The St. George-Illawarra Dragons have snapped an 11 game ‘hoodoo’ to beat the Canberra Raiders at GIO Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Winning 7 tries to 3, the Dragons convincingly secured the away points for the first time in this fixture for 14 years.
Brett Morris will be sure to remember his first game as club captain after bagging a hat-trick of tries and demonstrating his leadership and athleticism alongside fellow flashy-finisher Jason Nightingale.
“I think we are trying to out-do one another,” an elated Morris reflected after the match. The Dragons were better with the ball in hand for most of the game, Gareth Widdop and Benji Marshall combining well when spreading the ball wide and kicking in general play.
Canberra Raiders’ Josh Papali began the match with a bang, crashing over in the opening minutes. Both teams traded points in a four-try first half, with Morris finishing two of his three tries neatly in the left corner and Jordan Rapana crossing to give the Raiders a narrow 12-10 lead.
It was all St. George-Illawarra in the second as Widdop and Marshall dictated play, keeping the Raiders on the back foot. Benji Marshall chipped over the head of winger Edrick Lee to an appreciative Nightingale in the 62nd minute to extend the Dragons lead beyond 6 (16-24).
The Canberra Raiders were clearly frustrated and gave possession back to the Dragons at crucial moments through some cheap and ill-disciplined penalties.
The game concluded with spectacles in both corners. Both Nightingale and Captain Morris provided leaping finishes to excellent tries, an apt visual representation of the excitement in the Dragons camp as they played their way back into NRL finals contention.
