Dragons Rein in Wellington

Dragons hooker Mitch Rein scored a try and had a hand in two others as the St George-Illawarra Dragons thrashed the New Zealand Warriors by 36 to nil in front of 18,316 fans at the Cake Tin in Wellington. The win makes it 11 straight for the club against the Warriors.

The win was soured however, with Benji Marshall leaving the field with a hamstring injury early in the second half. Marshall did not return, though Mitch Rein and Gareth Widdop took control of the Dragons attack, with Rein piloting the Dragons kicking game putting the Warriors on the back foot, as well as providing great service from dummy half.

Ben Matulino will re-ignite the shoulder charge debate this week, with a huge shot on Gareth Widdop five minutes from the break. Replays showed that Matulino's bell ringer failed to see the Warriors prop wrap his arms around the tackler and he could be the first to be made an example of, after the NRL this week vowed to come down hard on anybody who failed to comply.

The Warriors were simply awful in the second half after trailing 10-0 at halftime. Serious questions will now be raised about coach Andrew McFadden's ability to get the Warriors motivated for the rest of the season, as it is clear confidence is now at an all time low now that they have lost star halfback and Golden Boot winner Shaun Johnson.

The Dragons started the game with a drama, when winger Dylan Farrell was injured in the warm up and was replaced at the very last minute by former Parramatta winger Justin Hunt. Hunt was given a dream start to his surprise call up, scoring the first try of the match courtesy of a sublime cut out ball from halfback Benji Marshall to get the Dragons off to a flier in the New Zealand capital. Widdop missed the conversion from the sideline and the Dragons lead 4 nil after 6 minutes.

The Dragons continued to mount pressure on the Warriors when Mitch Rein managed to pin Warriors fullback Sam Tomkins in his in goal with a wonderful long kick. Off the next set, Rein did it all himself crashing over for the Dragons second try to make it 10-nil.

The Warriors had excellent field position in the first half but severely lacked the execution as play after play either went to ground or lacked communication, further compounding their frustration were their poorly chosen last tackle options.

The Kiwi side started the second half in better fashion when their first set resulted in young halfback Tuimoala Lolohea trapping fullback Josh Dugan in the in goal. However off the repeat set the Warriors failed to apply the pressure and the Dragons made their way back up the field with ease. Off the back of the set, man of the match Rein chipped beautifully towards the posts and found and unlikely receipient in prop Jake Marketo who leaped over Warriors centre Solomone Kata to score a great try to extend the lead to 16 points.

Off the next set, rookie centre Euan Aitken burst straight through a poor attempt at tackle and found Peter Mata'tuia who scored next to the posts. Widdop converted to make it 22 nil and the game was effectively over.

The Dragons ran in another 2 tries to Gareth Widdop and Tyson Frizell in an embarrassing performance for Andy McFadden's men. Bizarrely it could have been more had St George not elected to take two penalty goals late in the match despite their commanding lead. Whether these decisions could come back to bite them in regards to for and against remains to be seen.

The Dragons now turn their attention to their Friday night blockbuster against the Brisbane Broncos who have now lost in consecutive weeks. As for the Warriors they need to pick up the pieces and attempt to get their season on track next Saturday against the Penrith Panthers.

Match Details

New Zealand Warriors 0 St. George Illawarra Dragons 36
Venue: Westpac Stadium
Crowd: 18317
Halftime Score: New Zealand Warriors 0 St. George Illawarra Dragons 10

NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS (0)
No Scorers

ST. GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS (36)
Tries: Justin Hunt, Gareth Widdop, Mitch Rein, Jake Marketo, Peter Mata'utia, Tyson Frizell
Conversions: Gareth Widdop (4/6)
Penalty Goals: Gareth Widdop (2/2)

LeagueUnlimited.com Players of the Match:

3 points - Mitch Rein
2 points - Gareth Widdop
1 point - Leeson Ah Mau

LeagueUnlimited.com Live Commentary

Welcome to the Cake Tin in windy Wellington! A huge match up for both side's Semi Final aspirations. The Dragons are currently in 8th position on 22 points and the Warriors are also on 22 points in 10th on for and against and can leap frog the Dragons with a win today.

The Warriors have no late changes and will be 1-17 as per programmed.

The Dragons have made some late changes with winger Yaw Kiti Glymin out, which sees Peter Mata'utia move from centre to wing and Will Matthews in jersey #16 will now start at centre. Jack De Belin will start in the backrow with Ben Creagh moving back to the bench. Jake Marketo will start from the bench in jersey #19.

St George have incredibly won their last 10 games vs the Warriors. Hoodoo!

A very late change with Dylan Farrell injured in the warm up. Justin Hunt comes into the side.

We are underway in Wellington!

2: Sam Tomkins pulls off a tremendous long kick which sits up inches from the deadball line. Josh Dugan makes it back into the field of play.

3: Warriors looking looking confident, keen to offload early on.

4: Townsend puts a cross field bomb up and Manu Vatevei knocks it back in goal. May have scored if he held it. Dragons feed the scrum deep in their own half.

6: TRY ST. GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
Scored by Justin Hunt. Kick to come.
Superb cut out pass from Benji Marshall and the late inclusion Justin Hunt gets a dream start. A gift.

6: UNSUCCESSFUL CONVERSION ST. GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
Conversion attempt by Gareth Widdop unsuccessful.
Widdop kicks it into the carpark. It's windy. St George lead 4-0.

10: Penalty Warriors - Dragons not getting back the 10. Warriors on the attack 30m out.

11: Warriors shift the ball the the left and Solomone Kata breaks a tackle and passes to Manu Vatuvei, but Benji Marshall knocks down the pass, saves a certain try.

11: Dragons makeshift centre Will Matthews has injured his shoulder in the tackle and has been assisted from the field in a sling.

12: Penalty Warriors for a late flop from Jake Marketo. Right in front of the posts and Warriors take the tap and are again on the attack.

13: UNFORCED ERROR NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS
Chad Townsend makes an unforced error.
Townsend drops it cold! Huge let off for the Dragons.

14: Dragons penalty - Dubious high shot from Albert Vete. Reckless. Dragons 30m out and looking to make the Warriors pay.

15: UNFORCED ERROR ST. GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
Benji Marshall makes an unforced error.
Marshall spills the ball in the tackle. He is looking very dangerous Marshall, demanding plenty of ball.

16: Strong tackle from Tyson Frizell on Nathan Friend.

16: Friend now bashes his way over from dummy half. He is held up. Video ref says No Try.

18: Benji Marshall has left the field with a hamstring injury. Could be a huge blow for the Dragons.

19: Vatuvei gets into some space on the left hand side but slips over.

21: Superb kick from Mitch Rein and Sam Tomkins is forced to ground the ball. Line drop out, Dragons in great field position.

22: TRY ST. GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
Scored by Mitch Rein. Kick to come.
Mitch Rein backs up his kick with a try. Barges over from dummy half with a show and go. Great try.

23: SUCCESSFUL CONVERSION ST. GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
Conversion attempt by Gareth Widdop successful.
Widdop adds the extras from in front. It's the Dragons 10 Warriors 0.

24: UNFORCED ERROR ST. GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
Mike Cooper makes an unforced error.
Cooper spills the ball looking to offload. Warriors ball 30m out.

26: UNFORCED ERROR ST. GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
Peter Mata'utia makes an unforced error.
Loose pass from Townsend is picked up and dropped by Mata'tuia. Warriors still in great field position.

27: Lovely kick from Lolohea in the in goal but Faitala-Mariner misses the ball for the grounding as Marketo gets a sneaky hand in. Video Ref - No Try.

28: Clever kick from Widdop into the in goal and Tomkins is trapped in goal and then is stripped one on one by Dugan. Rein gets there but looks to have not grounded the ball! Video Ref - No Try - Knock on from Rein, Warriors breathe a sigh of relief.

29: At the other end of the field, Tomkins places a lovely kick and the defence push Dugan into touch. Big chance for New Zealand!

30: Ordinary end to the set from the Warriors. Townsend grubbers is dived on by De Belin.

33: UNFORCED ERROR NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS
Solomone Kata makes an unforced error.
Tomkins pushes the pass to Kata and again the Warriors blow another opportunity.

34: Sam Tomkins having a rough afternoon, Mitch Rein again with an excellent kick but Tomkins makes it into the field of play.

35: Huge shot on Widdop by Ben Matulino! Crowd on their feet! He will never dummy again!

37: Intercept from Jake Marketo but he doesn't get far. Dragons on halfway.

37: Another big shot, this time from local Charlie Gubb on Dugan.

39: UNFORCED ERROR NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS
Solomone Kata makes an unforced error.
Warriors just can't get over the line. Kata throws the ball over the sideline.

39: UNFORCED ERROR ST. GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
Leeson Ah Mau makes an unforced error.
Ah Mau spills the ball. Another chance for the Warriors 30m out.

40: And now a punch by Charlie Gubb on Gareth Widdop. Bit of a heated end to the first half. Not much in it.

40: St George lead 10-0 in Wellington, however they have not had it all their own way with the Warriors given lots of chances but failing to capitalise. The game has been a bit scrappy but there have been some ferocious hits and plenty of offloads from both sides. Benji Marshall left the field early in the first half with a hamstring injury after setting up the first try with a superb ball to late inclusion Justin Hunt. Mitch Rein's kicking has been first class and after forcing a line drop out he muscled his way over for the second try.Ben Matulino has re-ignited the shoulder charge debate with a huge hit on Gareth Widdop.

We have an exciting 2nd half coming up so stay tuned for more big hits and exciting play on League Unlimited!

40: The Second Half is underway! Warriors receive the ball.

41: Injury Update - Benji Marshall and Will Matthews will not be returning! Dragons are down to 15 players.

41: Great kick from Lolohea and the defence traps Dugan in goal. Perfect start from the Warriors.

43: Penalty Warriors - Dragons hands on the ball. Warriors take the tap 10m out.

43: Albert Vete with a huge run and the Dragons just hold him out.

44: Poor last play option. Townsend kicks to deep and it's taken by Justin Hunt. 20m re-start for St George.

45: TRY ST. GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
Scored by Jake Marketo. Kick to come.
Another great kick from Mitch Rein and Marketo leaps over Solomone Kata to score. Video Ref - TRY!

46: SUCCESSFUL CONVERSION ST. GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
Conversion attempt by Gareth Widdop successful.
Widdop adds the extras and it's now St George Illawarra 16-0.

47: TRY ST. GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
Scored by Peter Mata'utia. Kick to come.
Euan Aitken skips through the line and finds Peter Mata'tuia to score next to the posts. Warriors in all sorts!

48: SUCCESSFUL CONVERSION ST. GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
Conversion attempt by Gareth Widdop successful.
Widdop makes no mistake. St George all of the sudden 22-0 at Westpac Stadium.

49: UNFORCED ERROR ST. GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
Leeson Ah Mau makes an unforced error.
Ah Mau looks to offload but spills it. Warriors again in great field position.

50: You wouldn't believe it! Maumalo looks certain to score but is bundled into touch by Gareth Widdop. Video Ref - No Try

52: The Warriors attack is that bad today. Despite all the chances they just can't get it right!

53: TRY ST. GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
Scored by Gareth Widdop. Kick to come.
Leeson Ah Mau strolls through and Widdop shows and goes from the next play. Dragons 26-0. Kick to come.

54: UNSUCCESSFUL CONVERSION ST. GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
Conversion attempt by Gareth Widdop unsuccessful.
Widdop misses the conversion. Score remains 26-0.

56: Huge bomb from Townsend but its taken safely from Justin Hunt. Dragons make their way out of their own half.

57: Penalty Dragons - High tackle from Townsend on Euan Aitken. Dragons now 40m out.

58: TRY ST. GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
Scored by Tyson Frizell. Kick to come.
Tyson Frizell charges through the line of a superb ball from Widdop. Getting messy. Dragons 30-0.

59: SUCCESSFUL CONVERSION ST. GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
Conversion attempt by Gareth Widdop successful.
Widdop makes no mistake. St George lead 32-0. Wow!

61: Merrin slices through and puts Marketo away but he is cut down 10m short.

61: More bad news for the Warriors with Manu Vatuvei injuring his shoulder making the tackle. He leaves the field.

62: Warriors again go for the cross field kick, despite the rain! And Maumalo can't take it. Dragons scrum.

64: UNFORCED ERROR NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS
Ken Maumalo makes an unforced error.
Maumalo bursts through but can't find the support and the pass goes to ground.

66: Penalty Dragons - Holding on too long in the tackle. Right in front of the posts. They take the shot for 2pts for some strange reason.

67: SUCCESSFUL PENALTY GOAL ST. GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
Penalty goal attempt by Gareth Widdop successful.
Widdop adds the 2. St George now lead 34-0.

69: Penalty Dragons - Friend takes Widdop out after kicking.

71: Widdop kicks off his left foot for Justin Hunt but it goes dead. Drop out Warriors.

72: Penalty Dragons - Again they go for the Penalty goal. Have they heard of for and against!

72: SUCCESSFUL PENALTY GOAL ST. GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
Penalty goal attempt by Gareth Widdop successful.
Widdop stretches the lead to 36-0.

73: Penalty Dragons - Again Friend is penalised, this time for not releasing the player.

74: UNFORCED ERROR ST. GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
Jake Marketo makes an unforced error.
Marketo spills the ball. Very slippery out there now.

76: UNFORCED ERROR NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS
Tuimoala Lolohea makes an unforced error.
Lolohea loses possession. Just hasn't been their day the Warriors.

77: UNFORCED ERROR NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS
Sam Tomkins makes an unforced error.
Tomkins drops the ball on the first tackle. This is awful.

80: It's full time in Wellington and it the Dragons thrashing the Warriors 36-0!