Dragons Pathways Wrap: Rd 2

The Dragons SG Ball unit secured back-to-back wins to kick-off their 2024 campaign, downing the Sea Eagles 42-10 at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium on Saturday.

It took just four minutes for the hosts to open their account with damaging prop Ryan Hutchinson charging his way through from his own side of halfway before pulling off an artful, right-handed flick to a supporting Brandon Tikinau who found zippy No.1 Tyler Peckham-Harris for the clash’s opening points.

The Dragons improved their lead to a dozen 20 minutes in after Jacob Halangahu shrugged away from several defenders to send captain Shadi Hammoud into space. Despite being pulled down just shy of the line, Hammoud laid the platform for Tikinau to put a barnstorming Cyrus Stanley-Traill over.

Dragons centre Campbell Lyons was binned just shy of the half after spending too much time holding down the tackled player after making a try-saver, paving the way for opposite Alton Naiyep to grab the Sea Eagles’ first points and make the halftime score 12-4 with some late Dragons scramble preventing further points.

The hosts hit the ground running to kick off the second stanza with Angus Clark linking up with Tikinau to spark a fifth-tackle, short-side raid and send winger Zac Nachar over in the right corner.

A neat scrum play saw the speed of Peckham-Harris create an overlap down the left flank and lay on a try for winger Jesse Williams before another left-side shift moments later created some space for centre David Afu who bumped away from his opposite and hit Peckham-Harris with a flick back on the inside for his second.

The scoreline ballooned out to 30-4 soon after with Williams grabbing his second in near-identical fashion to his first and securing back-to-back try doubles to start the season.

Nachar joined his wing-partner with his own double 57 minutes in snaking his way through the line from a regulation hit-up from within his own half and swerving past the fullback for a superb, individual four-pointer.

The visitors grabbed another late via fullback Riley Burke before Hammoud took on the line and shrugged away from defenders to cap the win off with a try of his own.

The Steelers SG Ball side overcame a sloppy start to motor to an impressive 42-18 win over the Raiders in the nation’s capital behind a Hayden Buchanan triple.

Three Raiders tries in the opening 10 minutes saw them leap out to a 14-0 lead early before the Steelers were able to stop the bleeding via late inclusion Clay Baldock, who was the beneficiary of some sharp hands on his inside courtesy of No.7 Kade Reed and centre Charles Heidke.

Raiders centre Atini Tuialii crossed for his second moments later to see the lead grow back beyond a pair of converted tries for the hosts.

The Steelers managed to hit back prior to the break courtesy of a beautiful link-up between five-eighth Lyhkan King-Togia and Buchanan with the former conjuring up a one-handed offload from his own 20-metre line to send the latter zipping past multiple defenders and into the backfield for the side’s second try.

The visitors looked to the King-Togia and Buchanan combination again on the other side of halftime to eat into the deficit further with the centre pouring through a hole down the left edge to dive over after a sustained period of attack.

Unsurprisingly, it was another link-up between the Steelers dynamic duo – although this time in reverse – that put on the four-pointer that saw the side notch their first lead of the encounter.

A King-Togia cut-out sent Buchanan steaming into the backfield from within their own half before the skilled No.6’s support play was rewarded back up the middle as he raced away to score next to the sticks.

Having found success in the first half through the Reed-to-Heidke connection, the Steelers repeated the action 48 minutes in with the potent centre this time tucking it under to dive over himself and extend the visitors’ edge to eight.

An hour in, second rower Jarrah Treweek ripped possession away from the hosts thanks to a well-timed, one-on-one strip and immediately sent the ball left with King-Togia hitting Buchanan who put winger Tom Kirk over in the left corner for the Steelers’ sixth.

Buchanan secured his hat-trick soon after with King-Togia sending his hard-running centre over once more before skipper Daniel Meafou put the icing on the cake crashing through off some sharp Reed playmaking with several Raiders defenders left strewn across the turf in his wake.

TARSHA GALE CUP

The Dragons Tarsha Gale Cup team endured a tough loss at the hands of the Sea Eagles at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium falling 52-0.

The scoring started early for the visitors with a first-half Indiana Russell-Lia double making it 24-0 heading into the break before Krystal Weekes snagged a second-half hat-trick as the Sea Eagles ran out winners.

The Steelers Tarsha Gale Cup outfit made it two wins from their opening two finishing atop the Raiders 36-6 in Canberra on Saturday.

A hot start saw the Steelers jump out to an early 12-0 lead – it took just three minutes for Chelsea Savill to take advantage of an Ella Koster break and snag the contest’s opening points before Evie McGrath sent a charging Mia-Rose Walsh through a gap moments later for the side’s second.

The hosts hit back through No.9 Halle Constable soon after before Charlotte Basham stormed through back under a darting Savill to crash over for the Steelers’ answer minutes later and make it 18-6.

McGrath dummied and juked her way through some flimsy Raiders defence down the right edge to make it four Steelers tries within the opening 20 minutes and improve the advantage to 18.

A McGrath short ball opened up space for workhorse front rower Hope Millard to cross as the visitors hit the 30-point mark prior to the break.

The second stanza proved a tighter one with Koster taking in a Kasey Reh inside ball and swerving her way past the fullback to dive over under the posts for the half’s only try as Savill added the extras to remain perfect on the day.

HAROLD MATTHEWS CUP

A disappointing outing saw the Dragons Harold Matthews Cup group fall to the Sea Eagles 26-6 at Kogarah on Saturday.

The visitors got off to a flier with a trio of tries in the opening 15 minutes propelling them to a 16-0 halftime lead which grew courtesy of tries to Kaleb Serafin and Cooper Elkins.

Dragons front rower Willie Hehea crossed late to get the Dragons on the board and disrupt an otherwise Sea Eagles-dominant outing.

LISA FIAOLA CUP

The Sea Eagles were too strong for the Dragons Lisa Fiaola Cup squad running out 46-6 at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium on Saturday.

The visitors crossed in the opening minute via dummy-half Olivia Saley and did not look back snagging another four opening-half tries to take a 26-point advantage into the sheds.

Dragons centre Carolina Cook notched the side’s first try of the year just shy of the hour-mark before the Sea Eagles grabbed some more points to end the encounter on a high.

The Steelers Lisa Fiaola Cup outfit made it back-to-back nail-biting victories to start the season holding off the Central Coast Roosters 12-10 in wet conditions up north on Saturday.

The visitors jumped out to an 8-0 lead early in the piece with winger Maddalyn Bullock and centre Halle Barrett snagging four-pointers in the opening 15 minutes before Roosters back rower Grace Dabin answered on the stroke of halftime to cut the deficit to two.

The Steelers crossed through lock Michala Hardy in the first set of the second half to earn a six-point buffer.

Roosters fullback Mia Vaotuua came up with a four-pointer on the three-quarter mark, but a blown conversion saw the Steelers hold onto a two-point advantage.

The hosts threatened to steal it at the death but sustained effort and scramble on the defensive end – epitomised by diminutive fullback Kiara Kostovski – saw the Steelers hold on for a hard-fought win to remain undefeated on the year.

LAURIE DALEY CUP

It was a tough outing for the defending premier ISC Dragons going down to Monaro Colts 38-12 in the Laurie Daley Cup in Canberra on Sunday.

After conceding a pair of tries in the opening five minutes, the ISC Dragons were on the back foot early but wrestled back some momentum via a Dreau Clark try nine minutes in.

A JJ Mau Pohiva try on the stroke of the half saw the Colts improve their lead back beyond a converted try heading into the sheds before Brodie Breakspear crossed on the other side of the break to cut the deficit back to just two for the visitors.

Unfortunately, the fightback ended soon after for the ISC Dragons with the hosts pouring on four tries in a little over 20 minutes to seal a 26-point victory.

ANDREW JOHNS CUP

The ISC Dragons Andrew Johns Cup unit came away with their opening win of the new season taking down the Monaro Colts 26-14 on Sunday.

First-half four-pointers to Ashton Sommers, Denzel Amone, and Phoenix Johns saw the ISC Dragons leap out to a 16-8 halftime lead which shrunk to just two on the other side of the break courtesy of a try to Colts centre Tyler Stonham.

The ISC Dragons snagged a pair of tries – one to Cooper Morrison and one to Brian Bell – in as many minutes to propel them to an ultimately insurmountable 12-point lead.