Best of the best: Five things we learned from the weekend in Illawarra sport

Coniston proved the Illawarra Premier League's big winner on the weekend, surging up to two spots to second after thrashing the White Eagles on Saturday.

As the IPL continues to produce twists and turns, Rob Jonovski's men flexed their muscles, while Wollongong Olympic fell to fourth spot following a 3-1 defeat to Cringila, and Bulli retained third spot following a 2-2 draw with Port Kembla. Wollongong United remain in top position.

At the other end of the table, Corrimal took a big step towards avoiding relegation after beating South Coast United 2-0. Bottom-placed Bellambi remain the side in most danger of dropping down to District League, after playing out a 1-1 stalemate with Woonona.

Sunday was a great day on home soil for St George Illawarra, with the club's NRL and NRLW sides both recording victories.

Star fullback Emma Tonegato ran riot as the Red V opened their NRLW account with a convincing 26-12 win over the Titans at WIN Stadium. Tonegato finished with 18 carries for 187 running metres, a try and eight tackles in a dominant performance.

It was then Talatau Amone's time to shine in the following NRL game, with the talented five-eighth crossing for a double as the Dragons claimed a 46-26 victory over Gold Coast.

Gerringong are in the box seat to clinch the 2022 Group Seven minor premiership after recording a 54-16 win over Albion Park Oak Flats on Sunday.

Centre Cooper Roberts scored two tries as the Lions put on a clinic in the second half at Centenary Field, outscoring their opponents 40-6 after halftime.

In the Illawarra League, the Devils punched their ticket to this year's grand final after beating minor premiers Thirroul 24-8 in Saturday's major semi-final.

It was just the Butchers' second loss in 2022 and resigns them a must-win preliminary final with Collegians this weekend, after the Dogs beat De La Salle 26-12 in the minor semi-final.

Speaking of grand finals, Figtree continued their undefeated campaign, booking their spot in this year's AFL South Coast decider after downing the Bulldogs by 16 points on Saturday.

It was a far from perfect performance from the reigning premiers in the major semi-final but, in the end, a three-goal cameo from Nick Hay in the second quarter proved the difference at North Dalton Park.

"I tough games like that, to stand up under pressure was really good, the boys fought well all game," Kangaroos playing-coach Michael Coleman said.

"The Dogs are a good side, they've got some great players and work well as a team, so we knew it was going to be tough. To their credit, they didn't stop for all four quarters, and we were lucky to get away with it in the end."

The Bulldogs will get a second chance to keep their campaign alive. Aidan Leishman's side will meet the Tigers in the preliminary final this weekend.

Finally, Welsh wizard Jonny Clayton claimed the PDC NSW Darts Masters in front of a record 4000 plus spectators at WIN Entertainment Centre on Saturday night.

Clayton was crowned king of the Gong, securing his maiden World Series title after Clayton dispatching former World No. 1 James Wade 8-1 in the final. There was plenty of colour and costumes in the crowd - including Woody from Toy Story, Duffman from The Simpsons and Mario from the Super Mario Bros series.

"It was absolutely fantastic, I couldn't thank [the crowd] enough," Clayton said post-match.

"I knew I needed to keep James under pressure because we all know what James can do. If you leave him any finish around the hundred mark and he's going to take out.

"Luckily for me I kept him under pressure and this means a lot to me. Big-time. Hopefully this can kick-start the rest of my year."

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