Report from: Matt Starkey
01/03/03

The St George Illawarra Dragons have defeated the Cronulla Sharks in their final trial match by 24-8 at Regional Stadium in Port Macquarie. A crowd of between 5000 to 6000 people turned up amid overcast conditions, with the mercury registering 26-27 degrees and a slight breeze swirling about the ground.

Referee Steven Clark was in charge of proceedings, instilling plenty of discipline and running up a large penalty count throughout the night. Combined with stiff defence from the Dragons, three fights erupted throughout the match as the Sharks became frustrated.

Saints opened their account in the fifth minute with Amos Roberts scoring a try from a well-placed bomb. Nick Youngquest replied for Cronulla in the 21st minute after he backed-up a David Peachey break. With neither team converting their respective tries, both sides headed to the sheds with the score locked at 4-all.

The Dragons looked a different team in the second half, breaking the back of the Sharks early. Matt Cooper was first to score shortly followed by tries to Mark Riddell who then crossed again before popping up a ball to eventual try scrorer, Luke Bailey. At this point the game’s momentum swung to the Dragons as Cronulla tired.

Matthew Rieck hit back for the Sharks in the 60th minute with a clever try before Gary McBride put the result beyond doubt for the Dragons, ending the match in style with a 24-8 victory. Both teams had a tough night with the boot, with Riddell claiming 2 from 5 and Brett Kimmorley and Paul Franze both ending up with none from one attempt each.

It wasn’t all bad news for Sharks fans though, with Kimmorley troubling the Dragons for much of the night and Peachey looking good throughout. However big prop Jason Stevens seemed to struggle a bit in the warmer conditions.

For St George Illawarra, Luke Bailey was outstanding all night long with the big forward doing plenty of hard yards and tackling. Reece Simmonds kept his form alive from the Charity Shield doing some handy work. Brett Firman also looked steady and Mark Riddell got better as the game went on.

Big Mark Gasnier was heavily marked again, but this allowed opportunities on the other side of the park to open up, and Mark Christensen was the pick of the young guns getting through plenty of work and looking solid.

The result signals some good news for the Dragons, even though it was only a trial. The absence of Trent Barrett, Shaun Timmins and Jason Ryles has been much talked about, and when they return to the fold the trio of Internationals should add more strength, skill and options.

The crowd was an even spread of fans and the facilities at Regional Stadium look very cosy indeed with great food and hospitality. Many thanks to our travelling correspondent Steven Williams, whose dedication to the Dragons cause is without parallel.

ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA 24 (tries: Roberts, Cooper, Riddell, Bailey, McBride; Riddell 2 goals) beat CRONULLA SHARKS 8 (tries: Youngquest, Graham).
Referee: Steven Clark.
Crowd: approx 6,000

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