Unbelievable: Andrew Johns Stunned by Fletcher Sharpe’s Shocking All-Time Drop Out

Newcastle Knights five-eighth Fletcher Sharpe has produced a contender for the worst dropout of the year.

Late in the first half of their encounter with the Dragons at Kogarah, Sharpe’s lofty attempt never seemed to approach the 10-metre line, instead drifting ominously back towards the Knights’ dead ball area.

After a couple of awkward bounces, the ball sailed out several metres in from the touchline.

“Oh wow … that’s so bad it’s almost impressive,” commented Nine caller Mat Thompson. A stunned Andrew Johns expressed his disbelief, stating he had never witnessed anything like it.

Following the mishap, Dragons rookie Loko Pasifiki Tonga sent Kogarah into frenzy when he muscled his way over to score his first-ever NRL try almost directly under the posts.

“I think we’ve found a star here,” joked Johns.

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In his NRL debut, Sevens convert and former Olympian Nathan Lawson had a bittersweet start, having a try disallowed in just the fourth minute due to a forward pass from Valentine Holmes.

After some end-to-end footy, the Dragons broke the deadlock at the 20-minute mark when Kyle Flanagan sold a brilliant dummy before sending Jaydn Su’A racing through a gap.

Just five minutes later, they bagged their second try as Jack de Belin burst into space and delivered a timely offload for Clint Gutherson to cross the line.

It was during this phase that Su’A was unfortunately ruled out of the match with a suspected syndesmosis injury.

Five minutes before half-time, the Dragons forced a dropout, and Sharpe’s kick took an unexpected direction, landing not over the touchline but rather out on the dead-ball line.

From the ensuing play, Tonga roared into the spotlight as he scored his inaugural NRL try, having previously been denied by the Knights’ defence.

Holmes was flawless with his kicks, and the home team headed into the break with a commanding 18-0 lead.

Only two days after the State of Origin opener, Kalyn Ponga was a late withdrawal from the game, with coach O’Brien opting to manage an ankle injury sustained during their loss to Parramatta.

“In the end, I made the decision for him, so I’m not the most popular person,” O’Brien shared with Fox League. “He’s done everything he can, but given that it’s just two days post-Origin and he had a really disrupted week—took him ten days last week to prepare for Origin—it was just unrealistic to expect him to play all three. He’s disappointed, but it’s my responsibility to protect him, particularly given his role and the work rate he puts in at fullback; it just wasn’t feasible.”