Dragons defy wind and rain to topple ‘dumb’ Raiders

If Ricky Stuart was prepared to stand on the sideline in the driving rain and howling wind, he deserved so much better from his Raiders.

The NRL table toppers produced their sloppiest performance of the season to go down to St George Illawarra 18-12. Stuart used the word “dumb” to describe their second half.

The Green Machine were gunning for 10 straight wins, something they had not done since 2016.

And you would have backed them to get the job done when it was 10-all at half-time, and the fact they were going to be helped by a raging southerly at their backs in the second half.

But they struggled to hold the ball, and even struggled for field position, as the Dragons nailed their last-tackle kicks.

Canterbury can now leapfrog the Raiders and move to outright first should they defeat the Wests Tigers by 17 points or more on Sunday.

Stuart knows his side can bounce back, that they will learn some key lessons, but it was never a case of the players starting to read too much into their win streak.

“One thing that’s made me proud about the boys is the hype and outside noise hasn’t been getting to them, and whether we win 10 in a row, 12 in a row, or 14 in a row, it doesn’t bother us – we just want to win a game of football and continue on our journey,” Stuart said.

The most one-eyed Raiders supporters will argue the Dragons’ only second-half try came from a forward pass. Mat Feagai’s final ball to Corey Allan was flat, but there was no flag from the touch judge. The Raiders still had ample time at that stage to win the game. They needed more from their main man Jamal Fogarty.

Maybe it was the loss the Raiders needed. But do teams ever really need a defeat?

The Dragons deserved the two points, especially after falling short against North Queensland last weekend, and getting dudded in the final minute against Canterbury prior to that.

Coach Shane Flanagan nearly put a hole through the glass separating the coaching and media box when the Raiders were given a repeat set in the final minute while camped on the Red V’s line – but in the end he had nothing to worry about.

“Some of them could have been looking over their shoulder thinking we have been here before, and some nightmares might have come back,” Flanagan said.

“But to play like that in the last 20 minutes against the competition leaders was really pleasing.

“The attitude is there. Some sides don’t have what I’ve got. I definitely know I have attitude and commitment.

“Yeah, we could do with a bit more class here and there, but we have attitude and commitment – I know a lot of other coaches wouldn’t be able to say that.”

Kyle Flanagan’s kicking game was terrific, especially a sideline conversion from the south-eastern corner that was directly into the wind.

The conditions were so bad, club officials had to close the hill before kick-off for safety reasons because of lightning, rain and wind. The empty grass evoked memories of the competition when it was played behind closed doors during COVID in 2020.

The Dragons will not make the eight, but forget them now collecting the wooden spoon.

The Raiders are still waist deep in the title race. Stuart would love to win the minor premiership, but it’s not a priority, and wants his young side to “keep winning every day and every game we play”.

Raiders forward Hudson Young was placed on report for a shoulder charge on Hame Sele – the contact was minimal – while David Klemmer was also cited for a tackle on Ata Mariota, which forced the prop off the field for a head injury assessment.

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