The Saint George Illawarra Dragons suffered a 10-38 defeat at the hands of the Cronulla Sharks on Saturday at WIN Stadium, putting in peril their hopes of making the NRL finals.
Entering the final weeks of the season, the Dragons are separated from ninth place Brisbane Broncos by just two points. The loss on Saturday marks the club’s fifth defeat in their last nine games.
A dedicated Dragon’s fan in attendance, Julian Ali lamented the result and his team’s inconsistency.
“It was one-sided to be honest. The Sharks dominated, and it is a rivalry that has been going on since day one. The Dragons haven’t [beaten] the Sharks since 2020, so after this loss today, it makes it four years since we won,” Mr Ali said.
Mr Ali said Cronulla’s second-half dominance was led by Indigenous-All-Stars alumni Braydon Trindall.
“He’s their halfback. I think he got a few try assists but I wasn’t paying attention to the Sharks tonight, I was paying attention to the Dragons… but the Sharks kept dominating,” Mr Ali said.
A common point of discussion outside the walls of WIN Stadium was the performance of referee Ashley Klein, which included a run interrupted by his physical presence.
“The better team won but there were some tough calls: there was an open try that Ashley Klein was in the way for like literally open try in front of the goals,” Mr Ali said
The post-season potential was also a consistent talking point. A local Dragons supporter Isaac Olsen expressed his concern over other clubs fighting for the eighth spot.
“They are 8th now, but if the Dolphins win one or two games, the Dragons will be kicked out if the Dragons don’t win their remaining games,” Mr Olsen said
The Dragon’s next game will be against the 16th-placed Parramatta Eels on Saturday, August 31. They will finish the regular season against the 12th-placed Canberra Raiders the following week away from home. St George hopes to win both games, setting up an appearance in the NRL Finals for the first time since 2018.
