A Mathew Feagai try on the very last play of the game saw the Dragons put a tumultuous week behind them and snap a six-game losing streak with a 24-22 victory over the Roosters.
Just three days on from the departure of former coach Anthony Griffin, the Dragons looked set to go unrewarded for a brave effort against the Roosters as they trailed 22-18 with seconds to go, before a Hail Mary bomb from Tyrell Sloan ended in Feagai crossing next to the posts and Zac Lomax kicking the Red V to victory after the siren.
A frantic final half hour saw the lead change four times, with the Dragons ultimately having final say.
Earlier the hosts raced out of the gates to lead 12-0 after 15 minutes thanks to a stunning 95-metres effort from Moses Suli and a Ben Hunt try, and they took a 14-point advantage into the final half hour before the Roosters mounted a spirited comeback to lead by two with six minutes to play.
The Dragons are fired up
Jaydn Su'A then scored to put the Dragons back in front, before James Tedesco hit back with his second try of the night to seemingly hand victory to the Roosters.
But the Dragons had other ideas, with Feagai claiming possession on the final throw of the dice to score and Lomax making no mistake on the conversion to win it.
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Match Snapshot
- The win was the Dragons' first since Round 5 and ended a six-game losing run.
- Brandon Smith (thumb) and Blake Lawrie (hand) failed to finish the match.
- The first half saw four players placed on report. Zac Lomax was cited for a dangerous tackle on 16 minutes, followed by Victor Radley for a possible headbutt in the ensuing melee. Six minutes later Lindsay Collins was put on report for a tackle on Ben Murdoch-Masila before Nathan Brown became the fourth for a high shot four minutes from half-time.
The Roosters are in again
- Dragons hooker Jacob Liddle underwent a HIA in the first half which he passed before returning to the field after the break.
- Prior to this game the Dragons had not defeated the Roosters outside of Anzac Day since the 2010 grand final.
- In his return to the NRL side, Lomax's accurate boot proved a key difference, while he also ran for 93 metres and made 16 tackles.
- Dragons captain Ben Hunt has now scored five tries in his past six games at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium.
Play of the Game
One of the moments of the season and one Mathew Feagai will never forget. A long-awaited reason to cheer for Dragons fans.
What a finish!
What They Said
"You can see that we're a team that's sort of fighting to find ourselves a little bit... you can see we are just not in our groove. I loved the second half, I enjoyed seeing them fight for it, work for it... lost it in the end, but it's where we're at." – Roosters coach Trent Robinson.
Roosters: Round 12
"I was just proud of how we kept going at the game all the way to the end. We had every right probably, after that disheartening last try Tedesco scored, to sort of say 'oh, here we go again' and be victims. I am just happy for the boys and everyone at the club. It's been a big week, everyone has been through a lot." – Dragons interim coach Ryan Carr.
Dragons: Round 12
What's Next
The Dragons are back in action on Thursday night when they travel to take on the Dolphins in Redcliffe. Given their mounting injury toll, the Roosters will welcome the bye in Round 13, with hopes Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Joey Manu and Daniel Tupou will be ready to return from injury for their clash against the Bulldogs in the first week of June.