St George Illawarra makes it six from six with 40-20 win over Cronulla, Melbourne downs Newcastle
Updated
St George Illawarra has become the first team in five years to go unbeaten through the first six rounds of a NRL season, adding insult to Cronulla's horror Friday the 13th in Wollongong.
The Dragons beat the Sharks following Melbourne Storm's much-needed win over Newcastle at AAMI Park.
The Sharks' 40-20 loss to their local rivals was only one concern, with Andrew Fifita and Paul Gallen both booked in for Saturday knee scans.
Wade Graham (hamstring) and Luke Lewis (knee) also left the field with minor issues in the second half, cutting through their star-studded forward pack and leaving them with an empty bench by full-time.
Against the odds, though, Cronulla fought back from a 28-10 deficit before giving the Dragons an almighty scare when Josh Dugan was denied a try that could have brought them back within two.
But, when Jack de Belin and Euan Aitken crossed late for the Dragons, the Sharks were consigned to their fourth loss in six games.
Young full-back Matt Dufty and hooker Cameron McInnes were sensational for the Dragons, while Gareth Widdop also booted four penalty goals.
It marks the first time since Melbourne in 2013 that a team has gone through the opening six rounds undefeated, and just the eighth time in the NRL era.
The Warriors have a chance to join them on 12 points on Saturday when they take on Brisbane in Auckland.
Easily the best attacking team of the opening rounds, the fleet-footed Dufty stepped his away across for two tries — including the Dragons' opener where he used excellent footwork across both sides of the field before finding a gap.
McInnes also scored from a long-range effort when he went 50 metres from dummy-half, after he had earlier been sin-binned for a professional foul.
Paul Vaughan also crossed once for the Dragons, continuing to push his cause alongside de Belin for a New South Wales State of Origin debut.
There was plenty to like about the Sharks in attack, after coach Shane Flanagan moved during the week to make Matt Moylan his full-time full-back and Trent Hodkinson his number six.
Hodkinson set up two tries in the loss, while Dugan and Valentine Holmes' combination on the right edge looked dangerous after the NSW centre set up a four-pointer for his winger with a slick offload.
Fifita was also dominant with a first-half try-assist and four tackle busts before his night ended on crutches and with his left knee in a brace.
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Storm far too strong for the Knights
A blistering opening 20 minutes has laid the platform for Melbourne's emphatic 40-14 NRL win over Newcastle at AAMI Park.
Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy laid down the law midweek about their stuttering attack after two successive losses and the Storm responded in style on Friday night.
As well as three early tries, the defending champions completed 13 from 13 sets and had 82 per cent of possession.
With Ryley Jacks taking over the halfback duties from the axed Brodie Croft, the Storm looked more composed and skipper Cameron Smith had one of his best matches of the season.
They took an 18-8 lead into the break as the visitors finally found their feet, with second-rower Lachlan Fitzgibbon and Ken Sio collecting tries to close out the half.
Newcastle half-back Mitchell Pearce again underlined his NSW Origin credentials with a hand in both tries — the second including a long bullet pass to Sio that caught the Storm defence short.
Melbourne's wingers Josh Addo-Carr and Suliasi Vunivalu were in the thick of the action, both scoring a try in each half to bookend a try by prop Tim Glasby.
Addo-Carr's second came in the 47th minute when the Knights were a man down after Fitzgibbon was sin-binned following repeated penalties as the Storm attacked the tryline.
Vunivalu twice had the benefit of a lucky bounce from kicks — the second rebounding off Pearce's head — in his tries.
The Knights, who sat two places ahead of Melbourne in seventh heading into the match, continued to toil hard, with Kalyn Ponga again among their best.
However, the young full-back was given a reality check as he was racing to the tryline when a flying cover tackle from Billy Slater brought him down and knocked the ball from his arms.
Melbourne finished the night the way it had started with Felise Kaufusi crossing before big-name recruit Sam Kasiano scored his first four-pointer in Storm colours.
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Topics: nrl, rugby-league, sport
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