St George Illawarra overcame a controversial disallowed try and a wild storm that caused a 30 minute stoppage in the annual ANZAC Day match against the Sydney Roosters to extend their winning streak to six games.
More Sport Videos
- Video duration
- 01:07
Dragons win despite crazy weather
- Video duration
- 01:29
Panthers inflict more pain on Rabbitohs
- Video duration
- 01:12
Brad Arthur: 'It's very difficult'
- Video duration
- 00:23
Semi Radradra arrested at airport
- Video duration
- 01:29
Bulldogs outlast Roosters
- Video duration
- 00:18
Jarryd Hayne's bizarre Semi Radradra revelation
- Video duration
- 01:00
Erin Molan: 'It is not ok'
- Video duration
- 01:29
Jennings says Radradra back on Friday
Dragons win despite crazy weather
The Dragons defeat the Roosters 14 - 12 after bad weather stops play in the ANZAC Day Cup.
The Dragons led 10-0 when referee Gerard Sutton decided to halt play in the 28th minute as hail stones rained down on the players and lightning flashed around Allianz Stadium, and hung on to win 14-12Â after two second half penalty goals by five-eighth Gareth Widdop.
The match was halted after 21mm of rain fell on the stadium, flooding the bench area on the sideline and the tunnel to the field, and before the players ran out for a five-minute warm up, rival coaches Trent Robinson and Paul McGregor agreed to a shortened eight minute halftime.
But the drama was far from over, with both sides appearing to be victims of back-to-back refereeing decisions early in the second half after St George Illawarra halfback Benji Marshall put what appeared to be a perfectly placed kick into the corner and Roosters winger Nene MacDonald was pushed back into his ingoal after picking the ball up.
Replays suggested that the ball had touched the sideline but Sutton refused to reverse his decision to order a goal line drop out and he then declined to check with video referees Luke Patten and Bernard Sutton after Farrell beat Michael Jennings to a Marshall grubber kick and allowed a 20-metre re-start by the Roosters.
A 37th minute Shaun Kenny-Dowall try had reduced St George Illawarra's lead to 10-6 at halftime, but penalty goals by Widdop in the 60th minute, for a shoulder charge by Dylan Napa on Euan Aitken, and 64th minute, for a high shot by Sio Siua Taukeiaho on Mitch Rein, put them ahead 14-6.
A 71st minute try by Roosters fullback Roger Tuivasa-Sheck made for a gripping finish but the Dragons hung on to record a sixth consecutive win for the first time since 2011.
Before play was stopped, the Dragons looked to be comfortably on top and had two tries disallowed as well as the two they were awarded to Peter Mata'utia and Rein.
Even when there was no hint of the weather conditions that would later lead to the game being halted, the Roosters were able to complete just two of their first five sets of tackles - most of which were near the St George Illawarra try line.
At the other end of the field, a Widdop grubber was knocked on by Lagi Setu in the eighth minute and Tuivasa-Sheck lost the ball when attempting to return another kick by the Englishman from his own in-goal - only for the video referees to rule that Joel Thompson been offside after checking for a possible Dragons try.
St George Illawarra centre Dylan Farrell was then denied a try when held up in the 12th minute after halfback Marshall linked with fullback Josh Dugan to put right winger Jason Nightingale into space down the touchline and he passed inside to the former South Sydney star.
But a penalty against Dylan Napa for a  tackle on Dugan and a knock on by Jared Warea-Hargreaves, after a towering Marshall bomb was allowed to bounce, offered the Dragons another chance and winger Mata'utia made sure this time when he swopped on a Widdop grubber to score in the 18th minute.
Hooker Rein then scored in the 27th minute after running parallel with the tryline and dummying until he found an opening to score. Widdop converted to put St George Illawarra ahead 10-0 when the game was stopped.
20 comments
New User? Sign up