By Joel Gould
Clint Gutherson produced a magnificent co-captain’s performance to inspire a stunning 30-26 comeback win for St George Illawarra over an error-strewn Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday.
The Dragons, inspired by their fullback, scored two second-half tries when they were down to 12 men to leave them on the cusp of the eight with 10 points.
It was the Broncos’ third successive loss, and their fifth in six games, as the pressure mounts on coach Michael Maguire.
“We’re a real Jekyll and Hyde team, we show such great stuff and then go the other way,” Maguire said.
The Dragons, who lost rising forward Dylan Egan to a suspected ACL injury in the fourth minute, held on in a frenetic final minutes that would have had fans watching from behind their fingers, having seen their side lose three games already this season by one point, including last week’s heartbreaking loss to the Warriors.
“I was saying to myself, ‘Surely this can’t happen to us again’, but there must be some football god out there,” a relieved Dragons coach Shane Flanagan said after the match.
Dragons fullback Clint Gutherson.Credit: Getty Images
“In the last couple of minutes we just put ourselves under an enormous amount of pressure. It was great spirit – great club spirit and great team spirit – that got us home.”
As for Egan, the coach said: “First signs are that it looks like [an ACL].”
“We just hope it’s not. He’s such a good kid, and such an important part of our team moving forward. Let’s just hope,” Flanagan said.
Gutherson was incredible for the visitors, scoring two tries and also being involved three times in a fabulous second-half team try to winger Tyrell Sloan that went through 10 sets of hands.
Ezra Mam was the best player for the Broncos in his first game in the top grade after serving a nine-game suspension for driving offences, the 22-year-old scoring a try and setting up three others.
“I thought Ezra came in and did a great job for us. He was a bit of shining light in something that’s disappointing,” Maguire said.
“One thing I do know about the competition is there’s a long way to go. We’ll have a break now [for the bye] and a good look at where we’re at and go from there.”
Mam set up a try for centre Gehamat Shibasaki with a deft short pass that did travel forward. He then stepped his way through the Dragons defence with speed and deft feet after doing well to haul in a high pass from Adam Reynolds 10 metres out from the line to give the Broncos a 12-0 lead.
But errors kept the Dragons in the game, and the visitors finally made the most of it when Sloan grabbed a Lyhkan King-Togia bomb to reduce Brisbane’s lead to eight at half-time.
Dragons forward Jaydn Su’A was sin-binned in the 50th minute for being offside from a tap, and skipper Reynolds restored the eight-point advantage.
But from that moment the Broncos lost their way.
The visitors scored twice in five minutes while down to 12 men.
First the bumbling Broncos coughed up the ball and Gutherson made them pay with a try of pure determination following an interchange of passing with lock Hamish Stewart.
Then the Broncos stuffed up again when Kotoni Staggs threw the ball to no-one and Dragons hooker Jacob Liddle raced 80 metres, getting away from Mam for his side to take an 18-14 lead.
Mam helped the Broncos bounce back with a wonderful step to beat Valentine Holmes and put Staggs away for a cracking long-range try before Sloan scored his second and Gutherson crashed through from a scrum for the Dragons to lead 30-20 with four minutes on the clock.
Mam set up winger Jesse Arthars in the 77th minute to ensure a grandstand finish but the Dragons defensive line held firm and Flanagan was able to finally celebrate being on the winning side of a thriller.
AAP