It may have been Cody Ramsey’s first official rugby league match in two-and-half years, but the returning fullback put together a dazzling performance to lead the Dragons to a 34-26 over Canterbury in their season opener.
Ramsey put in a strong display on both sides of the ball making several big defensive stops early before showing off his trademark stride in all its glory throughout the second forty.
Corey Allan, who was playing his first official rugby league game since suffering a torn ACL last preseason, also bagged a needed four-pointer whilst SG Ball graduates Jacob Halangahu and Finau Latu found four-pointers of their own as the Dragons poured on six second-half tries.
Match: Dragons v Bulldogs
Round 1 -
home Team
Dragons
3rd Position
away Team
Bulldogs
11th Position
Venue: Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, Sydney
Ramsey found himself in the game in the opening exchanges skying to take an attacking Bulldogs bomb before pulling off a try-saving tackle moments later to shut down a dangerous attacking sequence.
The Dragons earnt a repeat set soon after courtesy of an unlikely source in second rower Nick Tsougranis, but the side was unable to capitalise off it.
Instead, it was the Bulldogs taking advantage of a yardage penalty to secure first points through a burrowing Taniela Otukolo effort with Taye Cochrane’s conversion making it six-to-nothing.
The Dragons managed a hit-back through a long-range Tyrell Sloan effort with the winger taking in a superb Lyhkan King-Togia offload and motoring away from inside his own half to dive over untouched and tie things up.
Ramsey again threw himself into the contest in the form of a brilliant, try-saving tackle on a flying Jordi Mazzone.
Dragons front rower Jacob Webster was placed on report for a crusher tackle a half-hour in with Mazzone able to cross off the back it via a Cochrane cut-out.
The visitors found their third moments later off another Dragons error as they turned defence into attack with Jethro Rinakama scurrying over in the left corner off the drop to make it 14-6 headed into the break.
Ramsey’s standout afternoon continued with the rapid No.1 fielding the ball on his own try-line and bursting into the backfield and over halfway before handing it off to Sloan who outpaced the cover to notch his second.
The Red V went back-to-back via the other comeback kid with Allan powering his way over down the right-hand corridor off a Jonah Glover face ball.
The hosts’ attacking surge continued moments later with Glover this time slicing through on his own and outlasting the cover to dive over in the corner to earn his side their first lead of the afternoon.
Knock-On Effect NSW Cup Highlights: Round 1 v Bulldogs
They extended their lead to double digits moments later via Knock-On Effect NSW Cup debutant Halangahu who stormed through a hole to open his account in perfect fashion.
The visitors managed to stop the bleeding through Rinakama’s second of the contest, but the afternoon belonged to Ramsey who poured through and outleapt his opposite to reel in a Glover bomb and notch what is sure to be a memorable four-pointer as the lead ballooned out to 30-20.
The Red V’s hot second half persisted soon after with Nathan Lawson shooting into space before Sione Finau put Latu over off the back of it for his first Knock-On Effect NSW Cup try.
