51 mins: The Dragons start inside their attacking half after running down the Broncos last tackle, then Widdop puts a chip through that Issako can only run dead and give up a repeat set. Not up to his usual perfectionist standard. St George Illawarra Dragons win by 30 points, Dragons win 48-18 in elimination final at Suncorp Stadium, Tariq Sims scores first-half hat-trick for Dragons. Far, far worse for the Dragons, Widdop has done his bad shoulder again in trying to make that tackle.

First published on Sun 9 Sep 2018 01.50 EDT.

He stepped on the sideline as he went wide to the left corner. Cameron Smith has done his best to say his rousing send off late in Melbourne's NRL preliminary defeat of Canberra was no farewell lap, even if it looked a lot like one. 70 mins: A knock-on from Nikorima, running at full tilt at his 30-metre defensive line, trying to break that line. Hunt takes the ball, dinks the tiniest little kick through the defence, and like any great tenor, Luciano Leilua surges through and lands on the loose ball in the in-goal. The ball was stripped from Fifita as he lay on the ground. South Sydney have copped a blow on the eve of their NRL preliminary final with in-form centre Campbell Graham ruled out with a groin injury. Hunt to Lawry, brought down two metres out. But stayed positive and held up the ball to hit Sims at the right time for the first try. 53 mins: The only thing going wrong for the Dragons is the injury count. The Dragons didn’t lose anything when Widdop was replaced by the Mann. Former Broncos, Storm and Wests Tigers forward Adam Blair has played the most amount of finals games with 18. Penrith's magic number has emerged after making NRL history with a record-equalling 17-straight wins to make their first grand final in 17 years with a 20-16 victory over South Sydney.

But there’s a knock-on a couple of tackles later and the Broncos lose possession again. Here are our player ratings for the Broncos v Dragons: Scored a late try but was found out defensively. The Dragons try to push up the middle, but Ben Hunt’s kick has too much juice and it races into the dead zone as the Broncos fans cheer. But they’re in it, and as they showed today, being in it can produce some very unexpected results. The Broncos ended up with 30 points, 18 of them to Baker, while the Dragons’ only points came from a Sammy Bremner try. His younger brother Korbin bore much of the brunt of Sims’ rampage. Sun 11 Mar, 2018 12:55 His 70-metre drop-out wasn’t bad. Dragons in with a … © 2020 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. Now we’re off to the men’s finals. Lomax adds the conversion from wide on the right in the absence of Widdop.

It’s 0-2 to St George.

He’s able to laser into a tiny gap and land over the line.

Couldn’t have picked a better time to score a rare try. Produced a deft grubber to kill off the Broncos late in the second half, and was rock solid in defence, being a constant thorn in the side of the Broncos’ kickers.

Strong runs out of his own half. Looking for an extra number down the short side, but no good. And the Sims brothers, on opposite teams, are having wildly contrasting days. Huge hit on Josh McGuire in first minute to try and set the tone. 2 mins: No try for Lafai! Hunt with the sharp pass again, Dufty runs wide and passes after making James Roberts second-guess his intentions, then flicks wider to Lafai who muscles over after fending Roberts off. He’s been influential today, and that’s another big blow. 80 mins: Nikorima charges down an attempted chip kick, takes the bouncing ball and streams downfield, but Nene McDonald hunts him for 50 metres and finally gets him. If you’re following that story, here’s the summary of its significance from Mary K, the originator of Ladies Who League. SIGN UP TODAY. The Panthers gave the Warriors a comeback trouncing yesterday, and the Roosters were too strong for the Sharks. He had a day to forget, losing the sibling battle and tossing in a couple of brain explosions, including an ugly spear tackle on Blake Lawrie. Leeson Ah Mau has made 10 good tackles so far this game.

PNG Broncos fan88 QCup Player. Milford tries another kick from the halfway looking for advantage, but Lomax is on hand to help clean up for the Dragons. Frizell had set him up by ducking a shot in the centre, then flicked wide to Lomax, who set up the pass. Ben Hunt finds a good pass as they approach the line, a set play to find Tariq Sims running by at full tilt. Follow commentary on the Dragons vs Broncos National Rugby League 2018 rugby match.

Tough, but too ill-disciplined. Great thinking, great execution.

Widdop puts it over, and what a turnaround for the Dragons, after their last few weeks, their first 20 minutes, and losing a player to concussion - James Graham will not return. Issako kicks at full sprint by the sideline, Dufty fumbles the receive for the Dragons and has to wear a tackle a metre out from his try line, then Ben Hunt clears the danger with a 70-metre missile launch downfield.

All rights reserved. Milford is brought down.
The Dragons have started ferociously in attack and defence. Takes a kick from inside his 30, and finds touch just short of the Broncos’ try line.

Then put an exclamation mark on his big game winning the race for the kick ahead to score the last. Fifita drags several defenders towards the line. Managed just one offload. Anthony Milford has made 10 good tackles so far this game. But Issako misses the kick, so that damages the Broncos’ chances. Their lead should be enough today, shouldn’t it, but what about the weeks to come? Did his job from the bench but was only given limited time. 57 mins: Interception knock-on from the Dragons, then a scrum-feed for the Broncos 20 out.

Solid through the middle with 32 tackles but was unable to handle the momentum once the Dragons got a roll on and missed six. In any case, the Dragons are in the match and they’ve got their chance. They start from 12 out, the ball spreads wide to the right, and Darius Boyd finds enough space as Widdop is trying to close down Fifita. And they might need him to stand up next week with Widdop now in serious doubt. Forced one dropout opening 10 mins and did the bulk of the kicking.

19 mins: Nikorima burns off de Belin’s attempted tackle, makes about 40 yards, then finds David Fifita running in support after hurdling a fallen defender. First half hat-trick. Right in the jaw, he was rattled, and he’s being taken off the field for assessment.

Do we need to say anymore?
Lafai was hoping to stretch back into the corner, but didn’t have enough space to operate in. The Dragons win a penalty, and Lomax makes the score 18-42 to St George Illawarra. Ah Mau again, down one metre out. Widdop converts. 75 mins: That’ll cheer up Ben Hunt. ESPN's NRL experts Darren Arthur and Christian D'Aloia look at the richly talented spines of the Panthers and Rabbitohs, the benefits of having a week off and the future for Roosters half Kyle Flanagan. Lomax kicks the goal from the sideline after the clock has run down. He terrorised the Broncos’ right edge all afternoon, running the same threatening line, and made a swag of dominant tackles for good measure. Still made 60 metres from six runs. Started the game for Lodge, but came off within the first five minutes after a head clash with Jack de Belin and did not return. But he beat Roberts with good strength off a scrum play to score the Dragons’ fifth try, and made good metres from plenty of carries. But there may be a report. 5 mins: Penalty, and Widdop will try to make his mark on the game early with a shot at goal. The Broncos nearly clear the line again on the restart, but finally de Belin is able to land on the ball just outside his try line.

Jordan Kahu takes a sideline catch from the kick but goes over the touch line, the Dragons get possession 20 out.