‘Poor’: St George Illawarra coach Anthony Griffin slams ill-discipline

After being sin-binned for the second week in a row a Dragons star is now facing a one-match ban.

It was a sorry night for the Dragons. Picture: Jason McCawley/Getty Images

St George Illawarra coach Anthony Griffin concedes his side is fighting a losing battle against referees and needs to improve its discipline rather than whinge after being thrashed 36-12 by Cronulla in a one-sided local derby at WIN Stadium on Thursday night.

The Sharks scored 10 points while Dragons second-rower Jaydn Su’A was in the sin bin for hitting Cronulla captain Dale Finucane in the head with his shoulder.

It was the second time in as many weeks – and the sixth time since 2019 – that Su’A has been binned.

Su’A was charged by the NRL Match Review Committee and will miss at least one match. If he unsuccessfully pleads his case before the judiciary, he’ll be rubbed out for two.

The Red V never recovered from being 10-0 down, slumping to their biggest defeat to Cronulla in Wollongong since 1985.

“If they’re the rules, they’re the rules,” Griffin said.

“To me it didn‘t seem overly high, but we gave away three penalties in the first 30 minutes for high tackles and invited people down to our own end.

Jaydn Su'A is sent to the sin bin. Picture: Jason McCawley/Getty Images

“We‘ve got to be better than that, be smarter than that.

“I will work on that problem with Jaydn with his technique rather than try to dissect the referee.

“He‘s just got to be lower in his target. If you hit someone above the shoulder, it’s going to be a penalty.

“We can’t be a victim and complain about it. We‘ve just got to get better at it.”

The Dragons were beaten to the punch in every aspect of the game as the Nicho Hynes-led Sharks played an up-tempo and in-your-face game.

The Sharks were all over the Dragons. Picture: Jason McCawley/Getty Images

Some of the ball movement in the wet was breathtaking, while the Cronulla defence showed a resilience missing in recent seasons.

“That’s the toughest game we’ve had for the year,” Griffin said.

“We weren‘t there tonight. We were poor but Cronulla were outstanding.”

Saints skipper Ben Hunt added: “We didn’t play the conditions as well as they did. We were too ill-disciplined.”

Cronulla finished the game with an injury concern over utility back Connor Tracey (groin) but get powerhouse winger Ronaldo Mulitalo back for next week’s meeting with the Knights.

Originally published as ‘Poor’: St George Illawarra coach Anthony Griffin slams ill-discipline