The St. George Illawarra Dragons have broken the Wests Tigers’ two-match winning streak with a tight fought 12-6 victory in Wollongong.
Wests Tigers led 2-0 at the break but were unable to convert their slender halftime lead as the Dragons posted two second-half tries to win.
Both teams squandered chances in a tight opening twenty minutes, with James Tamou almost bursting through the line on multiple occasions.
Tariq Sims had the home side’s best opportunity of the opening half but a desperate defensive effort from Starford To’a forced the ball loose.
Kelma Tuilagi nearly scored his first try of the season with a spectacular aerial effort, but lost the ball upon grounding. He was adjudged to be tackled in the air and Jackson Hastings broke the deadlock with a penalty goal.
Wests Tigers maintained their two-point lead for the remainder of a tryless first half.
Dragons fans had to wait until the 56th minute to see their side post their first points, with Ben Hunt stepping past the defensive line to score.
Jayden Sullivan then extended the hosts’ lead with a four-pointer in his first match of the season.
With time ticking down, Luke Brooks crashed over to keep his side within touching distance of the lead, but the visitors couldn’t capitalise on a late opportunity to tie the match.
Despite the loss, there were several strong performances across the park for Wests Tigers.
Alex Twal, David Nofoaluma and Luciano Leilua both ran for over 160 metres, while Luke Brooks constantly threatened the line with his running game, finishing with two line breaks.
Michael Maguire and his side will now turn their attention to next Saturday’s clash with Manly at 4 Pines Park.
