Dragons halves in control
BEN Hunt labelled it a “Barry Crocker of a kick” but it was enough to get St George Illawarra out of a jail with a thrilling 12-10 win over Manly in Wollongong.
After the Dragons trailed 10-8 with three minutes to go, Hunt stepped up when it mattered to save the Saints against the Sea Eagles.
The Queensland State of Origin utility grubber-kicked for chasing winger Mikaele Ravalawa to cross in the righthand corner, saving the day for the Dragons. “It was a Barry Croker of a kick, it got a little bit lucky I think,” Hunt said. Manly had a chance to win it in the dying seconds with captain Daly CherryEvans claiming the chasing Reuben Garrick was taken off the ball on the last play of the game.
It came after Manly centre Brad Parker had minutes earlier been penalised for taking Euan Aitken off the ball, only for Tim Lafai to miss a shot at penalty goal that would’ve tied the scores at 10-10.
It had however come after a kicking masterclass from Hunt and halves partner Corey Norman.
Hunt had earlier also grubber-kicked for the Dragons’ first try, which Matt Dufty ran onto in the 17th minute.
The pair forced three line dropouts between them to control the game in the first half, while on four other occasions they had repeat sets with Manly’s backs unable to handle their kicking game.
Dragons 12 (M Dufty, M Ravalawa tries; T Lafai 2 goals) def Sea Eagles 10 (B Parker, D Cherry-Evans tries; D CherryEvans goals). Crowd: 14,268 at WIN Stadium.