Dragons under pressure as NRL season slips
St George Illawarra are staring at the prospect of the longest finals drought in the merged club’s history as the Dragons risk falling completely out of the NRL’s top-eight finals race.
Now sitting 11th on the ladder after Sunday’s 34-8 loss to North Queensland, the Dragons face the likelihood of needing five weeks of must-win football, plus other results going their way, to make the playoffs.
While the Saints are just one win behind the eighth-placed Sydney Roosters and ninth-placed Canberra, it is a far inferior for-and-against record that is most likely to hurt them.
Their points differential of minus 124 is more than 100 behind the Sydney Roosters, the Raiders and 10th-placed Manly, leaving the Dragons likely needing to win at least four of their last five to havea chance of playing finals.
The Dragons have not reached the playoffs since 2018, and have since battled their way through a change of coach as well as several other football department shake-ups.
A fourth straight year out would mark the longest absence since their merger in 1999, while the Dragons side of the club has not missed four consecutive finals series since 1991.
Captain Ben Hunt hopes the must-win situation facing the club will galvanise the Dragons, who face Cronulla on Saturday night at Shark Park.
“If we want to make the finals it has to. We just have to win next week first, and then we worry about after that after that,” Hunt said.
Dragons coach Anthony Griffin was also in little mood for discussing finals hopes, saying the club could do little more than move on to next week.
The Saints at least do not play another game against a top-eight team after the Sharks match, though the round-22 clash with Canberra now looms as crucial.
Of the four teams contending for eighth spot, the Raiders also have a friendly run home after Saturday’s home match against a depleted Penrith.
Manly in ninth spot, meanwhile, have difficult games against Parramatta and Cronulla in the next stint. The Roosters’ run is a nightmare, with Brisbane, the Cowboys, Melbourne and South Sydney all ahead.
Further up the ladder, congestion is also rife with only the top-placed Panthers enjoying breathing space, six points clear of the chasing pack.
The Cowboys’ win on Sunday means their hopes of a top-two finish and back-to-back home games in the finals remains in their hands as they sit a win clear of the chasing pack in second.
Third-placed Cronulla are also a win ahead of Melbourne, Brisbane and Parramatta, and should claim a top-four spot barring a capitulation given their draw.
Brisbane and Melbourne then appear likely to battle it out for the last spot in the top four, with sixth-placed Parramatta facing a tough draw to finish the season.
The seventh-placed Rabbitohs’ run is also particularly difficult, but two wins from their final five games will likely be enough to ensure a fifth straight finals series.
Comments on RugbyPass
Think it was a great defensive performance by Northampton. They didn't have stage fright in the first half, the Nienaber defense smothered them. They limited Leinster to 15-3 in the first half. It could have been over by then. A great try from Leinster in the start of the second half looked to have sealed it. But Byrne missed another conversion. Northampton started trying little kicks behind the Leinster wingers. Leinster messed one and Smith brilliantly made the conversion. Leinster decided to tighten the game after Byrne missed a straight forward penalty. A few errors got NH into the 22 and they scored and converted with a few minutes left. Another brilliant steal from Lawes saw NH have a final attack which was turned over by Conan. A classic semi final. World record attendance of 82,300. Leinsters 3 week preparation warranted for this one.
1 Go to commentsJust came back from the game and the atmosphere was amazing. Players stayed afterwards for more than a hour to sign stuff and take photos with fans. Great day out.
5 Go to commentsA great game. The Sharks without Etsebeth are a shadow of the team compared to when he plays. The limitations of Some of the expensive Sharks players are being exposed. Credit to Clermont for some exhilaration play at times.
5 Go to comments100% Mr Owens. But who would want to be a referee.? It must be the most difficult job on earth.
1 Go to commentsStarts to be overdone and oversold this systematic SA narrative…which nevertheless has the merit in this case to recognise blatant refereeing mistakes in their favor
5 Go to commentsNice article. Shades of Steinbeck. They can win the final if they take the game seriously; but only if they take it seriously.
5 Go to commentsWhat a sad way to end a glittering career. Somebody should tell him to delete his social media accounts and face the consequences of what he's done. Then he should slip away quietly into obscurity. This isn't likely to happen, something tells me he'll be back in The Sun / Daily Mail sooner rather than later.
3 Go to commentsguys its fine! he understands why he did what he did and has taken accountability for it; why should he have to be accountable to a court? after all he did was abuse people in person - its not as if he was engaging in _online_ abuse!
3 Go to commentsChiefs flanker Kaylum Boshier yellow-carded for collapsing the scrum as it rolled towards the line. It was a maul….
1 Go to commentsyou know, i’m a leinster fan so I want Northampton to lose and it is gonna be tuff with Cortney lawes, Alex michell and the other guys🏉 lets go leinster🏉
1 Go to commentsWelcome to the Pro ranks. Those hard teams of old do hit the sole better though. its a dog fight at the top.
6 Go to commentsCan someone fill me in please, I've read a number of Ben Smith articles now and it seems he's got something again South Africa? Surely, this game was over and done with 7 months ago. Can't we have something a bit more interesting and relevant, or is this the calibre of journalist on this site?
237 Go to commentsNot sure what the Welsh are moaning about. They’ve had far more players off England, than England have had off Wales. Guys like Josh Hathaway and Kane James will play for Wales in the end. And they’ll be fsr better players for having played in the Gallagher Premiership, than they ever would have been had they stayed mired in the shambles that is Welsh rugby.
4 Go to commentsThis is all being blown totally out of proportion. First of all, since half the Irish team isn’t Irish - it’s very likely that none of the Irish players said that at all and, thus, we’re not being arrogant. Second, since half the Irish team is Kiwi - it’s very likely the Kiwi players were predicting a NZ SA World Cup final. Which they got spot on. Good on them!
163 Go to commentsAha. An Irishman with logic! Follow the flow: - Ireland peaks with a >80% win record between 2020 and 2023. And then… - crashes out of another QF at the WC; - Beat a poor French Team; - Beat 6N wooden spoonists Italy; - Play shite against eventual wooden spoonists Wales; - Lose against the most boring, “the worst English team ever” , a team widely regarded as unable to attack; - scrape through against Scotland. This article, No - Trimble, is on the money! Except for one glaring statement: _The Springboks have a few aces in the hole in this debate being the reigning world champions and official world number ones_ There is no debate, boys and girls. There it is. In black and white. “Reigning World Champions and OFFICIAL world number ones”. Come July, the overrated Andy Farrell and this overhyped team are going to enter into a world of hurt.
90 Go to commentsI’d like to know what homoerotic events Daniel enjoyed at 8th man. I clearly missed out!
20 Go to commentsThis article is missing some detail, like some actual context or info about what led to him abusing the ref.
2 Go to comments*They used to say that football is a gentleman sport watched by hooligans and rugby is a hooligan sport watched by gentlemen. How times have changed.*
3 Go to commentsexcept ot wasnt late wasnt late at all so dont know why you all saying its late he commits early and its your fault fir not paying attention
30 Go to commentsNot sure the Bulls need another average utility back in their ranks. Chamberlain has been ok for the Sharks but is by no means an X-Factor player. Bulls bought several utility backs which they barely use. A typical example would be Henry Immelman who plays mostly Fullback. The Bulls however have rarely played him this year and he has played wing or centre. Bulls want to build depth but seems like they have too many surplus players
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