St George Illawarra have maintained their place at the top of the NRL table with a comprehensive 30-12 win over Newcastle.
The Dragons maintained their perfect start to 2018 in Wollongong on Sunday, running in five tries to two as they outclassed the much-improved Knights.
St George Illawarra have now won their opening four matches for the first time in the club’s history. It was a perfect afternoon for the Dragons who turned on a professional performance in front of almost 19,000 fans on a picturesque Easter Sunday.
Newcastle had the lead after just three minutes when Kalyn Ponga sliced through to set up Tautau Moga. But the advantage would come at a cost for the Knights with Moga suffering what looked to be a potentially serious knee injury.
The Dragons hit back shortly after and scooted out to an 18-6 lead with three tries in nine minutes. Former Knight Tariq Sims barged over for the first before Nene Macdonald finished off a swift shift to the left to touch down in the corner.
Euan Aitken scored midway through the half to give St George Illawarra their 12-point advantage before the Knights hit back with a lovely set play. Mitchell Pearce showed excellent composure to hold the ball up and drag James Graham out of the defensive line before putting Chris Heighington through a yawning gap to score next to the posts.
A Gareth Widdop penalty goal five minutes before half-time gave the hosts a 20-12 lead at the break before Leeson Ah Mau extended the advantage 12 minutes into the second half.
Macdonald scored his second try five minutes later to all but seal the result, touching down in the corner from a precise Ben Hunt grubber kick.
The Dragons, unbeaten after four rounds and top of the table, host traditional rivals South Sydney at Jubilee Oval, Kogarah on Friday night.
Leader Scoreboard
St George Illawarra Dragons 30 (Nene Macdonald two, Tariq Sims, Euan Aitken, Leeson Ah Mau tries. Gareth Widdop five goals)
defeated
Newcastle Knights 12 (Tautau Moga, Chris Heighington tries. Kalyn Ponga two goals)
at WIN Stadium, Wollongong
Crowd: 18,589
Leader man of the match: Tyson Frizell (Dragons)
Dragons’ next three: Rabbitohs (home – Kogarah), Sharks (home – Wollongong), Warriors (away)