ONCE again, rugby league has proved there is little room for fairytales.

For the second time in seven days, Penrith were brave in defeat, last night losing fullback Rhys Wesser to injury early in the match but only losing the game by the narrowest of margins - a Jamie Soward field goal with eight minutes remaining.

And the Dragons, to be brutally honest, were average; unable to put away a side that had been decimated by injuries in recent weeks, and suffered another with Wesser going down after just 13 minutes.

Star centre Mark Gasnier threw a scare into the Dragons' camp when he walked up the tunnel after the game clutching his back.

But a win keeps their momentum travelling in the right direction - it was their fifth victory in a row - however there were enough alarming signs last night to have the average Dragons fan ready to write off the season yet again.

OK, that might be a bit harsh, but the Dragons keep doing it, don't they? Get our hopes up before dashing them.

The more things change in this game, the more they stay the same. Same old St George Illawarra. Same new Penrith.

And so to the Panthers. Take nothing away from them. Last week, their injury woes occurred on Friday the 13th. This time it was the 13th minute.

Wesser looked good early, too.

After two false starts - Dragons forward Ben Creagh and Penrith prop Petero Civoniceva both being denied tries in the first five minutes - the fullback scored after earlier putting second-rower Trent Waterhouse through a gap.

He would only last another six minutes. After tackling his Dragons counterpart Brett Morris, Wesser was clearly in pain for several minutes before finally making his way off the field.

The injury forced a major reshuffle of the Penrith back line, which already had minor surgery in the lead-up to the game. The game started with Maurice Blair shifted to centre and 17-year-old Wade Graham in the halves, with Michael Jennings ruled out due to an ankle injury. But with Wesser out of the equation, first Brad Tighe was shifted to fullback and then Jarrod Sammut.

Graham had some nice touches in the first half; a wonderful tackle on Gasnier, a well-weighted bomb. Not exactly Brad Fittler against Wests in 1989 but enough signs to ensure this schoolkid won't have to worry about HSC results. He played his part as the Panthers kept their grip on the game even in Wesser's absence; halfback Luke Lewis's 37th-minute try doubling the lead late.

The Panthers had dominated the contest, however the complexion of the game changed like their jerseys - black to white - in just three minutes. First Creagh stormed on to a Rangi Chase ball and stretched to score despite Sammut's brave defensive effort. Just three minutes later, five-eighth Soward kicked and regathered and sent the ball Josh Morris's way for the equalling try.

Suddenly it was all the Dragons. Soward kicked again and Jason Nightingale almost spectacularly grounded the ball in the corner, and it was the Panthers looking ragged.

And the Dragons, conversely, were steeled, Gasnier giving the best example of that by bringing Frank Pritchard down from close range.

The referee calls began to turn along with the momentum. Short-priced favourite for worst decision of the year came when Masada Iosefa, another Penrith debutant, was placed on report for a lifting tackle on Creagh. Then Waterhouse was controversially ruled to have knocked on. And the piece de resistance - Blair's high shot on Gasnier. From the ensuing penalty - the ninth against the Panthers - Soward's attempt skewed wide.

Bad decision-making was contagious. Soward, strangely, attempted a field goal almost 13 minutes out from full-time; Lewis, after a rare Penrith penalty, failed to find touch.

With eight minutes left, Soward found the target, still skewing off the left boot but scraping in. It summed up the night. It wasn't pretty, but it did the job.

ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA 13 (B Creagh J Morris tries J Soward 2 goals J Soward field goal) bt PENRITH 12 (L Lewis R Wesser tries S Rodney J Sammut goals) at ANZ Stadium. Referee: J Maxwell. Crowd: 9032.