Dragons slaughter woeful Bunnies

The St George Illawarra Dragons have handed out a hiding to the South Sydney Rabbitohs by 58-16 at WIN Stadium today. (match pics: Lee Hookey, Willie Peters)

It is the third consecutive week that Souths have had 50 points or more scored against them.

Playing their final game of the year at WIN Stadium, the Dragons scored 11 tries to three to completely outclass an often woeful South Sydney outfit. The victory keeps Saints in touch with the top eight and provides coach Andrew Farrar with some comfort following continuing speculation that his job is on the line. The result however, places Souths' coach Craig Coleman on a less than firm footing.

Running into the wind, Souths were competitive for much of the first half and were holding their own against a disorganised Dragons side. But a try to Willie Peters in the 34th minute gave Saints a handy buffer and at half time, St George led 22-10. The floodgates opened shortly after the break with Saints seemingly scoring at will against an uncommitted Souths side.

With the pack paving the way, halfback Willie Peters found easy yards against his future club while the Dragons' three quarters had little trouble making inroads; Shaun Timmins and Mark Gasnier making their presence felt.

The victory however, may have come at a cost with Dragons' play-maker and captain, Trent Barrett on report for head slamming when he came into contact with Souths Sydney's John Olzard in the 46th minute.

Next week, Saints have a week off with the bye while Souths will take on the Penrith Panthers.

St George Dragons 58 (Tries: Peters 2, Hookey 2, Riddell, Gasnier, Hooper, Bailey, Hornby, Barrett, Timmins. Goals: Riddell 5/7, Gasnier 2/3, Hooper 0/1) defeated South Sydney Rabbitohs 16 (Tries: Hinson 2, Olzard. Goals: Sheehan 1/3, Olzard 1/1)

2:30PM, Sunday 18 August 2002 WIN Stadium Referee: M Cecchin Crowd: 12,122