The North Sydney Bears managed a single competition point in their close affair, while the Jersey Flegg side was unable to complete a miracle comeback on the Central Coast.
Norths Salvage Draw After Early Lead
The North Sydney Bears were unable to claim the two competition points, having to settle for a draw in their Round 18 match against the St George Illawarra Dragons.
Match: Dragons v Bears
Round 18 -
home Team
Dragons
9th Position
away Team
Bears
4th Position
Venue: Collegians Sporting Complex, Wollongong
Norths shot out of the blocks at Collegians Sporting Complex in Wollongong as both Kieran Hayman and Lachlan Lam touched down for a 12-nil lead, however, the home side hit back with a brace to bring the difference to two.
In the shadows of halftime, Michael Fenn added his name to the scoresheet to give the Bears a handy eight-point lead, which extended even further after the break through Tom Carr and Toa Mata'afa.
NSW Cup Round 18 Highlights: Bears vs Dragons
Unfortunately, the home side struck with another quickfire double, before a try with four minutes to go levelled the scores - and with five tries and four goals apiece, the Bears and Dragons were unable to be separated at fulltime.
The North Sydney Bears will face off against fellow foundation club the Newtown Jets at 3pm this Saturday afternoon at Henson Park.
North Sydney Bears 28 (Kieran Hayman, Lachlan Lam, Michael Fenn, Tom Carr, Toa Mata'afa tries; Adam Keighran 4 goals) draw with St George Illawarra Dragons 28
Comeback Falls Short for Jersey Flegg Roosters
The Sydney Roosters Jersey Flegg side was unable to continue their extraordinary winning run with a 18-20 defeat against the third-placed St George Illawarra Dragons as the curtain raiser to the NRL side’s match on the Central Coast.
The Roosters came close to striking first with Jordan Swann held up on last tackle before Jack Stringer was denied for an obstruction, with the Dragons taking to the air to score first points.
Easts continued to push for points, and in a tightly-fought contest, but their opponents struck with a long-range effort in the shadows of halftime, taking a 10-nil advantage as the sides headed into the sheds.
Match: Roosters v Dragons
Round 18 -
home Team
Roosters
1st Position
away Team
Dragons
2nd Position
Venue: Central Coast Stadium, Gosford
With injuries forcing multiple stoppages and changes in the side’s structure, the brave Roosters continued to press on, however it was St George Illawarra claiming their opportunities to extend in quick succession.
Finding themselves needing to mount an almighty comeback in the final 20, the Red, White and Blue began to mount pressure on the line, and got on the board through hulking forward Sione Vaenuku.
A long-range effort finished off by Zac Montgomery to close the deficit to eight with as many minutes remaining, and soon enough it was game on as Xavier Chatfield-Mooka raced away to touch down.
In a tense final five minutes with just two points now the difference, the youngsters from Bondi rallied but were unable to finish off their epic comeback, going down 18-20.
The Sydney Roosters Jersey Flegg side will host the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks at Waverley Oval this Sunday afternoon at 3pm.
Sydney Roosters 18 (Sione Vaenuku, Zac Montgomery, Xavier Chatfield-Mooka tries; Hugo Savala 3 goals) def by St George Illawarra Dragons 20
