Saints soar with second half surge

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St George Illawarra Dragons v Dolphins

The St George Illawarra Dragons posted five unanswered tries to turn a halftime deficit into a 26-6 victory over the Dolphins on Sunday afternoon.

In a match where points were at a premium for the first 40 minutes, the Dragons grew in confidence with and without the ball after halftime to move back into the top eight for the first time since the opening round.

With neither side able to make a dent on the scoreboard during the opening quarter, the Dragons looked to break the deadlock midway through proceedings only for Mathew Feagai to put a foot on the sideline after strong defensive pressure by Trai Fuller and Herbie Farnworth.

With the scores still locked at 0-all heading into the final moments of the first half, the Dragons elected to add a penalty through Kyle Flanagan after knocking back the chance to do so earlier in the half.

The Dolphins capitalised on an error with seconds remaining in the half with Tesi Niu (39th minute) finishing off a right-side shift to send the visitors to the sheds leading 6-2 after Jamayne Isaako's successful conversion.

A try to Raymond Faitala-Mariner (46th minute) following the resumption of play levelled the scores at 6-all, while at the other end of the field the Dolphins were left to rue a missed opportunity when Connelly Lemuelu failed to adequately ground the ball over the try line.

The Dragons pushed further ahead with Christian Tuipulotu (53rd minute) scoring his first try in the Red V off a scrum and Tyrell Sloan (58th minute) supporting an offload to give the hosts a 16-6 buffer heading into the final quarter.

Proving just as effective without the ball by withstanding goal-line pressure following a well-executed 40/20 by Isaiya Katoa, a barge over effort by Jack de Belin (65th minute) sealed the result before Jacob Liddle (68th minute) swooped on a loose ball to the delight of 8,052 supporters braving the cold at Kogarah.

Next week, the Dragons will face the Roosters at Allianz Stadium on Sunday afternoon, while the Dolphins will have their final bye of the season.