Dragons overrun Knights to break new ground for start to season
St George Illawarra stormed to their best start to a season in the joint-venture’s history with a 30-12 win over Newcastle at a packed WIN Stadium on Sunday.
A 4-0 start has been something akin to a four-minute mile for the club, having gone 3-1 through the opening month of the competition on six occasions.
Wayne Bennett won three of his first four games in all three of years in charge between 2009 and 2011, while his successor Steve Price did the same in 2012 and 2014.
Paul McGregor also went three-of-four to start last season, but Sunday’s victory in front of 18,589 fans took the club to 4-0 for the first time in 20 seasons.
It sees them sit at the top of the ladder after, with the Warriors the only other undefeated side in the competition following their 30-6 win over the Roosters on Saturday.
Emphatic: Euan Aitken celebrates his try after a sweeping movement at WIN stadium
Photo: Adam McLeanReferee Grant Atkins wasn’t as whistle-happy as his colleagues have been during round four, with the penalty count sitting 8-7 in the Dragons' favour at full-time.
McGregor may still have been filthy at a 6-1 penalty count against his side through the opening 35 minutes, after both the Knights tries came directly from penalties.
It was the only relief the Knights got with the Dragons scoring three tries in the space of 10 minutes midway through the opening stanza to lead by eight at the break.
It came after they trailed 6-0 three minutes in, with Knights centre Tautau Moga injuring his knee in posting the opening four-pointer.
It saw him take no further part in the match, with Jamie Buhrer shifted to left centre, while Aiden Guerra finished the first half at right centre after winger Nathan Ross left the field for an HIA.
Gareth Widdop and Ben Hunt continued to build on their burgeoning reputation as the most lethal halves combination in the game.
The marquee pair linked seamlessly to lay on four tries between them, but it was the Dragons big men who really did the damage.
Jack de Belin, Tariq Sims and Paul Vaughan all strengthened their claims for Origin debuts while James Graham managed a whopping 176 run metres to go with his 36 tackles.
Winger Nene Macdonald again put his hand up for Origin selection with a double, the second via his third miraculous finish in as many games midway through the second half.
Momentum: Paul Vaughan charges forward for the Red V.
Photo: Adam McLeanThe performance puts a 5-0 start the season well within reach when they take on the seventh-placed Rabbitohs at Jubilee Oval this Friday night.
The visitors opened the scoring in the third minute through Moga in just the third minute after Kalyn Ponga slipped untouched through the line from 20 metres out.
Ponga converted for a 6-0 lead but de Belin’s crunching shot on Sione Mata’utia to win back the ball proved a turning point.
Tariq Sims barged across from close range four plays later with Widdop converting to square things at six apiece after 13 minutes.
The hosts jumped ahead four minutes later when Lafai produced a freakish flick pass for Macdonald to cross in the left-hand corner.
Unbeaten: The floodlights go on at WIN Stadium as the Dragons march to a perfect start to the season.
Photo: Adam McLeanIt followed a break from Dufty and a pin-point long ball from Widdop, who also nailed the sideline conversion for a 12-6 lead.
The Knights again opened the door via a mistake, this time from Mitch Barnett who was hammered in a tackle by Vaughan.
Euan Aitken finished off a sweeping back-line move a couple of rucks later as the lead swelled to 12 with Widdop’s conversion.
Just as things started to look ominous for the Knights, a penalty saw them march up the paddock and score through Chris Heighington. Ponga converted to bring his side within six 11 minutes before half-time.
After another near miss at their own end, Widdop gave his side and eight-point cushion with a penalty goal in the 35th minute to take a 20-12 lead into the break.
Leeson Ah Mau muscled his way over 14 minutes after the resumption to push the margin out to beyond a converted try,
It was all the Dragons from there, with Macdonald reeling in a grubber from Hunt and planting it millimetres inside the chalk five minutes later to push the final margin out to 18.