the Warriors score next set.
Win the game.
Yep, here we go again.
“And I’ve found ways to get over it,” insisted the Dragons No.7, who to his credit fronted all media requests afterwards.
“Obviously it’s happened before but (Saturday) that didn’t really bother me.
“I was more worried about how I played for the rest of the game. I was really disappointed with my second half. I felt I let the team down.”
MENTAL DEMONS
Asked if the fumbles were playing on your mind when under a kick, Hunt continued honestly: “Probably only when I play the Cowboys.
“That’s the time it comes creeping into my mind.
“I think ‘geez, I catch hundreds of balls a year’.
“When I dropped that one tonight, I did think ‘here we go again ... the crowd is going to love this’.
“And I understand it’s going to keep getting brought up. And it’ll get brought up now.
“But one of the things I’ve learnt is that you front for your mistakes and you move on. When you accept you made the mistake you find it easier to move on.”
DRAGONS COLLAPSE
St George Illawarra coach Paul McGregor blamed his side’s poor attitude in defence for a woeful second half that allowed the Warriors to score 20 unanswered points.
While admitting the Hunt fumble was costly - “it was a pretty important catch,” McGregor said - the coach was more concerned with his players giving up a lead for the second consecutive week after “looking at each other to do the job instead of getting it done themselves”.
“It’s not good enough,” he said. “At the moment we have a few people - players and us as coaches - who have to look at why it’s happening. And address it, quickly.”
RTS TOP FIVE
Warriors captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is, undoubtedly, among the top five players in the game.
Arguably, top three.
LISTEN! Latrell-mania has hit fever pitch but can he be considered among the game’s best players? And Matty also recalls the day the legendary Steve Rogers knocked on the door of the Johns family home. Tune in for the Matty Johns podcast with Kenty and Hoops.
Truly, every time the Warriors captain got the ball in this one, you could feel the Suncorp crowd hold its collective breath. Orchestrating tries, defending them, everywhere.
Elsewhere for the Warriors, five-eighth Kodi Nikorima was strong in his first game since departing the Broncos, while Karl Lawton ran strongly off the bench.
FIELD GOAL
Dragons five-eighth Jai Field looks set for a trip to Australia’s greatest town - yes, Mudgee - this week for a Sunday showdown with the resurrected Newcastle Knights.
With Corey Norman nursing a fractured jaw, his livewire replacement scored a try and looked threatening in attack, proving among the Dragons best in his first top grade game for 2019.
While Norman could return as early as Round 11, the 21-year-old looks set to remain his short-term substitute in a team also missing Jack de Belin, Gareth Widdop and Korbin Sims.