RUGBY LEAGUE NEWS:
Round 11:
Raiders destroy Dragons in Canberra
Written by: Matt Starkey
May 25th, 2007 10:09 PM

LINK TO MATCH PICS - CLICK HERE

Match summary
The Canberra Raiders have comprehensively defeated the St George-Illawarra Dragons by 30-6 in the Nation’s Capital tonight, winning their sixth match in a row against the Red and Whites.

It was a dull game for most of the first half, with players struggling to control the ball in dewy conditions and the match was very scrappy in part, with the Dragons in particular failing to hold onto the ball for regular intervals.

It took 28 minutes for the first try with Raiders centre Adrian Purtell taking an intercept and dashing 90m to score. He scored again just before the break to open up a 12-point lead, breaking the hearts of Dragons fans.

Ben Hornby left the field late in the first half and didn’t return from the break, reducing the Dragons’ attacking options for the second half. And it certainly showed, with the Dragons struggling for penetration during the second spell.

Again it took some time to register points in the second half with Canberra hooker Lincoln Withers opening up the Dragons ruck in the 54th minute. After darting away he found perennial backer-up Alan Tongue who had speedy fullback William Zillman on his inside and the Raiders were in under the posts.

Seven minutes later they were at it again, with QLD forward Neville Costigan crashing his way over the line to score only 48 hours after playing a starring role for the Maroons in Origin I.

The Raiders completed the rout in the 68th minute when Purtell rounded out his hat-trick after giant five-eighth Terry Campese grubbered the ball through and the speedy three-quarter won the race to the ball. Dobson added the kick from the sideline to make it 30-nil and a personal haul of 5 from 5 in a superb display with the boot.

The Dragons managed to get on the scoreboard through NSW centre Matt Cooper only three minutes later after he hit a gap at pace. Halfback Mat Head added the extras from out wide in a late consolation for the visitors.

There’s certainly plenty of work to for St George-Illawarra, who now slump to their 7th loss in 10 games. Injuries have been a major factor in their 2007 campaign, with several big names in Gasnier, Ryles, Young and Naiqama missing from this clash.

When you add Hornby to this list after going down with an ankle injury tonight, things aren’t looking up for them at all. They line-up against the Broncos next week at Oki Jubilee and will be desperate for a win.

Coach Nathan Brown’s position must surely come under further scrutiny with such a poor handling and completion rate tonight. Although they responded to some heavy media criticism by winning against the Titans last week, they were woeful tonight and it wouldn’t surprise anyone to see the blowtorch applied to his tenure again.

Moving on to Canberra, and they keep improving and given their young side this is very encouraging. They had the bye last week and now sneak into 6th spot on the ladder on for-and-against. They take on the Titans up at Carrara next Sunday with one day’s extra preparation than the Gold Coast side.

Match Scores

Round 11 - Full Time :: May 25th, 2007 07:30 PM
Venue: Canberra Stadium
Referee: Stephen Clark

Canberra Raiders 30
Tries: Adrian Purtell (3), William Zillman, Neville Costigan
Goals: Michael Dobson (5/5)
St George Illawarra Dragons 6
Tries: Matt Cooper
Goals: Mathew Head (1/1)

LeagueUnlimited.com Player of the Match
3 Points: Adrian Purtell
2 Points: Neville Costigan
1 Point: Alan Tongue

League Unlimited Live Commentary:

Welcome to Canberra Stadium on a chilly night where the Raiders play host to the Dragons.

Changes:

Dragons: Keith Lulia is out with Chase Stanley coming in, Tony Caine comes in at five-eighth for Dean Young and Dan Hunt will start for the injured Jason Ryles.

Raiders: Ben Jones is named on the bench in place of Tom Learoyd-Lahrs. The rest are as per the program.

1 min: We're underway in the Nation's Capital with the Raiders kicking off.

6 min: Poore and Tongue getting amongst the hit ups early, with Creagh and Logan doing plenty of defence.

11 min: Still no score here with both teams just working themselves into the game. Logan is making very good yards.

14 min: Canberra enjoying more possession in the early stages, but they have yet to convert it into points.

17 min: Still no score with Logan and Poore doing plenty opf work up front. Woolford is also getting involved as is Campese.

21 min: Both clubs really grinding it out here with a couple of mistakes starting to creep in now.

26 min: Canberra still enjoying the weight of possession but simply can't score points. The Dragons haven't seen the ball in a while and they might put the sprinklers on down in the Raiders half.

28 min: TRY Canberra Raiders
We've finally got a try here tonight with Purtell taking an intercept and dashing 90m to score. It's been a long time coming but the Raiders needed to score with all the ball they've been enjoying. Dobson converts and the home side are in front. Conversion attempt by Michael Dobson successful.
Canberra Raiders 6-0

36 min: Canberra still in front here but the possession is evening out. Sims is beginning to step up for the Dragons with Tongue still doing a mountain of work for Canberra.

39 min: TRY Canberra Raiders
The Raiders are in again with Purtell helping himself to a brace just before halftime. Dobson adds the extras and the home side take a handy halftime lead. Conversion attempt by Michael Dobson successful.
Canberra Raiders 12-0

40 min: At halftime penalties are 6-2 in favour of the Raiders. Both teams can still win this one but the Dragons will need to lift their effort to get into the match.

It's a pretty dour struggle out there with Canberra taking to the conditions much better, there's a bit of dew about and it's greasy.

41 min: Dragons restart proceedings through young gun Chase Stanley.

42 min: Dragons captain Ben Hornby has done his ankle and won't be taking part in the second half.

44 min: The Dragons show some better form, forcing a restart to get back to back sets.

48 min: Sims going well for the Dragons, getting involved heavily as is Creagh. Purtell is having a great game for Canberra with captain Tongue also leading by example.

54 min: TRY Canberra Raiders
The Raiders are in again, with Tongue making a bust up the middle and finds his speedy fullback Zillman to take over and score a fantastic try under the sticks. Good lead up from Withers out of dummy half. Dobson converts and the Raiders are looking good. Conversion attempt by Michael Dobson successful.
Canberra Raiders 18-0

56 min: The Dragons are imploding here. They're dropping the ball all the time and failing to even make an impact when they're in Canberra's end of the half.

60 min: Penalties favouring Canberra in a big way (8-2) with the Dragons showing some poor discipline. Handling is poor in the conditions though.

61 min: TRY Canberra Raiders
The Raiders are starting to dominate with QLD forward Costigan barging his way over and just getting the ball down despite some starch defence from the Dragons on their goal line. It could get a bit ugly here. Dobson converts. Conversion attempt by Michael Dobson successful.
Canberra Raiders 24-0

62 min: The restart from the Dragons goes dead on the full and the Raiders get a piggy back to the 60m after the penalty.

65 min: Costigan gets a ball away to Chalk who goes over but it gets called back for being forward.

68 min: Checking a try to the Raiders here...

68 min: TRY Canberra Raiders
The Raiders are in again with Purtell rounding out his hat trick in a beautiful display. Campese kicked through and Purtell won the race to the ball, showing great speed. Dobson kicks it from the sideline, with everything going their way tonight. Conversion attempt by Michael Dobson successful.
Canberra Raiders 30-0

71 min: TRY St George Illawarra Dragons
NSW centre Cooper scores a consolation try after a yawning gap opens up out wide and he strolls over. At least they're on the board now. Head does well to convert from the sideline. Conversion attempt by Mathew Head successful.
Canberra Raiders 30-6

78 min: Checking a try to the Dragons here...

78 min: Try denied to Morris after Zillman beats him to the ball. A crowd of over 13,000 is here in support of the Raiders.

80 min: The Raiders win in a canter down here with a comprehensive 30-6 victory over the Dragons.

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