A sloppy game ends with an error. Dragons back on track.
The game is starting to unravel, Raiders needing to push the pass, and the Dragons have the scrum.
Dragons rolled down the field, Widdop nails the field goal. Seven points up.
PENALTY DRAGONS! Pure desperation from the Dragons. The ball hit the ground through Austin, and Sims/Macdonald snaffled it.
Dragons pinged for a roll ball again. Frizzell the same as JDB.
Raiders aim to make the ball sing, Austin in the retreating sunshine, loses it.
Widdop in front, nails it.
You can't teach speed. The young fullback looked like he wasn't going anywhere.. turned on the afterburners, just blitzed the Raiders defense.
Raiders went for the try on last, threw it short for Whitehead, who spilled it short.
Lafai tries to flick it away, loses it. No momentum in this game.
Brilliant defense from the Raiders. They kept turning up, and repelled the Dragons. Sezer takes a slips catch and they ruck it out.
AUSTIN IS AWAY.. Dufty cut him down and lost it. It was all in vain though, Austin knocked it on back at the line.
PENALTY DRAGONS! Lafai weaved through the defense, Raiders on the back foot. McInnes threw one right into the defender, easy penalty. Although it is a tough call.
Dragons opt for the two again, Widdop levels it up.
PENALTY DRAGONS! Late whistle after Sims threw the ball away.
for his action.. Rapana is sent to the bin.
RED NIGHTS.. NO TRY! It wasn't going to be a try, but it is a PENALTY Dragons.
BUNKER TIME! We have some issue in the chase here, Macdonald is pushed off it.
Dufty makes a courageous catch, snuck inside. PENALTY DRAGONS! Offside.
In front, two more.
Tapped, go TRY! Rapana saw the Dragons turned around and he sped away.
Dragons starting to find their rhythm but the kick is too deep. Penalty. Raiders.
Austin tries to cushion one in-goal, too big. Seven tackles for the Dragons.
Joey Leilua just snatches it right from Ah Mau. Then a PENALTY. Raiders right back in the red zone.
Widdop adds the two.
That is more Dragons footy! McInnes exploded through the gap, flicked it to De Belin, found Dufty who chipped it perfectly for Widdop to crash over.
Tariq Sims gets cutdown by Austin. Dragons lost their way on last, and Dufty is ragdolled over.
PENALTY DRAGONS! Shannon Boyd pinged for a high shot.
PENALTY DRAGONS! Raiders just rolled downfield there. Lelilua tried to flick one back inside from a deft kick, went forward into Austin. Offside.
Croker pilots it through.
PENALTY RAIDERS! They go for the two.
Sezer is hammered in a tackle, in the madness the Dragons lose it again.
Teams are back on, locked up at 10. Here we go, again.
Widdop amazingly, has a chance to send us to the half, level! He slots it.
Dufty tries to go down the line, gets cleaned out by Tapine. It bounced down to the thirty metre mark, Widdop points to the sticks.
Dragons opt to take the two, four points down. Widdop pilots it through.
PENALTY DRAGONS! The young fullback ducks and weaves through the defense, cut inside and caught high.
Hunt sprung to life this set - he almost sent Frizzell through then on last, he dabbed a kick in that ended in a dropout.
Leilua was folded up like an accordion in the tackle, loses it.
Dragons can't get anything going. Frizzell now has the ball dislodged.
Hunt hit the line well, turned it back inside as De Belin had it pop out.
Some miscommunication from Sezer and Whitehead, the forward spilled it.
PENALTY RAIDERS! Dragons done for a roll ball. JDB pinged.
PENALTY DRAGONS! Sims cuts through a gap, cut down well. Penalty on Boyd.
PENALTY DRAGONS! Nene with a tough run again, gets another penalty.
Croker from mid-range, converts.
GREEN LIGHTS.. TRY! No obstruction there, defensive decision from Sims. Leilua just strolled through it.
BUNKER TIME! Leilua strolls through, we're checking obstruction.
Dragons look on the move again, but they are brought back by a forward pass.
Easy two for Widdop.
Dragons hit back! Power run from Tariq Sims, who was inches from the line when he was tackled. McInnes throws it to a charging De Belin, who crashes over.
PENALTY DRAGONS! Huge carry from Macdonald, he earns the whistle. Dragons can breathe now.
They aim for an early kick, and Hunt just recovers the ball! Dragons need to do the dirty metes now.
Widdop just bombed a drop-out 70 metres, with a return from Rapana. Leilua tried to go down the short-side and dropped it.. referee called it back for a penalty.
Raiders have it on a string here! Sezer bent a kick between the posts, it rolled and rolled, but Widdop had to hammer it dead. Six more coming.
PENALTY RAIDERS! Another piggyback for the Raiders. Dragons just trying to find some rhythm.
Raiders full of energy! Wighton ran it on last, got through the line and angled it forward to Croker. Let off for the Saints.
PENALTY RAIDERS! Dragons are too enthusiastic in defense, Croker is headed backwards, looked to play it quick and got the whistle.
Hunt lofts a kick that he tumbled into the pack, Aitken is ruled to touch it first.
PENALTY DRAGONS! Vaughan angled back inside, catches the Raiders offside. Big chance for the red v now.
Croker with a tough assignment first up, he tried the reverse swing and it went left.
Nick Cotric was too big, too strong. The Raiders swung it right then he overpowered Nightingale to plant it down.
PENALTY RAIDERS! Offside. Set restarts.
Now it's the Raider's turn! Dufty spills a routine ball from the high bomb.
Dragons on fire early. Dufty burst into the gap then produced a lovely little flick to Widdop, who is taken. They lost their way on last and Lafai is caught with it. Raiders breath a sigh of relief.
Raiders lined up on halfway, here we go! Dragons with first use.
Glen Willow is looking like a picture! Here come the pencils, Raiders in their grey with green trim away jerseys head onto the oval! Here come the trumpets, here comes the fan fare and importantly, here come the Dragons, in the famous red v, onto the ground. Let's have some fun, as Vossy says.
Welcome to magnificent Mudgee! Home of Ken Sutcliffe, and today, top flight rugby league - competition leaders, St George Illawarra take on a turbulent Canberra Raiders side. Both teams are coming off losses, the Dragons against a rampaging Rabbitohs while stop me if you've heard this before, Raiders coughed up a lead against a patchwork Sharks side. So in the bright sunshine of Western NSW, we're in for a treat of rugby league! Join us! Kick-off is 2:05pm.
Referees & scorers:
Referee: Ashley Klein, Peter Gough
Touch Judges: Rickey McFarlane, Clayton Sharpe
Video Referee: Jared Maxwell, Ben Galea
ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS (25)
Tries: Jack de Belin, Gareth Widdop, Matthew Dufty
Field Goals: Gareth Widdop (1/1)
Conversions: Gareth Widdop (3/3)
Penalty Goals: Gareth Widdop (3/3)
CANBERRA RAIDERS (18)
Tries: Nick Cotric, Joseph Leilua, Jordan Rapana
Field Goals:
Conversions: Jarrod Croker (2/3)
Penalty Goals: Jarrod Croker (1/1)