Match Report: Jersey Flegg Cup Finals Week 1

After an early period of sustained pressure the home side capitalised in the seventh minute, after a slick Treigh Stewart cut-out ball put Alex Lobb over in the corner. 

A sharp Wests Tigers break, initiated by a Kitione Kautoga offload, allowed a backline shift on the next play, with centre Sione Vaihu crossing at the end of the move. 

A successful side-line conversion from Livai Saukuru gave the visitors a 2-point advantage. 

In a sawing contest, a flicked ball from Hayden Budd allowed Benjamin Johnson to score to re-established the Dragons' lead. 

Just five minutes later, they were in again, this time skipper Sam Hooper delivering a short ball for halfback Braxton Wallace to collect a four-pointer. 

With the score-line 14-6 to the Dragons at the break, Wests Tigers needed a fast start to the second stanza, and they got exactly what they needed. 

NRL Development player Lomi Saukuru scored his first try of the 2022 season to reduce the deficit to four points.

However, St George Illawarra continued its trend of hitting back quickly, with a Zach Herring grubber kick leading to Ben Johnson’s second try of the day. 

From there, the home side took control of the contest, a dart from hooker Sam Hooper, who was arguably the best-on-ground, extending the Dragons’ lead to 14 points.

A desperate Tigers side mounted a late comeback with Michael Tannous crashing over from dummy half, but it wasn’t to be for the away side, their season coming to an end with a 26-22 defeat.