Morris claims 100th try in Dragons win

The St. George Illawarra Dragons have claimed bragging rights in a hard fought local derby victory over the Cronulla Sharks, 14-12, at Remondis Stadium in front of 14,281.

The thunderstorms which threatened Penrith earlier in the afternoon tracked east over The Shire and soaked the turf which did make conditions slightly slippery.

Brett Morris was a stand out for the Red V and his efforts were rewarded as he posted his 100th NRL career try. Gareth Widdop and Gerard Beale linked together to set up Morris in the western corner. The Dragons jumped quickly to lead 4-0 after five minutes.

John Morris made the Dragons goal line defence look foolish as he sold a perfect dummy pass to slot himself between the sliding defenders to score. Cronulla hit back to take the lead 6-4 after 12 minutes.

The Dragons came into Round 3 leading the competition after two previous comprehensive victories, however it was a new challenge for them as the contest with Cronulla was a true test of the forwards.

It was a night of high flying tries as Jason Nightingale flew above Sosaia Feki (Sharks) to take a pin-point bomb kick from Sam Williams to secure the Dragons second four-pointer.

In the shadows of half time, Brett Morris sailed in for his second four-pointer of the match. Morris took a page from Wests Tigers winger, David Nofoaluma as he leapt above the defence to plant the ball down one-handed with the rest of his body in mid-air.

After 40 minutes, the Dragons in control over the home side, 14-6, as Cronulla's polish failed to see them mount pressure in the opening half.

Credit is due to the Sharks as the Dragons failed to post any further points in the second half.

The only points of the second forty minutes came late in the half as hooker John Morris once again burrowed under the defence to steal a try on the line. Cronulla fans remained hopeful of stealing victory as they trailed 14-12 in the final 10 minutes.

Mistake cost both sides points and opportunities, as the match become scrappy in the final minutes. Despite a last minute raid by Cronulla, the Dragons held onto a 14-12 scoreline to secure top position on the NRL table after three matches.

Next week the Dragons head to WIN Stadium in Wollongong as they host the Brisbane Broncos, while Cronulla head north up the M1 Freeway to battle with Wayne Bennett's Newcastle Knights.

CRONULLA-SUTHERLAND SHARKS (12)
Tries: John Morris (2)
Field Goals:
Conversions: Michael Gordon (2/2)
Penalty Goals:

ST. GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS (14)
Tries: Brett Morris (2), Jason Nightingale
Field Goals:
Conversions: Gareth Widdop (1/3)
Penalty Goals:

Welcome to a stormy Remondis Stadium in The Shire as the struggling Cronulla Sharks host the high flying St. George Illawarra Dragons in a local derby.

LATE MAIL is in for the home side with one change on the bench. Michael Lichaa was dropped to the VB NSW Cup after signing with the Bulldogs. Isaac De Gois comes into the side in jersey 20.

Meanwhile for the Dragons, Bronson Harrison has been replaced as he played NSW Cup earlier this afternoon. Jack de Belin claims the final bench spot in this place.

We are UNDERWAY at Remondis Stadium as the Cronulla Sharks kick off to give the Dragons first use of the ball.

1: Sam Williams fires a long kick downfield and it's allowed to bounce dead, Cronulla earn a 20 metre restart to have their first set

3: First penalty of the match for the Dragons as the Sharks fail to clear the ruck. Rein finds the sideline and the Dragons march up to halfway

4: Zero tackle is ruled for the Dragons as a Sharks' defender got a hand to the ball as Leeson Ah Mau looked to back his way over the goal line

4: VIDEO REFEREE for the Dragons, we have TRY for Brett Morris. This will be his 100th if it's awarded

5: TRY ST. GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
Scored by Brett Morris. Kick to come.
Brett Morris dives over in the western corner for the Dragons as they spread quickly and the Sharks covering defence doesn't stop the attack. Widdop and Gerard Beal working together to link with Morris.

6: UNSUCCESSFUL CONVERSION ST. GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
Conversion attempt by Gareth Widdop unsuccessful.
Gareth Widdop with the conversion attempt from the sideline hits the posts and it's waived away.

8: The floating pass from the Sharks hits Leeson Ah Mau and the zero tackle is called for Cronulla as they attack 10 metres out

9: Leeson Ah Mau defuses a grubber kick from Daniel Holdsworth on the last tackle. Dragons defence holds as they come up with possession deep in their own half

11: Cronulla earn their first penalty as the Dragons were caught offside at marker. Carney finds the sideline and the Dragons defence their try line with Cronulla marching up to their 20 metre line.

12: TRY CRONULLA-SUTHERLAND SHARKS
Scored by John Morris. Kick to come.
John Morris has fooled the defence with a massive dummy on the goal and he simply dives over as the Dragons slide across. Beautiful work from the hooker.

13: SUCCESSFUL CONVERSION CRONULLA-SUTHERLAND SHARKS
Conversion attempt by Michael Gordon successful.
Michael Gordon from next to the uprights slots the conversion to give the Sharks a two point lead

16: 40/20 ST. GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
Sam Williams kicks a 40/20.
Sam Williams nails a 40/20 as the Sharks defenders fail to drop back for the kick. The Dragons tried to take the quick tap by two chasers were offside so the Dragons will take a tap 20 metres out

16: Leeson Ah Mau continues his involvement, however as he was tackled around the legs, the ball is dropped. Sharks let off as they pack a scrum 10 metres off their own line

17: Penalty to the Sharks as Blake Ayshford had the ball stripped from him. Todd Carney takes a quick tap to advance the Sharks up to 10 metres short of the half way line.

18: UNFORCED ERROR CRONULLA-SUTHERLAND SHARKS
Sam Tagataese makes an unforced error.
Sam Tagataese trying to play the ball too quickly and kicks it forward in the attempt to roll it back in the ruck. Scrum for the Dragons 30 metres off their own try line

24: VIDEO REFEREE for the Dragons, Brett Morris is claiming his second. Looking at onside and grounding here

24: NO TRY! Brett Morris is denied his second try as his elbow was on the sideline as he grounded the ball. Sharks 6-4

26: Daniel Holdsworth makes a meal of the kick and he fumbles it on the last tackle. Change over for the Dragons 10 metres off their own line.

26: Wade Graham is penalised for holding down Sam Williams in the ruck, a tough one as he tried to clear the ruck. Kick for the Dragons finds the sideline 35 metres away from the Sharks try line.

28: TRY ST. GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
Scored by Jason Nightingale. Kick to come.
Jason Nightingale has jumped over the top of Sosaia Feki and that was a brilliant high flying try from the Dragons off the boot of Sam Williams.

29: UNSUCCESSFUL CONVERSION ST. GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
Conversion attempt by Gareth Widdop unsuccessful.
Gareth Widdop with the conversion attempt hits the uprights from out wide on the eastern side.

31: UNFORCED ERROR ST. GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
Dylan Farrell makes an unforced error.
Dylan Farrell unable to take the short pass from Adam Quinlan as he overran the play. Scrum for Cronulla on halfway

34: Penalty to the Dragons for a strip on Michael Cooper as Matt Prior gets his hands over the ball. Sam Williams finds the sideline and the Dragons attack 20 metres out

35: UNFORCED ERROR ST. GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
Adam Quinlan makes an unforced error.
Adam Quinlan charged into a hole off a short pass from Widdop, but the ball falls free and the Sharks defenders take a sigh of relief. Scrum for Cronulla 10 metres off their try line.

39: Michael Gordon under a mile of pressure from Leeson Ah Mau has he chipped for himself. Gordon unable to get hands on the ball. Scrum for the Dragons 35 metres out from the Sharks try line.

39: HALF TIME at Remondis Stadium in the local derby, Cronulla trail the visiting Dragons 8-6 in a tight contest.

39: TRY ST. GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
Scored by Brett Morris. Kick to come.
Brett Morris has taken a page out of the book of Wests Tigers' David Nofoaluma and flown through the air off a kick to plant the ball down before going over the sideline.

40: SUCCESSFUL CONVERSION ST. GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
Conversion attempt by Gareth Widdop successful.
Widdop with the conversion attempt slots the conversion from the sideline

40: HALF TIME in the local derby at Remondis Stadium sees the Dragons leap to a 14-6 lead over the Cronulla Sharks

40: Second half is UNDERWAY at Remondis Stadium with the Dragons kicking off and leading the Sharks.

42: Jason Nightingale takes the kick from the Sharks easily and it's a 20 metre tap for the Dragons

42: VIDEO REFEREE for the Dragons...let's have a look here

42: NO TRY is shown for the Dragons. Sam Williams provided the kick for Dylan Farrell who raced in, but he collided with Michael Gordon and knocked on. Gareth Widdop hence denied the try.

43: Forward pass is ruled as Todd Carney looked to link with Wade Graham, let off for the Dragons as they come up with a scrum feed.

45: Sam Williams has the ball stripped out one on one and the Sharks come up with possession through a scrum feed. Sharks attack 10 metres off their own goal line

46: Sosaia Feki unable to come up with a catch of Holdsworth. Change over for the Dragons on their own 10 metre line as the Sharks attack fails to challenge the Dragons defence.

47: Penalty to the Dragons as Blake Ayshford and Todd Carney lifted and drove Joel Thompson head first into the turf. Dragons kick for line and attack 40 metres out from the Sharks goal line.

49: Ricky Leutele has come up with a brilliant catch of a cross field kick in goal off the boot of Widdop. He raced to the 20 metre line to try and catch the Dragons offside.

50: VIDEO REFEREE for the Sharks, we have NO TRY for Daniel Holdsworth. Looks to be a knock on here

50: NO TRY is ruled for the Sharks as Tupou Sopoaga knocked on off the kick. Holdsworth is denied points. 20 metre tap for the Dragons as a result

51: Jason Nightingale bats the ball forward into the hands of Holdsworth in goal off the boot of Williams. Change over for the Sharks 10 metres out from their goal line.

54: Daniel Holdsworth rolls a kick end on end over the sideline on the eastern side. Morris watches it roll over the touchline and the Dragons come up with a scrum feed 20 metres off their try line.

56: Penalty to the Sharks as Michael Gordon was dragged over the sideline after the held call. Cronulla attack 35 metres out from the Dragons goal line

57: UNFORCED ERROR ST. GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
Adam Quinlan makes an unforced error.
Adam Quinlan on his goal line got down low to take the grubber from Holdsworth, but he fumbles it. Scrum for Cronulla 10 metres out from the Dragons goal line

58: UNFORCED ERROR CRONULLA-SUTHERLAND SHARKS
Todd Carney makes an unforced error.
Todd Carney from the base of the scrum fumbles the ball as the pass for him fails to stick. A let off for the Dragons defenders as they pack a scrum deep in their own half

59: Penalty to the Sharks as the Dragons were ruled offside from the kick of Sam Williams. Cronulla with a march up field to start their set, they attack on halfway

60: Ricky Leutele unable to take the bullet pass from Todd Carney has he rocketed it to him across the face of the Dragons defenders. Scrum for the Red V 10 metres off their own goal line.

62: Sosaia Feki is held too long in the ruck and draws a penalty. Todd Carney fires a kick for touch and the Sharks attack 20 metres out from the Dragons try line.

63: Wade Graham comes up with a hard take of the Carney pass, he hands it straight into the hands of the Dragons. Sharks again unable to post points despite being gifted a great opportunity.

64: Sam Williams with a shocker of a kick on the last tackle for the Dragons fires it into the grandstand on the full. Sharks change over 20 metres short of halfway.

64: Joel Thompson launches himself at Feki and the ball is forced free. Scrum packs for the Dragons on halfway

66: Gareth Widdops' kick bounces end over end and it's too big as it rolls dead. 20 metre restart ruled for Cronulla.

67: UNFORCED ERROR ST. GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
Joel Thompson makes an unforced error.
Joel Thompson is ruled to have knocked on as he fumbled clean up of the loose ball. Scrum for Cronulla, 10 metres short of halfway

68: VIDEO REFEREE for the Cronulla Sharks, it appears John Morris has scored but referee says NO TRY

68: TRY CRONULLA-SUTHERLAND SHARKS
Scored by John Morris. Kick to come.
John Morris gets GREEN LIGHTS as he dived under the tacklers of Tyson Frizell, Adam Quinlan and Trent Merrin. Morris claiming his second as the Sharks close the gap on the scoreboard.

69: SUCCESSFUL CONVERSION CRONULLA-SUTHERLAND SHARKS
Conversion attempt by Michael Gordon successful.
Michael Gordon slots the conversion to make a two point ball game as we come into the final 10 minutes.

70: Penalty to the Sharks for Dan Hunt holding down in the ruck. Carney kicks for touch, Sharks attack on halfway

72: Brett Morris defuses the Todd Carney bomb in goal easily and the Dragons earn a 20 metre tap.

73: Beautiful clean up off the Widdop kick from Wright on the goal line. Sharks defence holds as they attack inside their 20 metre zone.

75: Johnathan Wright races back to the 20 metre line as he took Sam Williams' kick in goal. Sharks still down by two points.

75: Bryce Gibbs fumbles the ball as he was tackled over the top by two defenders. Scrum for the Dragons 40 metres out from the Sharks line.

76: UNFORCED ERROR CRONULLA-SUTHERLAND SHARKS
Todd Carney makes an unforced error.
Todd Carney jumped off the defensive line to save the try as the Dragons spread through Widdop. Scrum for the Dragons 15 metres out from the Sharks line.

77: Sam Williams fumbles the ball in a tackle and Cronulla still have a chance with a scrum 10 metres off their own line.

78: Penalty to the Dragons as Siosaia Vave continued to the tackle on Quinlan after the held call as he took the bomb. Dragons with a simply help out of their red zone.

79: The kick is driven out of play. Scrum quickly packs for the Sharks and time has been called off with 29 seconds left. They need to go 80m

80: FULL TIME at Remondis Stadium sees the Dragons win the local derby over the Cronulla Sharks, 14-12.