Dragons’ finals chances take huge hit as Dolphins smash Broncos

CommBank Stadium: A bit like their charge to the NRL finals, St George Illawarra pulled up short.

The Dragons trailed Parramatta 44-12 with just 10 minutes remaining at CommBank Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Then Mat Feagai scored. Then Tyrell Sloan. Sloan again. Then Feagai again.

When Feagai dived over in the left corner with eight seconds remaining, the Dragons trailed 44-40, and the unlikeliest comebacks of the year – maybe in the NRL era – looked on the cards.

But Parramatta somehow hung on for victory as the fans erupted at full-time like they had won a grand final.

Both teams must have walked off the field feeling pretty empty. It’s the first time in the NRL era a team has scored 40 points and lost the game.

The Eels clinched an unlikely win despite a huge Dragons fightback.Credit: Getty Images

The Eels should never have given up so many points.

The Dragons should never have botched their one chance of playing finals football.

They will need a miracle to feature in September. It will give you brain freeze working out the permutations, but they basically need to beat Canberra next weekend, and rely on a heap of other results to go their way.

For most of the afternoon, the Red V were awful.

The game was only two plays old when St George Illawarra knocked the ball on.

It somehow got worse from there.

Even if they do sneak into the eight, on current evidence few teams already assured of finals football would be worried about the Red V.

Coach Shane Flanagan cut short his post-match press conference after three minutes and said: “I don’t want to be rude, but I’ve had enough.”

The Dragons can still make the finals, but they’ll need some luck.Credit: Getty Images

“We can’t get confused with only getting beaten by four points,” Flanagan said.

“It was a disgraceful first half. And I apologise to the Dragons fans, sponsors, everyone – it wasn’t good enough.

“I need to take ownership of that. It’s not good enough for a Red V jersey. That first 40 minutes was not acceptable.

“We were absolutely terrible, and it looked like it was our first day together.

“I thought we could still win it at half-time. But they [the Eels] came out and went try, try again.

“I apologise for today, but stick with us.”

Flanagan said he was unable to bring in any new players unless “I go to the local A grade”.

It was a blanket finish when it came to the most forgettable moments. The error on the second play. Tyrell Sloan knocking the ball over the dead-ball line when he did not need to. Anything Mikaele Ravalawa did in the first half. Ben Hunt missing Shaun Lane for a try just before the break. A Hunt forward pass along the ground in the second half. And Toby Couchman being shoved out of the way for Maika Sivo’s third try.

There was a healthy sprinkling of red and white at the southern end of CommBank Stadium, and aside from the final 10 minutes – all the tries were scored at the opposite end of the ground – about the only thing that would have given them some sort of satisfaction was Frank Molo crunching Daniel Keir and forcing him out of the game.

The Dragons have recruited Valentine Holmes from North Queensland for next year, along with South Sydney’s Damien Cook, and potentially Parramatta’s Reagan Campbell-Gillard. But Zac Lomax is off to the Eels, and Jack Bird is no certainty to see out the final year of his deal.

The Eels led 26-6 at the break, could have led by even more, and all but sealed the result with two tries in the first two sets in the second half.

The Dragons were the real story. They blew it. Saturday will hurt. But not as much as the sight of the ladder by the end of the weekend.

Eels roll on to Spoon Bowl

You get the feeling Eels skipper Clint Gutherson and the Parramatta players are hardly doing cartwheels about featuring in a game being dubbed the ‘Spoon Bowl’.

There will be a full house at Campbelltown on Friday when the Eels take on the Wests Tigers to decide 16th and 17th place.

Players start the year dreaming about playing in the finals, not starring in some quirky sideshow that celebrates mass under-achievement.

Yet the western Sydney clash will also be arguably the most-anticipated game of the final weekend of the regular season.

Parramatta collected the wooden spoon in 2012, 2013 and 2018. The Tigers have won it the past two years, and want to avoid the hat-trick.

“It is over-hyped [considering] where we’re both sitting, but nobody wants [the spoon],” Gutherson said.

Jake Tago scores for Parramatta.Credit: NRL Photos

“We haven’t really spoken about where we were sitting until last week. We just want to win. We want to finish the season well. We almost let one slip [against the Dragons], we did against Penrith a few weeks back, and even last week [against Brisbane].

“We just want to go there, win, finish the season on a high and enjoy each other’s company one last week.”

Caretaker coach Trent Barrett said of the Spoon Bowl: “I’ve said it every week, I could go back and watch all the games the past three months, and there hasn’t been a game we haven’t been in. We just haven’t had the class at the back end to ice them because [our top players] are sitting on the sideline.

“Next week is important for us, I do know they will turn up and have a red-hot go.

“We’re going there expecting to win. It will be hard at Campbelltown. It will be a full house. It’s good for the game. We’ll go out there and hopefully put on a show for them.”

Gutherson was brought from the field with eight minutes remaining against the Dragons with a cork. He watched a 44-12 lead evaporate to 44-40.

Parramatta are expected to welcome the return of former Tigers forward Kelma Tuilagi for the Spoon Bowl.

Herbie goes bananas to put Dolphins in frame for finals

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The Dolphins have moved to eighth on the NRL ladder and all but ended bumbling Brisbane’s finals hopes with centre Herbie Farnworth starring in a 40-6 win over his former club.

The loss by St George Illawarra to Parramatta on the cusp of kick-off opened the door for one of the ‘Battle of Brisbane’ combatants to grab eighth.

The Dolphins bashed that door down to take a 24-6 lead into half-time. They went on with it in the second half at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday in front of 50,049 fans.

Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett made brave changes, inserting Trai Fuller at fullback and switching Jake Averillo from centre to five-eighth.

The mastercoach pulled a master stroke with both outstanding. Farnworth, who scored two tries, was unstoppable while Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow scored a double and shone in his switch to centre.

The Dolphins moved to 28 points and will play finals if they beat Newcastle away on Sunday week. The Broncos (26 points), are realistically done for the season and must flog Melbourne and hope for a suite of other results to go their way.

Herbie Farnworth celebrates a try for the Dolphins.Credit: Getty Images

Brisbane were way off the pace and the Dolphins pack monstered them, while the backs carved up.

Dolphins prop Tevita Pangai Jnr, who was superb, had a mini-rumble with former teammate Payne Haas early in an indication feeling was running hot.

Dolphins winger Jamayne Isaako scored the opener in the corner after a sweeping movement and landed the conversion. It set the scene for what was to follow.

Dolphins forward Felise Kaufusi was sin-binned in the 17th minute for a late and high shot on Broncos captain Adam Reynolds who went off for an HIA, which he later passed.

Reynolds and Kaufusi had words as they left the field.

With a man down, a magnificent set play where half Sean O’Sullivan found Tabuai-Fidow sweeping around off his right shoulder to send Averillo in and give the Dolphins a 12-0 lead.

Brisbane hit back with lock Pat Carrigan crashing over from close range.

Then it was ‘Hammer time’ with Tabuai-Fidow swooping on a loose ball and racing 90 metres to score under the sticks.

It was the Broncos’ turn to go down to 12 men when prop Xavier Willison clocked Dolphins forward Ray Stone high.

Averillo stormed in for his second off a Farnworth break and the Dolphins led by 18 points at the break.

The Dolphins owned the second half with Farnworth scoring tries, setting them up and wreaking absolute havoc.

The Broncos lost centre Kotoni Staggs (quad) for the match on the cusp of half-time.

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