Ahead of the Dragons' must-win match against the Penrith Panthers take a look back at some of the best encounters between the two sides.
St George Illawarra Dragons 42 defeated Penrith Panthers 10
Round 1. Saturday, March 4, 2017
Netstrata Jubilee Oval
In the opening round of the 2017 season, the Dragons hit the ground running with a 32 point thumping of the Penrith Panthers.
- The reason why Ben Hunt isn't playing this week.
- The strong record the Dragons hold over the Panthers
- Paul McGregor details Panthers clash
- Tariq Sims explains who is responsible for Raiders loss
With Penrith making it as far as the semi-finals the year prior, the Dragons made a statement to the competition by upsetting the more favoured team. The first half showed no signs of a lopsided result despite a late try extending the Dragons lead to 18-4 at the break.
The Red V ran riot in the second stanza with former Dragon Joel Thompson starring for the home side and picking up the first and only hat-trick of his career.
Thompson's heroics were on par with a sublime performance from Gareth Widdop who scored two tries of his own and kicked seven goals from seven attempts to build the dominant score-line.
St George Illawarra Dragons 13 defeated Penrith Panthers 12
Round 15. Friday, June 20, 2008
Stadium Australia
After being held scoreless in the first half, the Dragons clawed their way back into the contest in the final stages before a Jamie Soward field goal completed a tense comeback.
Luke Lewis and Rhys Wesser were the only players to find the try-line in the first half giving Penrith a 12-0 lead. But as the second half got underway, the Dragons slowly worked themselves back into the match.
A try to Ben Creagh kick-started the comeback before Josh Morris weaved his way down the field to level the scores with Jamie Soward adding the extras on both occasions.
With time running out and the scores locked at 12-all, Soward would kick the second field goal of his career to win the match against the side he would end up joining six years later.
Penrith Panthers 31 defeated St George Illawarra Dragons 30
Qualifying final. Friday, September 10, 2004
Penrith Park
This 61-point finals thriller goes down as one of the most memorable matches between the Dragons and the Panthers, as an inspired St George Illawarra comeback falling agonisingly short.
22,000 spectators filled Penrith Park to watch the drama unfold; the home side having a firm grasp on the match to lead 24-12 at half time.
The Dragons would score 18 points in the final stanza thanks to Nathan Blacklock, Shaun Timmins and Dean Young – the close nature of the match amplified by the perfect goal kicking of Red V halfback Mat Head and Penrith centre Ryan Girdler.
The final moments had fans on the edge of their seats until a field goal from Panthers halfback Craig Gower would sink the Dragons' finals hopes completely.
