Well that’s the 2018 NRL season off and running with a convincing win for the Dragons.
Thanks for your company tonight. See you next time.
Final thoughts
I didn’t see that coming. Not the result so much as the margin. The Broncos were very ordinary tonight. They made a host of errors and their attack lacked a lot of cohesion, which is to be expected to some degree early in the season. One game is hardly a good sample, but it looks as if Hunt is a big loss, especially with Nikorima lacking experience in the 7, and McCullough lacking fitness. Thaiday at hooker backfired massively.
The Dragons made their own share of mistakes but they overcame them with more enterprise in attack, and on that front Widdop and Hunt showed great promise. Hunt will improve the team this year and he did well tonight, without being exceptional. He’ll be delighted to get one over his old team and to do that while scoring a try.
Matt Lodge, the villain of the week, had a night to forget.
Updated
Full-time: Dragons 34-12 Broncos
It’s all over. A crushing win to the Dragons who are now, cough, on top of the table.
80 min: Kahu tries in vain to bust the Dragons’ right side defence but they smother him.
Try! Dragons 34-12 Broncos (Nightingale 78 min)
Try it is! Nightingale’s boot was awfully close to the sideline in the lead-up but he was clearly in the field of play. He’s lucky with that put down, after his head made significant contact with the ground while his entire body was upended.
Widdop misses his first kick of the night from the right touchline.
Updated
78 min: Graham runs hard onto a short ball from Hunt. He’s pushed backwards but from the next play the Dragons shift it right and Widdop throws a cut-out ball across Aitken to Nightingale. The veteran winger tip-toes next to the sideline before he launches himself at the line with the cover defence looming. Nightingale appears to touch down before landing headfirst on the turf. We go upstairs...
76 min: As Nikorima knocks down a Hunt pass Su’a is penalised for a shoulder charge, off the ball, on Vaughan. Su’a goes on report as Vaughan appears to lose his halftime oranges. The Dragons, 20m out, will eschew the possible two points to run the ball and stick the knife in.
75 min: Hunt kicks deep and there are some tired hit-ups from the Broncos who know this game is lost.
Conversion! Dragons 30-12 Broncos (Widdop 74 min)
Another easy one for Widdop who hasn’t missed tonight.
Try! Dragons 28-12 Broncos (de Belin 73 min)
That’s the game! From 10m out, de Belin catches a McInnes dummy half pass and beats Pangai and Lodge from a standing start to crash over. Great strength despite the cutting of his beard over the off-season. He’s now sporting a kind of Green Arrow mo-chin hair combo.
71 min: Roberts struggles to play the ball 30m out from the Dragons’ line. I missed the cause of his injury but play goes on.
And Dufty, positioned well, plucks a Milford grubber out of the air right in front of his posts, and he makes 10 precious metres. I like the cut of Dufty’s jib. He’s a keeper, I reckon.
70 min: After another dropped ball by the Broncos it’s the Dragons back on the attack. Here’s Hunt trying to take advantage of a high defensive line with an early kick. The Dragons outside backs have a run at it but there’s too much on the kick and it runs dead.
69 min: On the las,t Hunt finds himself right in front of the posts with the defence hanging off him. He attempts a field goal and it rebounds off the left post and is caught by a Bronco. He really should have nailed that. He may have been surprised by the time he was given.
68 min: In the Broncos’ eagerness to get another one a poor offload in midfield goes straight to a Dragon. Now the Red and Whites attack from good field position.
Conversion! Dragons 24-12 Broncos (Kahu 67 min)
To the right of the uprights Kahu makes the deficit 12 points. Not over by a long shot, this game.
Try! Dragons 24-10 Broncos (Roberts 67 min)
The Broncos spin it right from midfield and Nikorima finds Boyd who hits Roberts running a clever inside line. He leaves Macdonald in his wake and runs in his second try of the night. Still time.
66 min: Widdop is called for a strip and the resulting penalty gives the Broncos a set from 30m out.
63 min: The Broncos will be doing very well to get out of this one. Especially with the kind of jarring defence the Dragons are putting together as the Broncos struggle to get out of their own half.
Conversion! Dragons 24-6 Broncos (Widdop 62 min)
Not the most reliable of goalkickers Widdop says Pah! and converts from the right touchline.
Try! Dragons 22-6 Broncos (Aitken 61 min)
From inside the Broncos’ 20m, the Dragons play the ball near the left wing and spread it right. Hunt catches midfield then passes on to Widdop. He throws a beautiful long ball, past a stranded Kahu, to Aitken on the fly. He has Nightingale outside him as Oates approaches and for a moment you think he’s butchered it by not passing, but he frees his arms from the tackle and touches down!
59 min: Milford undoes a good Broncos set when his attacking kick from a good position powers straight over the deadline like it had a bus to catch.
Penalty goal! Dragons 18-6 Brisbane (Widdop 58 min)
From 20m out, a little to the right, Widdop gives the Dragons a 12-point lead.
55 min: The Broncos get so, so close! On the last Nikorima kicks in behind and the ball bobbles tantalisingly in the in-goal. Roberts appears to dive OVER the ball before it crosses the deadball line. Then, in frustration, he knocks the ball from the hands of Dufty as the Dragons fullback raced forward to take the 20m tap. Penalty.
And here’s a piggy back penalty from kicking range.
53 min: That’s a coach killer. Ah Mau knocks on on his own 30m line, just as the Dragons regained the upper hand.
Conversion! Dragons 16-6 Broncos (Widdop 52 min)
From straight in front Widdop makes no mistake.
Try! Dragons 14-6 Broncos (Hunt 51 min)
Lodge, on the halfway line, shapes left and throws a pass straight into the arms of Ben Hunt, who snaffles it from the arms of Milford! He runs 50m to score under the posts! And there’s none of that EPL business where a player refrains from celebrating a score against his old team. Hunt kicks the ball out of the stadium in delight.
49 min: Could be a big momentum changer, that, as Macdonald sticks his head over the halfway line on the fourth. A Hunt bomb then goes straight up in the air. It bounces, Vaughan catches, and he’s ruled offside.
Try! Dragons 10-6 Broncos (Roberts 46 min)
Roberts, at pace, gets on the outside of Lafai and he offloads to Isaako. Nearing the juncture of the tryline and sideline, Isaako is tackled well by Widdop but he manages to flick the ball back inside to Roberts who has no-one in front of him. He dives over to score! That was a costly error by Nightingale.
Kahu misses with the sideline conversion.
43 min: An ordinary dummy half kick from Milford gifts the Dragons possession and they’re into Broncos’ territory with five up their sleeves. Ah, but Lafai gets on the outside of Roberts and attempts a flick pass to Macdonald. Besides the fact that Macdonald had no room to move the pass bounces over the sideline. There was no need to attempt that.
From their next set Milford bombs to Nightingale and despite being under no pressure he drops it inside his own 20m. It looked like he was reaching for the sideline with a boot in order for the kick to be called out on the full had he caught it.
42 min: The Dragons are making some encouraging inroads, and here’s a great bumping run by Tariq Sims. You can hear the fleshy slap as three tacklers try to halt his run.
Laurie Daley in commentary believes the Broncos are underdone, a number of their key players having played little pre-season footy.
Peeeep!
41 min: A deep kick off is caught by Ofahengaue and he runs into the defence without even squeezing the brakes once.
The players are running back on. Hard to pick this one. I’ll put the kiss of death on the Dragons are predict them to hang on. To state the obvious the team that cuts out the errors will win.
Half-time: Dragons 10-2 Broncos
A pretty ungainly half of footy to be honest but the Dragons warmed to the task and have made fewer errors than the Broncos. They take a deserved lead into the sheds.
40 min: Widdop, running down the centre of the field, sets sail for the line after he catches the ball which was kicked back inside from Hunt, who was out on the right edge. And just as Widdop dives over to score the whistle blows! Widdop was ahead of Hunt and was correctly called offside. Poor execution just cost the Dragons a try on the halftime siren.
39 min: Aitken gets close on the right with a bullish burrow for the line. On the last Widdop grubbers across field and between the posts and the Broncos are again forced to knock it dead. Another drop out.
37 min: An inside pass from Widdop puts Dufty into space and he cuts straight through like a blistering vindaloo before banking right as Boyd approaches. He links with Aitken 30m out and he might have passed on to Nightingale but instead steps inside and is wrapped up. Next play Hunt grubbers and the Broncos are forced to bat the ball dead. Drop out.
Updated
36 min: Milford puts the ball down on the Dragons’ 30m. That could have been a Widdop strip but Milford gets no relief from the refs. Another error in a messy season opener.
34 min: Isaako makes an error and the Dragons pounce on it and find themselves on the attack inside the Broncos’ 10m. A tactical penalty is conceded and the Dragons have six more. Lafai nearly skips through on the left before trying a flick pass to Macdonald which is batted down. Six more to the Dragons!
Oh dear. The Dragons then run a left-side sweep play and Dufty is called for a shepherd as he runs behind the decoy runner. Fair call too. Poor execution from St George Illawarra.
33 min: That try went to the bunker, I should have said. Or is it redundant to say that these days. When do possible tries not go to the bunker?
Vision of the @NRL_Dragons Try Decision in the 29th minute of #NRLDragonsBroncos. #NRL pic.twitter.com/JvkbhfXsj4
— NRL Bunker (@NRLBunker) March 8, 2018
Conversion! Dragons 10-2 Broncos (Widdop 31m)
From adjacent to the posts Widdop makes no mistake. The Dragons will be well pleased to establish an eight point lead when they’ve looked pretty average so far. But then so have the Broncos.
Try! Dragons 8-2 Broncos (Frizell 30 min)
Yes he did! A great effort to hold off Milford and touch down under immense pressure.
Updated
30 min: McInnes goes so close to diving over from dummy half. The next play Hunt, from dummy half, grubbers in behind and Milford and Frizell race to get their first. Did Frizell get their first?
27 min: Oates knocks on right in front of his own posts. This will be the Dragons’ first set inside the Broncos’ 20m this half. So far the Dragons’ attack has looked as rusty as a Bondi gate.
25 min: A full set for the Broncos close in ... and what a huge tackle from Aitken on Kahu! The Broncos went left again and Aitken got on the inside of Kahu and hit him amidships, driving him to the sideline. Kahu lost his grip on the ball during the tackle giving Aitken full reward for his effort.
23 min: McInnes doing his usual tackle-happy thing as the Broncos work the ball downfield. Milford then bombs but the Dragons can’t pull it in and the Broncos get to make a second kick. Lafai then dives on the wobbly ball a metre out for his line and he’s called for a knock on which didn’t seem at all obvious to me.
20 min: The Broncos attack the Dragons at pace and swing the ball left inside the Dragons’ 10m. Milford squares them up before passing to Boyd who draws Hunt and passes out to Oates who dives over in the corner! That’d be a try but for the fact that the Boyd pass was ruled forward.
On replay, I think they got that one right. Dragons got lucky there.
19 min: MIlford kicks on the last and Nightingale retrieves the ball, jinking this way and that for effect before he’s tackled solidly 10m out from his own line. McInnes then scoots from dummy half and his fine run allows the Dragons to clear the ball all the way down to the Broncos’ posts.
Ouch! Oates running the ball back is caught high by Frizell. Penalty.
18 min: McCullough looks like he’s readying himself for action. Thaiday hasn’t exactly excelled with his distribution to date.
Penalty goal! Dragons 4-2 Broncos (Widdop 17m)
Nice big crowd on the hill cheering that one home.
14 min: Bleedin’ ’eck. Vaughan drops it as he gets up to play the ball 15m out, with three tackles up the Dragons’ sleeve. On replay Darius Boyd clearly gave the ball a nudge but it went unseen by the officials.
But now Lodge drops it, and he gets a Bronx cheer from the crowd. That’s the Broncos’ third error. This one is a little, pre-seasony messy at the moment.
Broncos offside defending their line. Widdop will go for another two points. Would have been nice to see the Dragons go for a try here; just 10m out, a full set up their inked sleeve tattoo.
Updated
14 min: Lodge catches Graham with a high shot and the penalty sees the Dragons enter the Broncos’ 40m.
Penalty goal! Dragons 2-2 Broncos (Widdop 13 min)
Easy as you like.
11 min: Thaiday fumbles the ball under pressure from de Belin and Graham. Frustrated with himself and the rising cost of living he tosses the ball at Graham and the two grab each others’ collars and share their respective thoughts on the collected works of Delta Goodrem.
Now the Broncos give away a penalty close to their sticks and Widdop will go for two.
Penalty goal! Dragons 0-2 Broncos (Kahu 9 min)
Kahu has been first try-scorer in the past two seasons. Now he’s the first point scorer in 2018.
6 min: Nikorima bombs on the last and the Dragons let it bounce. But it doesn’t come back to haunt them. In the next set, Pangai reefs the ball from Graham’s arms and now the Broncos are in great position to opening the scoring.
Under pressure the Dragons give away a penalty and the Broncos decide to take a shot for two. Fifteen metres out, right in front.
5 min: On the Broncos’ 30m, the Dragons are pulled up for a forward pass when the ball flies through the hands of Lafai to Macdonald. But Macdonald was about two metres behind Lafai so if you can work that one out let me know.
3 min: The Broncos are offloading enthusiastically but on the last Thaiday rifles a ball to Pangai Jnr and he spills it. I suspect Thaiday was trying to pass that across Pangai Jnr to the outside men. Working the ball out from their own 20m the Dragons are rewarded with a penalty.
2 min: Lodge’s first touch and he’s met by Frizell who is penalised for a shoulder charge. A coincidence, I’m sure. Broncos start their set just inside the Dragons’ half.
Peeeep!
1 min: And it’s the Broncos kicking off the 2018 season, with Paul Vaughan taking the first hit up.
James Campbell writes in from Amsterdam, and if he was here with me now I’d clap him on the back and thank him for contributing. “Has Locky really had a transplant?” he asks, the alarm evident in his Helvetica. “And kudos for not mentioning [Matt] Lodge in the preview,” he continues. “To me that’s an issue that should have been discussed 15 months ago when the Broncos signed him. The hysteria from AFL-captured media has been ridiculous.”
I did steer clear of Hodge, figuring it’s been covered in detail already, but now that you bring it up I’m not a fan of him playing again in the NRL. I agree, however, that this should have been covered earlier but then again many of the more alarming details of Lodge’s assault only emerged quite recently.
Anyway, the players are finally making their way onto the ground. Former Dragon Darius Boyd leads the Broncos out. And here come the Dragons. The ever lugubrious Gareth Widdop leads out the home team. ‘When the Saints Go Marching In’ rings out around the ground.
Looking good out there. We’ll be kicking off shortly.
@NRL_Dragons #Redv #NRLDragonsBroncos pic.twitter.com/hLpRupGvWX
— Jimmy stavrianos (@Jstavrianos) March 8, 2018
Keen readers who don’t miss a trick will have noticed I had another crack at the team lists put up earlier. McCullough, coming back from injury, is being eased into things and will start off the bench. This means Pangai Jnr will start and Sam Thaiday will start at hooker. Hooker!
You want stats? I’ve got stats! The Broncos have won 12 or their past 13 against the Dragons. The Dragons have won six of their past seven at Kogarah. And Wayne Bennett, who steered the Dragons to a drought-breaking premiership in 2010, has been a pretty decent coach over the years.
#NRLDragonsBroncos Boom! The right hand column!!!! pic.twitter.com/WwBGrdebVK
— CoreyH (@Cosaroo) March 8, 2018
Some strange sights out there tonight. James Graham in red and white. Hunt in red and white. Darren Lockyer with hair. He’s had a busy summer.
Locky’s favourites three words atm “just for men” #NRLDragonsBroncos pic.twitter.com/GMRzqcxkhu
— Dylan McDylanFace (@DylanMatthews91) March 8, 2018
For the fans, the best (and worst) thing about this time of year is the hope — and it’s ripe on the trees at the moment. Both of tonight’s teams, for instance, will have taken a look around their respective change sheds and fancied themselves capable of playing finals football.
The home team, St George Illawarra, have made a couple of significant off-season purchases in Ben Hunt and James Graham. Considering they finished ninth last year (after an embarrassing last game capitulation against Canterbury that allowed the Cowboys to leap-frog them into eighth) the Dragons will be hoping this quality duo gets them over the line this time round. Hunt —playing against his old team tonight — is a great addition to the Dragons. It’s been a long time since the Dragons have had a stable (looking), specialist halfback in their ranks.
He should complement Gareth Widdop (as long as Widdop does the organising and Hunt the running) and at the same time take some pressure off the quality English five-eighth who had an excellent 2017. The Dragons have lost good players in Josh Dugan and Russell Packer but Graham is, theoretically, a step up from Packer due to his ball-playing ability. It’s just the miles on his odometer that give me pause.
Coach Paul McGregor has said this is the best roster he’s had at the Dragons so there will be plenty of pressure on him to get the red-and-whites to the finals for just the second time in seven years.
The Broncos are always there or thereabouts but for all their accomplishments, advantages and money (and they’ve just moved into a swish, redeveloped Red Hill facility) it’s easy to forget they haven’t won a title since 2006. Wayne ‘Midas’ Bennett was brought back last season to change that fact. And he got close. But the Broncos fell in the preliminary final and they fell hard, thumped 30-0 by eventual premiers, Melbourne Storm, at AAMI Park.
What can Bennett do to get his team to this year’s decider? Much will depend on new recruit Jack Bird (not playing tonight) and how well the side copes with the loss of Hunt. Anthony Milford and Kodi Nikorima will be tasked with orchestrating the side’s points, and Andrew McCullough, returning from injury, will have a weight on his shoulders at hooker. Adam Blair (now with Warriors) is also a big loss.
Teams
Dragons
18 Matthew Dufty, 2 Nene Macdonald, 3 Euan Aitken, 4 Tim Lafai, 5 Jason Nightingale, 6 Gareth Widdop (c), 7 Ben Hunt, 8 James Graham, 9 Cameron McInnes, 10 Paul Vaughan, 11 Tyson Frizell, 12 Tariq Sims, 13 Jack De Belin
Interchange: 14 Luciano Leilua, 15 Kurt Mann, 16 Leeson Ah Mau, 17 Hame Sele
Reserves: 19 Jeremy Latimore, 20 Zac Lomax, 21 Blake Lawrie, 22 Joshua Kerr
Broncos
1 Darius Boyd (c), 2 Corey Oates, 3 James Roberts, 4 Jordan Kahu, 5 Jamayne Isaako, 6 Anthony Milford, 7 Kodi Nikorima, 8 Matthew Lodge, 9 Andrew McCullough, 10 Sam Thaiday, 11 Alex Glenn, 12 Matt Gillett, 13 Josh McGuire
Interchange: 14 Tevita Pangai Jnr, 15 Joe Ofahengaue, 16 Korbin Sims, 17 Jaydn Su’a
Reserves: 18 Tom Opacic, 19 Sam Tagataese, 20 Jonus Pearson, 21 George Fai
Match officials: Main referee: Matt Cecchin, Assistant referee: Alan Shortall, Sideline officials: Nick Beashel and David Munro.
As you can see, Dufty will be wearing No.18 tonight. The No.1 jersey has been ‘retired’ for this game to mark the recent passing the St George and Australia great Graeme Langlands.
See more of Graeme Langlands' greatest moments at tomorrow night's public tribute, 6.45pm at Jubilee Oval, prior to team warm-ups and kick-off. pic.twitter.com/poVlD5ipDI
— The Dragons (@NRL_Dragons) March 7, 2018
It's time!
Five months since the Melbourne Storm swept to victory in the 2017 NRL grand final it’s time to get the ball rolling (as long as it’s played properly, mind) on the 2018 season with the St George Illawarra Dragons hosting the Brisbane Broncos at Kogarah.
Don’t you just love this time of year, the smell of liniment in the evening? There’s the anticipation of the action to come, of course, and every year that action seems to get more and more impressive, but it’s the vast unknown that particularly entices.
How will the season unfold, for one? Who’ll stand up as the teams to beat? Who will shock, who will surprise, who will unexpectedly fall by the wayside and have to fend off the vultures circling overhead?
There will be thrilling games, floggings that should come with a parental warning, there will be stand-out footballers including some new faces making a name for themselves. We’ll see magnificent tries, breath-taking runs, teeth-rattling bit hits and more on- and 0ff-field controversy than a tabloid newspaper knows what to do with.
Brilliant, isn’t it?
Rugby League - The Greatest Game of All!#NRL pic.twitter.com/CpN7CXj2Kx
— NRL (@NRL) March 7, 2018
Paul will be along shortly. In the meantime, have a read of his season preview:
Updated
