The Dragons went down to the Sea Eagles 30-14 at a sunbathed 4 Pines Park on Sunday afternoon.
A full house packed into 4 Pines Park to celebrate the NRL's annual Beanie for Brain Cancer Round and help raise money for brain cancer research along with the Mark Hughes Foundation.
The Red V lost Moses Suli to a hamstring complaint prior to kick-off with Mathew Feagai shifting into the centres and Christian Tuipulotu promoted to the run-on side.
The Sea Eagles lost a trio of players – Taniela Paseka, Toafofoa Sipley, and Reuben Garrick – to match-ending injuries in the first forty but it did little to slow the hosts down who scored five of the contest’s final six four-pointers to run out victors.
Match: Sea Eagles v Dragons
Round 15 -
home Team
Sea Eagles
7th Position
away Team
Dragons
10th Position
Venue: 4 Pines Park, Sydney
The Dragons were gifted an early opportunity courtesy of a yardage penalty with an unfriendly bounce all that prevented Zac Lomax from pouncing on a Ben Hunt grubber.
The hosts instead took advantage of a penalty of their own the following set to grab the first points of the contest through fullback Lehi Hopoate.
Paseka was taken from the field in the aftermath of the try with a suspected thumb issue.
It did not take the Dragons long to respond with a bungled Sea Eagles dropout landing in the waiting arms of Jacob Liddle who dove over to tie proceedings at four-apiece.
A trio of midfield offloads created space down the left-hand corridor for the visitors the following set with Hunt finding a charging Luciano Leilua who summed things up and moved the ball back inside to a supporting Kyle Flanagan for the side’s second.
Lomax added the extras to put the Red V up 10-4 just 15 minutes into the contest.
Sipley joined his starting front row partner on the sideline following the try due to a knee concern with Garrick also exiting the field for a HIA which he was able to pass.
The Sea Eagles took advantage of a Dragons error to snag their second of the afternoon through Haumole Olakau’atu despite Flanagan being bumped off his course by a lead-runner.
Cherry-Evans took over goal-kicking duties with Garrick still off the field but had his attempt waved away as the Dragons remained two points ahead.
A shrewd piece of Flanagan urgency saw the five-eighth wrestle possession back the way of the visitors with Hunt held up over the line off the back of it.
Tuipulotu was put on report for a high shot on Garrick the following set with the Sea Eagles centre ruled out for the remainder of the game after displaying category one concussion symptoms.
The Dragons could not put a Hunt 40/20 to use early in the second stanza with the Sea Eagles hitting the lead through a Luke Brooks four-pointer off a Karl Lawton break.
The visitors hit back moments later via Lomax who took in a looping Hunt cut-out to step his way past the cover in the right corner and tie things at 14.
The seesawing nature of the affair continued soon after with Hopoate bursting into the backfield to send Ben Trbojevic over in the right corner and put the Sea Eagles back ahead.
Olakau’atu was placed on report an hour in for a high shot on Flanagan with the Dragons five-eighth taken from the field for a HIA which he passed.
NRL Round 15 Highlights: Sea Eagles vs Dragons
Jake Trbojevic extended the Sea Eagles’ lead off a Cherry-Evans grubber with less than a quarter of the game remaining.
Video officials denied Lomax his second soon after with the Dragons winger ruled to have knocked the ball on mid-air off a Hunt kick.
Jason Saab continued the scoring for the hosts off another Cherry-Evans kick before the Sea Eagles skipper missed a late penalty goal as his side came away with a 16-point win.
