Dragons back on top as valiant Dogs fall

ST GEORGE Illawarra have survived a second- half blitz from Canterbury to register a tense 18- 16 win and reclaim top spot on the NRL ladder.

The Dragons looked set for an easy win when they cruised to an eight- point lead at halftime yesterday but were left stunned as the Bulldogs scored two tries in three minutes.

Having spent the first half failing to get around the Dragons’ defence, it was a Brett Morris line break through the middle that was the catalyst for Canterbury’s comeback.

Will Hopoate pounced on a Josh Jackson grubber soon after the Morris bust, before the veteran winger also grounded a Matt Frawley kick. Moses Mbye’s sideline conversion gave the Bulldogs a shock two- point lead with half an hour to go.

However, back- to- back Gareth Widdop penalties, the second of which came against Aaron Woods for a late shot on James Graham, gave the advantage back to the Dragons.

The Bulldogs had a number of chances to steal the game late, including a Marcelo Montoya break that was stopped by a desperate Matt Dufty tackle, but the Dragons held on to claim a narrow victory. It was their first win in the Queen’s Birthday clash since its inception in 2015 and puts them above Penrith on points differential after the Panthers managed to beat Canberra by one.

For the Bulldogs, the gutwrenching defeat leaves them in 15th spot on eight points, all but ruling them out of finals contention for a second straight season.

A long afternoon appeared on the cards for the Bulldogs when Dragons hooker Cameron McInnes cleanly broke the line in the first set.