Jaydn Su’A was reluctant to look up. It might have been out of embarrassment, for the St George Illawarra back rower had just produced possibly the most catastrophic mistake an NRL player has ever made. It might have been out of sheer horror, as Jahream Bula scooted away for another Tigers try, just on half-time in Saturday’s final Magic Round clash.
Su’A may have been calculating the scoreboard implications for his spectacular gaffe – a swing of 10, perhaps 12 points. Or he could have been wondering how he would explain himself to his coach Shane Flanagan, waiting for him in the sheds with the score now 26-10.
Whatever the reason, there he remained, in the in-goal area, eyes fixed on the wet Suncorp Stadium turf. When finally he rose, shaking his head with an apologetic hand raised, the Tigers were celebrating at the other end. The stupefied crowd, wondering what they had just witnessed, had their eyes on the big screen.
They saw poor Su’A over the tryline with the ball when he lowered his body for the grounding. His pumping thighs hadn’t checked their notifications though, and his knee nudged the ball carried in his right hand. It was only a slight touch, barely a tickle even on the slow-motion replay. But on the greasy surface that was enough and the pill popped out. “Obviously, what happened just before half-time ended up being the turning point,” Flanagan said bluntly after the match.
Although Su’A was obviously guilty, his crime lacked intent. He wasn’t shirking his duties, and it wasn’t because he didn’t do his preparation. On the spectrum of rugby league errors, one might argue it was not that bad at all.
But its impact was magnified. Bula had momentum, and the other Dragons were as good as celebrating, making a converted try at the other end inevitable. The error hung over a forgettable second half, haunting St George Illawarra’s stuttering, error-prone comeback. That they got back to within six only heightened the Dragons pain. “It would have been 20-16 [at half-time] but it wasn’t to be,” Flanagan said. “That’s a big turnaround, a 12-point turnaround.”
Although the rain that fell throughout the day made conditions difficult, the second 40 minutes offered little reward for those of the day’s 50,638 attendance that had stayed to the end. The Dragons finished within a single score at the death, but they failed to capitalise on a fading Tigers side that offered little in the second half. “We came up with some errors, we had some opportunities,” Flanagan rued. “Six points behind, and we didn’t nail them.”
Recognising the coming crucifixion, Su’A’s teammates offered support in the aftermath. Up ran Corey Allen, on his Dragons debut, to console him. Then came Jack De Belin, who has spent much of his career out of public favour. Co-captain Damien Cook said afterwards Su’A wasn’t to blame, and his mistake wasn’t the reason they lost the game. “We just told him to drop it, let it go. The mistakes in those games happen,” Cook said.
But this mistake was so powerful – indeed quite magical – that it also ruined the Tigers’ victory. Wests are now in the top eight, and have won five of their first nine games for the first time since 2019. Coach Benji Marshall was far from upbeat and admitted his emotions, especially around that bizarre sequence, were hard to explain. “I don’t really want to talk about it, to be honest – a little bit angry and happy at the same time, because he should have scored, to be fair,” he said. “I don’t want to sound like I’m negative about winning, but there’s just so many things we can do better,” Marshall said.
There may be still be one day of games left this weekend, but Saturday’s second match will almost certainly be the match of Magic Round. The impressive Warriors shot out to a 30-12 lead early in the second half, roared on by a screaming bay of ponchoed Wahs fans enjoying the Brisbane showers. But the Cowboys produced an exquisite 15-minute period, scoring three tries and with another narrowly disallowed. Near misses, close calls and stoic defence punctuated the final minutes, but the New Zealand club held on to cement their place in the top four.
Souths fans suffered a miserable match beforehand, and had to wait 65 minutes to register a try. Unfortunately, by that time Newcastle had scored five of their own. That’s the same Knights side that had recorded more than 14 points just once this season, and had lost five straight. But by Saturday night, all other misery was forgotten thanks to Su’A’s spellbinding blunder.
