Dragons edge out Titans - Sports News - Fanatics - the world's biggest events

Dragons edge out Titans

By Jim Morton 28/06/2008 07:44:33 PM Comments (0)

St George Illawarra have inflicted Gold Coast's first home defeat and extended their own NRL winning streak to six with a thrilling 26-22 triumph at Skilled Park.

The competition's cross-field kicking kings, the Dragons came from behind to grab the win with two second-half tries from bombs in front of a crowd of 26,453.

Titans winger Ben Jeffery spilt both high kicks under immense pressure as Chase Stanley and Michael Lett swooped to score.

Lett's try with just 12 minutes left gave the visitors a 24-22 lead and five-eighth Jamie Soward, who kicked five from five, converted from near touch.

Soward went metres from wrapping up the game moments later when Coast captain Preston Campbell fumbled near his line but the desperate defence held tight.

Jeffery had the chance to atone in the final three minutes but he was unable to leap above Lett on the Dragons line to score from a Mat Rogers cross kick.

In an enthralling finish to an entertaining match, Dragons prop Jason Ryles then lost the ball in his own quarter but a sloppy play-the-ball cost the depleted Titans the chance to pull off a great escape.

Both sides scored four tries in a clash where the momentum turned from one team to the other throughout.

St George Illawarra appeared to have all the run midway through the second half before Mat Rogers scored an intercept try for the Titans to regain the lead at 22-18.

Rogers outran opposite number Soward on a 30m sprint to the line after pouncing on a floating off-load by dynamic interchange forward Lagi Setu.

Setu was instrumental in the Dragons fightback from 8-0 down midway through the first half to grab the lead at 20-18 in the 56th minute with Stanley's try.

Despite coming into the match as underdogs, with four star players - Scott Prince, Anthony Laffranchi, Ashley Harrison (all on Origin duty) and Luke Bailey (broken ankle) - the Titans looked the far better side early.

They opened the scoring in the fourth minute thanks to a Jeffery try from a pin-point cross-field kick from Brad Davis, 26, who looked at home in just his second NRL start.

Both sides scored two tries apiece in the first half with the Titans holding their narrow lead courtesy of a penalty goal from Rogers who kicked all three wide attempts before the break but couldn't slot one in the second half.

The Coast looked like taking a bigger advantage into the break after centre Brett Delaney scored a late try from a Nathan Friend grubber that rebounded off Rangi Chase.

But the Dragons hit back just before halftime when winger Lett made a 70m burst following an attacking Coast chip.

Lett was run down by Jeffery but halfback Ben Hornby put Brett Morris over soon after and Jamie Soward converted.

Captain Hornby had latched on to a Setu off-load to cross for the visitors first try but it was shrouded in controversy.

The parochial crowd was ropeable that referee Bernard Sutton ruled a dubious knock back when Brett Morris dropped the ball cold moments before.

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