Disappointing Display: Dragons Squander Another 12-Point Advantage as Sharks Secure Local Derby Victory

St George Illawarra squandered a 12-point advantage for the third time this season, relinquishing their half-time lead against local rivals Cronulla.

This marks yet another frustrating defeat for Shane Flanagan’s squad, who succumbed to a 30-18 loss at Shark Park under challenging conditions on Thursday night.

Despite having an early try disallowed by the Bunker, the Sharks quickly made amends as Blayke Brailey broke through some weak defence to set up Braydon Trindall shortly after.

Damien Cook showcased his brilliance with a stunning solo try, drawing the scores level after seizing a clever late offload from Emre Guler and evading several defenders.

The visitors then surged ahead thanks to Lyhkan King-Togia, who, despite receiving a difficult pass on the last tackle, managed to force his way over from close range.

“What a special effort that was,” Cameron Smith remarked on Nine’s broadcast.

“He broke the tackles of two front-rowers and reached out. An incredible effort.”

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The game tilted further in favour of St George Illawarra just before half-time when Jesse Ramien was sin-binned for a professional foul, and moments later, Jack de Belin powered through three defenders to score their third try.

“That was a soft one,” Andrew Johns noted during commentary.

“Just look at the body language of the Sharks as they head off at half-time.”

Sharks legend Paul Gallen echoed similar concerns regarding St George Illawarra’s three consecutive tries.

“Several of those tries represented really weak defence,” he remarked at half-time.

“They need to sort that out after recent performances.”

Re-energised after the break, the Sharks mounted a comeback, with Briton Nikora marking his 150th game with one of his signature tries after receiving a short ball.

The Dragons’ problems escalated in the second half when Trindall scored his second try, followed by Nathan Lawson’s mistake under the high ball, which allowed Sione Katoa to score easily from the ensuing scrum as Cronulla reclaimed the lead.

“That’s dreadful defence; they merely let him run around the outside… really poor,” Johns commented.

As the Dragons felt the pressure to score late on, a captain’s challenge by David Klemmer failed to go in their favour, with him being penalised for taking out Cameron McInnes without the ball as the Sharks captain was running a fast-paced decoy near the line.

The decisions of Grant Atkins and the video officials faced scrutiny.

“He has to commit—there’s no way to pull out there; that’s unfortunate,” Johns said.

Following the kick-off, the referees attracted further criticism when the ball was declared to have not travelled the requisite 10 metres before Luciano Leilua, even though replays suggested otherwise.

“They don’t have a challenge left, either,” Smith remarked dryly during commentary.

With time running out, the visitors sought a late try to force the match into extra time. King-Togia attempted a clever chip kick for himself, aiming for a grubber ahead, but it landed directly in the hands of Katoa, who sprinted 60 metres to score.

“That was courageous—he could’ve taken a knee to the head; that’s such a gutsy effort,” Johns commented as the winger dashed away.

Cronulla managed to fend off some final efforts from the Saints to secure a crucial victory.

“They were shaky early on, but they ultimately got the job done,” Smith concluded as the final whistle blew.