Dragons victorious over valiant
Knights

The St George Illawarra Dragons have defeated a courageous 12-man Knights outfit by 24-22 in Newcastle tonight.

The Knights had to contend with forward Clint Newton being sent off in the 7th minute after he delivered a rising elbow to the face of Dragons forward Ashton Sims. Referee Tim Mander had little hesitation sending Newton from the field while Sims was taken off with blood dripping from a suspect broken jaw. Fortunately, for all parties concerned, Sims was able to return in the second half.

Dragons? rookie winger Nick Youngquest scored soon after and at 4-0, and playing against 12 men, the St George side looked specials to go on with the job. But the Knights lifted to dominate the ruck, putting the match favourites on the back foot.

Newcastle had the Dragons further rattled following a try to Steve Witt in the 26th minute; and at half time, the home side were in front 6-4.

The Knights went further ahead just after the break when Matt Gidley crashed through to score under the posts and at 12-4; an upset was on the cards.

But it was Saints halfback Mathew Head who then stepped up to the crease, scoring two tries in the space of five minutes to grab a 16-12 lead. The Dragons went to 20-12 following a second try to Nick Youngquest.

With Saints seemingly dominating play just wide of the ruck, the Newcastle side struck back hard with a try to Anthony Quinn in the 71st minute, bringing them within four points of the visitors.

The Dragons appeared to have finally put the Knights away when Matt Cooper backed up to score following a Ben Hornby line break [pictured], providing Saints with a 24-16 lead with just minutes remaining.

But the Knights never gave up with Kurt Gidley scoring a try in the final minute and earning his side one more shot at the Dragons? line. Desperate defence and the fulltime siren finally giving Saints a hard earned victory.

The loss sees the Knights out of contention for 2004, while Dragons move into 4th position on the ladder pending Saturday night's Panthers vs Cowboys clash.

EnergyAustralia Stadium, Crowd: 18,411 Referee: Tim Mander

KNIGHTS 22 Tries: Witt, M Gidley, K Gidley Goals: K Gidley 3/5 defeated by DRAGONS 24 Tries: Head 2, Youngquest 2, Cooper Goals: Riddell 0/1, Head 2/4

By the clock: 0 min: A chilly night in Newcastle with the chance of showers on a slow track. Both sides get ready to come onto the field. Newcastle will be without Matt Parsons, Josh Perry and Andrew Price, all out injured. For the Dragons, Lance Thompson looks to be making a return. Kickoff!

7 min: NEWS - Clint Newton (Knights) SENT OFF for putting an elbow into the face of Ashton Sims (Dragons) who is forced from the field.

9 min: TRY - Dragons. Nick Youngquest scores out wide. Saints completing their sets and being rewarded. Conversion attempt from Mark Riddell unsuccessful. Dragons 4-0

15 min: NEWS - Still 4-0 to Saints who are enjoying a greater share of possession. The Knights missing more than a few tackles just wide of the ruck.

20 min: NEWS - Still 4-0 to the Dragons. The Knights working their way back.

25 min: NEWS - The Knights with more possession are cutting loose on occasion and busting the line. Saints now missing a few tackles. Still 4-0 to the Dragons.

26 min: TRY - Knights. Steve Witt scores in good position. Conversion Kurt Gidley OK. Knights 6-4

35 min: NEWS - Still 6-4 in favour of the Knights who are now enjoying more possession and completing their sets. But Saints still finding gaps when they do get the ball.

40 min: NEWS - Penalty goal attempt from Kurt Gidley dips and then hits the uprights. No goal.

HALF TIME: Following some early raids from St George, the 12-man Knights have struck back with some solid play to regain some control of the ruck. Score: Knights 6-4

Second half underway...

45 min: TRY - Knights. Matt Gidley scores. Conversion Kurt Gidley. Knights 12-4

53 min: TRY - Dragons. Mathew Head scores and converts. Knights 12-10

58 min: TRY - Dragons. Head gets a double and converts again, a ripper from the sideline. Dragons back in front 16-12

60 min: TRY - Dragons. Youngquest gets a double now as Saints are starting to run over the top of a tiring defence. Wide conversion attempt from Head is unsuccessful. Dragons 20-12

65 min: NEWS - Still 20-12 in favour of Saints who are now donminating the ruck.

70 min: TRY - Knights. Anthony Quinn scores to bring the Knights back into the match. Conversion K Gidley unsuccessful. Dragons 20-16

73 min: TRY - Dragons. Matt Cooper scores for the visitors and may have put an end to what has been a valiant charge from the Knights. Conversion unsuccessful from Head. Dragons 24-16

80 min: TRY - Knights. Kurt Gidley scores and converts. Dragons 24-22

FULL TIME - Dragons have come away with the two points, winning 24-22 over the Newcastle Knights.

FULL TIME SUMMARY: For the Knights, they battled hard with just 12 men and played above themselves. Standouts included Danny Buderus who tackled all night long as well as Ben Kennedy who was often seen charging up the middle and then backing up in defence. For Saints, their hardest worker was Brent Kite who easily topped the workload list for the victors. Meanwhile Ashton Sims recovered from a heavy knock to the jaw and returned with some great play and offloads. In the backs, Ben Hornby was a standout as he chimed into the backline making numerous line breaks. The turning point of the match however was provided by halfback Mathew Head who stepped up and scored a double when it mattered most.

----------------------------------------- Leagueunlimited.com players of the match: 3 - B Kite (Dragons) 2 - M Head (Dragons) 1 - D Buderus (Knights) -----------------------------------------