St George Illawarra defeat Sydney Roosters in Anzac Day clash

For Dragons captain Ben Hunt, it's one of his biggest moments in the Red V.

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With their backs against the wall, two key players injured and the Roosters full of running, St George Illawarra grimly held on to secure a 14-12 victory in front of 35,273 fans at the SCG.

"We had every reason to lose that game in the last 20 minutes, but we refused to lose," Griffin said.

"We got what we deserved in the end, we hung in there tight, made big plays when we needed to.

"We weren't going well with the ball but defensively we just kept making big plays and scrambling. It was a good win."

The Dragons led 14-0 at half-time, a lead built on stout defence.

The Roosters had numerous attacking opportunities in the opening 40, however each time St George Illawarra held firm.

When they had chances of their own, the Dragons capitalised, tries to Francis Molo and Jaydn Su'A handing the side a 14-point lead.

The match turned soon after halftime, Jack Bird not returning from the sheds with a suspected fractured forearm and Su'A injuring his ankle in the 43rd minute.

Sitili Tupouniua crossed for the Roosters just moments later and it looked like the tri-colours would finish over the top of their rivals.

With their backs against the wall, St George Illawarra decided to defend their way to victory.

Joey Manu eventually scored with 11 minutes to play to cut the gap to two.

That was where the scoring would end, St George Illawarra holding firm.

Hunt produced a vital 40-20 in the dying minutes, the kick effectively sealing a famous victory and the halfback the Ashton-Collier Spirit of Anzac Medal as man of the match.

It was a proud honour, but the skipper was just one of 17 players celebrating on Monday night.

"It's definitely up there as a club (performance)," Hunt said. "The Roosters were coming at us pretty hard.

"They're a wonderful side, got a lot of attack in them. To hang on the way we did, I find them wins pretty special when you tough it out at the end there.

"It's always a little bit more special on Anzac Day. I've been part of a few now, I haven't won one for a couple of years.

"To get that win, it's something you really cherish, it's an amazing day today, you really take in the whole aura of the day. To get the win at the end of it, it makes it all very special."

The match was not without controversy, Zac Lomax placed on report in the first half, while Jared Waerea-Hargreaves will face scrutiny for the tackle that ended Su'A's night.

The flashpoint of the match, however came in the 53rd minute when Daniel Tupou collected Mikaele Ravalawa high.

The Roosters winger remained on the field, a decision NRL CEO Andrew Abdo questioned post-match.

For Griffin, the only question was whether Tupou should have been sin binned or sent off.

"You would have got two years in jail at Magic Round last year for that," Griffin said. "He had 30 metres, he was dropped back on last play, he had 30m to decide where to tackle him.

"It was direct contact to the head, I don't understand the rules."

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