It proved a successful trip out to Tamworth for the Dragons’ Knock-On Effect NSW Cup outfit who took down the Newtown Jets 34-4 in a Top 4 showdown on Sunday.
The trip was a part of the NSWRL’s Regional Magic Round with all of the competition’s teams converging on Scully Park for the weekend.
The Dragons’ dominance through the middle earnt them a host of early opportunities and they were able to take full advantage to jump out to an 18-0 lead.
The Jets were able to slow down the bleeding, but Willie Talau’s men remained poised to finish things off in style and run away with the competition points.
The club’s Knock-On Effect NSW Cup team continues to prove itself as a developmental hotbed with Hurstville United junior Cyrus Stanley-Traill starting in the second row for his competition debut and enjoying a strong outing.
Match: Jets v Dragons
Round 10 -
home Team
Jets
5th Position
away Team
Dragons
2nd Position
Venue: Scully Park, Tamworth
An early penalty gave the Dragons a chance to test the Jets’ defensive line with Connor Muhleisen sending Hame Sele crashing over to the left of the sticks for first points.
Jonah Glover threw the conversion over to make it 6-0 for the Dragons.
They were able to extend their lead soon after with Nick Tsougranis continuing to prove himself as more than a makeshift centre charging from inside his own half through some loose Jets defence behind the ruck and handing it off to Nathan Lawson to dive over under the sticks.
A towering Glover bomb forced a Jets error the next set as the Dragons marched back onto the attack.
Their sizzling start continued with Michael Molo crashing over under sticks to grow the lead out to 18-0 less than a quarter of the way in.
Jets centre Michael Gabrael left the field 25 minutes in with an injury concern forcing them into a backline re-shuffle.
The clash developed into an arm wrestle of sorts after the Dragons’ initial onslaught, but their defence was able to hold strong with Tsougranis and Lawson combining to throw a Jet into touch.
The Jets had a last-ditch crack at finding points with Billy Magoulias putting in a deft grubber, but Hayden Buchanan was on the spot to clean it up and ensure his side kept a first-half clean-sheet.
The second forty began similarly to the first for the Dragons with Haele Finau burrowing his way over in trademark fashion out of dummy-half for the side’s fourth of the day.
Kristian Dixon went close to finding the Jets’ first points of the contest off a Niwhai Puru kick, but Cody Ramsey did enough to deny the winger.
Ramsey appeared to be on his way into space the Dragons’ next set only to be dragged down without the ball.
It mattered little however with Tsougranis continued his hot run of form spinning and muscling his way out of several tackle attempts to swan dive to the stripe and make the Dragons’ lead a convincing one.
The Jets lost five-eighth Khaled Rajab to an apparent hamstring issue an hour in to force them into another re-shuffle.
They were able to finally find their first points off it however with Josh Cook scurrying his way over out of dummy-half to bring it back to 28-6.
Sione Finau was helped off the field for the Dragons soon after pushing Buchanan onto the wing and Haele Finau into the centres.
Ramsey got onto the scoresheet shortly after running a neat one-two punch with Stanley-Traill who came up with a timely offload for his skipper who burnt the Jets cover to dive over and give his squad a 30-point edge.
Knock-On Effect NSW Cup Highlights: Round 10 v Jets
Lawson went in search of a second late but was denied with officials ruling that Glover’s final pass drifted forward.
Tsougranis finished the game in the sin bin with the official ruling that he had taken Jets fullback Joshua Latham out off the ball.
It did little to dampen celebrations for the Dragons however who made it three wins on the trot – all of which coming by 30 points or more.
