Dragons go from 'challenger to pretender'

St George Illawarra's play is officially connected beingness enactment aft going down to Penrith 34-16 contiguous astatine Suncorp Stadium.

Needing a triumph to compression into the apical eight, the Dragons dominated the opening 15 minutes of the crippled by owning 73 per cent of possession arsenic Penrith struggled to clasp connected to the shot with 3 aboriginal errors.

But contempt the aboriginal dominance, the Dragons couldn't find a mode to people arsenic Penrith winger Brent Naden produced a infinitesimal of idiosyncratic brilliance to flip the momentum by picking disconnected a Corey Norman cut-out walk to spell connected a 90-metre tally for the opening try.

Naden's stunning intercept try

The Dragons did find a mode to respond lone minutes aboriginal done Mikaele Ravalawa, but Penrith answered with back-to-back tries to extremity the fractional connected a tally and instrumentality a commanding pb they would not relinquish for the remainder of the contest.

St George Illawarra's inability to support up with the Panthers led to immoderate stinging disapproval from Fox League commentator Andrew Voss, who suggested the club's caller tally of mediocre signifier has been the effect of the infamous amerciable location enactment hosted by erstwhile subordinate Paul Vaughan, successful which 12 existent players were deed with fines and suspension.

Dragons look connected during the circular 22 NRL lucifer betwixt the St George Illawarra Dragons and the Penrith Panthers astatine Suncorp Stadium, connected August 13, 2021, successful Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images) (Getty)

"I hatred to say, but they haven't won a crippled since the infamous barbeque," Andrew Voss said successful commentary for Fox League.

"The play derail volition beryllium the cognition of many, from challenger to implicit pretender."

Heading into tonight's clash, the Dragons were placed successful the 11th spot connected the NRL ladder sitting 1 triumph extracurricular of the apical eight.

Meanwhile, tonight's triumph for Penrith keeps their hopes live of claiming the insignificant premiership.

And successful different affirmative for Penrith, prima playmaker Nathan Cleary, who played his archetypal crippled for Penrith since Round 15, made it done unscathed aft returning from a enarthrosis injury.

Nathan Cleary of the Panther runs the shot during the circular 22 NRL lucifer betwixt the St George Illawarra Dragons and the Penrith Panthers astatine Suncorp Stadium, connected August 13, 2021, successful Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images) (Getty)

"It's (shoulder) a spot sore, but it feels truly good. Good assurance conscionable to get retired there, the boys looked aft me," Cleary told Fox League aft the game

"I'm grateful to beryllium back, it was precise scrappy and not the crippled I oregon the squad wanted to play, but it's bully to beryllium back.

"It felt a batch better, it was much getting reps successful astatine training. I thought I had done each the spot enactment I needed, which I was continuing to bash this week.

"I made a fewer tackles with the close enarthrosis aboriginal connected and it felt truly good. It gave maine assurance and from determination I was successful the game."

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