LOCAL derbies have a habit of tearing up the form guide.
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In that context the Dragons 32-18 win over Cronulla on Saturday night would be just one of a host of upsets to have occurred over the years in a rivalry that now sits at 19-18 in favour of the Red V with one draw.
But this win was something else. Heading in he Dragons were a rabble. Couldn’t score points, bluing with each other video sessions, set to miss the finals for the fourth time in five years and a fanbase baying for the blood of their coach and CEO.
The Sharks it seemed were in for an easy kill to right the ship that appeared pointed directly at the breakthrough title before a draw and a loss in their previous two performances called their claims into question. Those questions will grow more poignant following their performance on Saturday.
It’s unlikely to change his side’s fortunes this season but call it one of the best coaching performances of Paul McGregor’s career. Supposed video room blow up aside, his decision not to bow to public pressure and dump Benji Marshall to reserve grade paid dividends with former Kiwi test captain providing two try assists in his side’s biggest score of the season.
Under-fire skipper Gareth Widdop also answered his critics laying on a try himself and scoring the match-winner with seven minutes to play as the Dragons showed more enterprise with the football than they have all season.
Their intentions were clear when they shifted the ball wide from the opening kickoff while they also produced 10 offloads in the first half as they looked break the shackles. They had just Euan Aitken’s 11th minute try off the boot of Marshall to show for it at the break but they powered home with four tries in the second 40 to seal one of the upsets of the season.
He’s been personally under siege but McGregor said he was confident such a performance wasn’t far off.
“It’s been coming. The last two weeks we’ve played against two really good footy teams in the Bulldogs and Brisbane and lost by a total of seven points in the two games,” McGregor said.
“We’ve been getting better and better each week and tonight we put on a show. We’ve been working hard on a few things for a long time and the boys just played with a bit more confidence because they earned the right to over the last couple of weeks with the way they’ve been playing.
“We were down 12-6 but we were really comfortable at halftime. Completing at 96 per cent the halftime really built some field position.”
McGregor all but conceded his side’s finals charge was at an end following the loss to the Broncos but, with their remaining three games coming against the bottom three sides on the ladder, the Dragons now have a glimmer of hope heading into next Sunday’s clash with the Roosters.
“We’ve got to win every game which we’re capable of depending on our roster each week,” McGregor said.
“We haven’t really had a fit 17 every wek so we’ll see how we patch up after today.
“We get Leeson Ah Mau back next week after a three-week suspension so that’s going to help. We had three back tonight who we missed last week in Thompson, Frizell and Dugan and they’ve all got through well.
“We’re getting some troops back and we’re playing all sides who are below us on the competition so certainly it’s in our hands.
“We’ve got to just keep getting a little bit better each week like we did tonight and you never know.”
The Sharks lost skipper Paul Gallen to a calf injury in the warm up and never quite found their groove despite leading 10-6 at the break and couldn’t produce any sort of fight back in the second. It won’t see them drop a a rung on the ladder but will certainly leave coach Shane Flanagan with headaches ahead of their clash with South Sydney Monday week.
“It’s not panic stations. We’re not playing good footy at the moment but you can put it down to a few boys [coming] out of Origin, a couple of quick turnarounds and we’re a bit busted at the moment,” Flanagan said.
“It’s been a long season but now we’ve got a nine-day turnaround now and we’re looking forward to that. It’s similar to the Broncos, all teams go through it at different stages and I’m really confident we can come out of it. We’ll work really hard in this break and turn it around into the semi-finals.”
Flanagan said he wasn’t going to risk Gallen when he twinged his calf in the warm up.
“He just got a strain to the outside of his calf,” Flanagan said.
“He’s had a history of them, he had a previous one earlier in the year. He came in and got treated and we probably could have pushed him out there but we’re not going push him at this stage of the year. He missed three weeks last time so it was a decision the medical staff made to pull him out.”
The Sharks were on the board after three minutes when Valentine Holmes snatched a wayward pass from Jake Marketo out of the air and strolled an easy 10 metres for the opening try.
Dugan went close to equalising five minutes later but spilled the ball just short of the Sharks line. He made up for it quickly, denying Sosaia Feki what looked like a certain try at the other end to keep the score at 6-0.
Euan Aitken wouldn’t be denied in the 11th minute when he plucked a Marshall kick out of the hands of Jack Bird and ground the ball despite the attention of three defenders. Widdop’s conversion leveled the scores at 6-all.
The visitors re-took the lead after after a James Maloney long-ball from inside his own 10 metres put Feki away down the eastern touchline with Ben Barba in support to finish a 90-metre effort and take a 10-6 lead 12 minutes before the break.
A penalty goal to Maloney inside the final minute of the first half gave the Sharks a converted try buffer at halftime.
The Dragons scored first after the break when Mitch Rein crossed after some good lead-up work from Taane Milne and Jason Nightingale. Widdop’s conversion leveled the scores at 12 apiece with 29 minutes to play.
Tariq Sims took the lead minutes later with his first try for his new club after winning the race to a Widdop grubber in the Sharks in-goal with the skipper’s conversion pushing the deficit out to 18-12 in the 55th minute.
He made it a double just four minutes later when charged onto a short-ball from Jack de Belin to plant the ball for his second and give his side a handy 24-12 lead with only a quarter of the game remaining.
It seemed to wake the Sharks from their slumber with the visitors puttitng together a nice try for Ricky Leutele but Maloney’s conversion attempt was waved away leaving the margin at 14 with 14 minutes to play.
Maloney put a dent in the deficit with a 70th minute penalty goal but it came to nought with Marshall linking neatly with Widdop at the other end to put the skipper across and seal a win.