Costly error gifts St George Illawarra win in thriller

WHO would want to be an NRL coach?

Just days after Dean Pay fell on his sword, interim coach Steve Georgallis suffered an unimaginably tough beating as the Bulldogs squandered a 22-10 lead to go down 28-22 to the Dragons on the last play of the game at WIN Stadium yesterday.

With barely two minutes left on the clock, five-eighth Corey Norman scooped up a loose ball after Marcelo Montoya inexplicably coughed up the pill in his own half.

“It’s devastating for the kid,” Georgallis said after the game.

The final flurry masked a poor display by the Red V team, which only showed resolve in the first 10 minutes and the last 15.

It was a heartbreaking loss for a Bulldogs side that has had to endure plenty this week, but at least there were some promising signs.

Trent Barrett is the name on everyone’s lips, but Georgallis has emerged as a genuine candidate to take the reins at the Bulldogs after an encouraging performance.

It could have been easy for his side to throw in the towel when Matt Dufty crossed for the fastest try of the season after 58 seconds and Euan Aitken strolled over to make it 10-0, but instead they lifted for their bearded leader.

Simple tries through the middle for Jeremy MarshallKing and Raymond FaitalaMariner sandwiched an even easier four-pointer for Nick Meaney which exposed a worryingly flimsy Dragons defence that should have been able to handle the competition’s worst attack.

Norman missed a field goal from directly in front in the dying minutes, but atoned for the error when he raced away to steal the win.

Meanwhile, Kalyn Ponga and Bradman Best have given Knights fans reason to believe their team can go all the way in 2020. The duo starred in Newcastle’s 20-18 win over South Sydney at Bankwest Stadium, to give the Knights their best start to a season in over a decade.

But the win didn’t come without an almighty scare. After holding a 20-0 lead with 15 minutes to go, the Knights conceded three tries to give South Sydney a sniff.

Dragons forward Tariq Sims takes on the Bulldogs defence during his team’s nailbiting 28-22 victory at WIN Stadium yesterday.