Sharks 18 Dragons 16 (ET)
HERE'S the way to kill a local derby - don't play it anywhere local. And here's the way to kill your already besieged team and ensure a firestorm of criticism - concede the penalty that loses the game in golden-point time.
St George Illawarra Dragons prop Jason Ryles's month from hell continued last night when he was penalised in the 82nd minute by referee Sean Hampstead for holding in a tackle on Sharks fullback Brett Kearney.
His teammates looked mortified as the whistle blew. It was the fifth tackle.
Ryles looked stunned, horrified, disbelieving, all of the above.
Luke Covell calmly slotted the penalty from 41 metres out and the Dragons, having led this slug-fest until the 78th minute, slumped to the turf in despair.
Ryles took an eternity to leave the field but later he was man enough to talk about a moment he would do anything to forget.
"Very disappointing," he said.
"It was heartbreaking there at the end. Shattering. I just tackled him and stayed too long.
"I couldn't believe it when he [Hampstead] blew it. It's just the way it goes and I just have to get back on the horse next week. I'm shocked."
Asked if he thought the penalty was unfair, Ryles replied: "It's touch and go in the ruck area.
"I was cleaning up someone else's mess and unfortunately I sort of got tangled up, I conceded one penalty all game, and it stood out like dog's balls. It lost us the game.
"I've just got to keep working hard.
"The harder you work, the luckier you get. I just have to get back to training."
The Dragons and Sharks have a rich history of hating thy neighbour, belting the tripe out of each other in front of packed houses at Kogarah, Cronulla and Wollongong, but this version was played at the cavernous ANZ Stadium at Homebush Bay.
Seemed a bit odd, really, but there's cash involved for the Dragons and they're going to need all the dough they can get to keep incoming coach Wayne Bennett in the lifestyle to which he has become accustomed.
Large portions of the game were played out in an unusual silence. Maybe it was a dead giveaway that the game never really reached any great heights until we hit extra time at 16-all.
Or maybe everyone was sitting there, looking at the tens of thousands of empty seats, checking the post code and asking themselves: Where the bloody hell are we?
The Dragons led 16-12 with two minutes left.
Sharks captain Greg Bird rolled the dice, putting in a grubber kick that was inches from the sideline when winger Bryson Goodwin swooped to score in the nick of time.
Covell had the chance to win it in regular time, but his attempted sideline conversion missed by a mile.
Or the distance between here and the shire. In golden point, he made Ryles pay for his indiscretion.
"It might have been ugly tonight, but I'd rather have an ugly win than lose and be attractive," Sharks coach Ricky Stuart said before praising Bird's set-up of Goodwin's crucial try.
"There's a lot of confidence in Gregory. That's what Birdy's got in him. It was a terrific read. He showed confidence in his ability. A weaker player with attitude would have tucked it under his arm or offloaded it."
Stuart was more than happy for the Dragons to have given up any real home ground advantage by playing at Homebush Bay, saying: "I'd much prefer to be playing here than at WIN or Kogarah. But look, it's very hard for clubs today.
"It's all about where your next dollar comes from. If they're getting better dollars out here, it's probably smart business. All I know is that the next one will be back in the shire."
All night, Stuart had been shown on the big screen yelling into his walkie-talkie. What a hammering that thing takes.
Everyone shook hands and headed home. Given no one was from these parts, they could have all piled on the same bus.
CRONULLA 18 (G Bird B Kearney B Goodwin tries L Covell 3 goals) bt ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA 16 (J Morris L Setu B Hornby tries J Soward 2 goals) in golden-point extra time at ANZ Stadium. Referee: S Hampstead. Crowd: 15,318.
GUS'S VERDICT
THIS game was painful to watch in so many ways. The Sharks took all the football out of the contest with their usual wrestle-mania. Neither side could construct any worthwhile attack. In fact, during some sections, neither side could even hang onto the ball. The Dragons got in front three times, only to hand opportunities back with poor discipline. When it got to extra time, the Dragons let the Sharks make 60 metres before giving them another penalty in the play-the-ball so Sharks winger Luke Covell could kick his team to victory. It was like Groundhog Day … again.
PHIL GOULD
