Dragons’ dismal season over as surging Panthers triumph 40-18

People will say mathematically the Dragons are still a chance, but forget the promises of a fightback from here. It’s over in the wake of a 40-18 flogging at the hands of Penrith.

Dragons players watch on as Nathan Cleary celebrates a try with Panthers teammates. Picture: AAP

You wouldn’t want to be waking up in Paul McGregor’s shoes today.

St George Illawarra, a team that started the season rated one of the NRL’s genuine premiership contenders, are officially gone for 2019.

Yes, people will say mathematically the Dragons are still a chance.

But forget the promises of a fight back from here. It’s over in the wake of Friday night’s embarrassing 40-18 flogging at the hands of a resurgent Penrith.

Stuck on 14 competition points, the Dragons would have to win all remaining seven matches to make 28 competition points (the usual top eight cut-off), and given their form this year that is just not going to happen.

With the Jack de Belin pre-season suspension followed by the early season injury to Gareth Widdop, the Dragons have had plenty go against them along the way.

But on Friday night they had only themselves to blame for what was an utterly disappointing second half capitulation after only trailing 16-12 at the break.

“It does break your heart. It hurts,” McGregor said.

“Obviously it hurts for our supporters, it hurts for the coach, it hurts for some players.”

Dragons players watch on as Nathan Cleary celebrates a try with Panthers teammates. Picture: AAP

But as for the constant speculation McGregor is fighting to save his own job, he refused to buckle to the pressure, saying now was the time to stick together.

“Look, I don’t take things personally,” he added.

“I understand the team is not performing the way we need to at the moment.

“We have had above the level of distractions and no element of luck during the year and we haven’t had our real strongest 17 on.

“But we shouldn’t be beaten on scores we have the last couple of weeks.

“I understand as a coach I am the leader so aim up on me and leave my players alone a little bit.

“At the end of the day I am here so we have to do something about it as a group and the only way you can do that is go to work and work on things you know you are not doing well enough.”

PANTHERS’ SEVEN STRAIGHT

It’s been an amazing turnaround for a team that started the season in turmoil following Ivan Cleary’s controversial return.

The Panthers opened with eight losses from their first 10 matches included a run of six straight defeats.

But ever since their breakthrough win against Parramatta in round 11 before State of Origin I, they have gone from strength to strength with last night’s effort making it seven straight.

The win moved them into seventh spot ahead of Newcastle who play the Sydney Roosters today, while the Panthers now take on Canberra next Sunday at home with a chance of equalling a club record of eight wins — that was last achieved in 2003, the year of the club’s last premiership victory.

With James Maloney and Nathan Cleary pulling the strings, young winger Brian To’o starred with a first-half double while by full-time Brent Naden also touched down for two tries and Cleary, Moses Leota and Reagan Campbell-Gillard all scored.

Brent Naden celebrates scoring a try for the Panthers. Picture: Getty Images

TYSON HAPPY WITH MARY

Tyson Frizell last night squashed talk he wants out of the Dragons.

A social media rumour sparked earlier this week that Frizell might be heading to the Roosters and Angus Crichton out but both Frizell and McGregor knocked that on the head.

“Look, Tyson’s manager politely rang me this morning and said it couldn’t be further from the truth,” McGregor said.

“He said while ever I am coaching he is here and he has another year to run on his contract.”

Frizell added: “I have got a really good relationship with Mary. If I was unhappy with anything or if he knew I was unhappy at the club he’d be the first one I’d speak to. He knows that.

“We have spoken about it and he knows there is nothing to it.”

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CONTROVERSIAL CALLS

From the second half sin binning of Viliame Kikau, to Matt Dufty’s first half shoulder charge, there was some contentious calls.

Dufty was lucky he wasn’t sin binned for a shoulder charge that denied Naden the opening try.

The onfield call was “try” but replays confirmed Dufty knocked Naden into touch with an illegal play.

Even though Phil Gould labelled it “great defensive play in any era”, the fact remains the shoulder charge is an outlawed tackle.

There was also a huge question mark over the grounding of To’o’s first try that came off the back of a magical Maloney kick that had a back spin on it like it had come off a pitching wedge.

Penrith also missed another chance when a pass from Kikau to Josh Mansour was judged to have gone forward even though it appeared to go backwards out of Kikau’s hands.

It again raises the debate about why the NRL refuses to use the bunker to rule on forward passes given a Warriors try in their win over the Sharks coming from a forward pass decided the earlier match in New Zealand.

Then late Kikau was sin binned for a late charge on Darren Nichols that hardly warranted a 10 minute spell in the dressing rooms.

PENRITH 40 (B Naden 2 B To’o 2 R Campbell-Gillard N Cleary M Leota tries N Cleary 6 goals) bt ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA 18 (J Kerr M Ravalawa P Vaughan tries C Norman 3 goals) at Panthers Stadium. Referee: Jon Stone, Grant Atkins. Crowd: 13,610

Originally published as Dragons’ dismal season over as surging Panthers triumph 40-18