Chalk Toowoomba up as a home away from home for St George Illawarra.
The Dragons continued their unblemished start to 2018 with a comprehensive 54-8 win over a poor Gold Coast side on Sunday, the club’s biggest win since 2004.
St George Illawarra ran in nine tries to one to remain top of the NRL table after wins in their opening three rounds.
Gareth Widdop was masterful. Matt Dufty exciting. The Dragons’ forward pack ferocious.
Titans five-eighth Kane Elgey dropped the opening kick-off. It set the tone for the Gold Coast’s afternoon. The Dragons opened the scoring from their first set when Dufty strolled through to touch down.
A Widdop penalty goal extended the lead to 8-0 before the Titans hit back. A well-worked play saw Ash Taylor find Michael Gordon with a slick inside pass.
Gordon’s own penalty goal leveled the scores before another Widdop two-pointer re-established St George Illawarra’s lead.
Tim Lafai crossed for his first try before Dufty scored a second just after the half hour mark. Not to be outdone, Lafai had a second a minute later to give the Dragons a 26-8 lead at half-time.
The Gold Coast were given a sniff when Jack de Belin was sent to the sin bin five minutes into the second half for holding onto a tackle too long after Dufty had made a rare mistake in dropping a high kick.
Not that it harmed St George Illawarra’s charge, a Widdop penalty goal and a Nene Macdonald try out wide extended the Dragons’ lead to 32-8 with de Belin off the field.
They were in front 36-8 before the hour mark when Widdop got tired of creating tries for his teammates to score his own on the back of a Ben Hunt break and kick.
Paul Vaughan crossed inside the final 10 minutes before Dufty completed his hat-trick late on from a break and early Widdop kick inside his own half. Lafai then completed his own hat-trick with a minute to go to complete the rout.
The Dragons have been here before. They led the competition after seven rounds last season before wilting badly to miss the finals. You get the sense this St George Illawarra team is different with the inclusions of Hunt and James Graham.
You expect the Saints to go marching on.
Leader Scoreboard
St George Illawarra Dragons 54 (Matt Dufty three, Tim Lafai three, Nene Macdonald, Gareth Widdop, Paul Vaughan tries. Gareth Widdop nine goals)
defeated
Gold Coast Titans 8 (Michael Gordon try. Michael Gordon two goals)
at Clive Berghofer Stadium, Toowoomba
Crowd: 7,297
Leader man of the match: Gareth Widdop (Dragons)
Dragons’ next three: Knights (home – Wollongong), Rabbitohs (home – Kogarah), Sharks (home – Wollongong)
