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News.com.au
28-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Injury-hit Dragons hold on as Eels comeback is thwarted by late Zac Lomax blunder
St George Illawarra's second-half collapses almost took on a whole new meaning after they threatened to surrender a 22-point lead against a resurgent Eels in Wollongong on Saturday evening. On a night of high drama in front of one of the biggest ever crowds for a Dragons game at WIN Stadium, Shane Flanagan's embattled side limped to the finish with not a single fit player on the bench for the last 15 minutes. On top of losing winger Christian Tuipulotu in the warm-up, the Dragons had veteran hooker Damien Cook struggle in the closing minutes, and they will be counting the cost of a desperately-needed 34-20 victory in coming days. Forwards Luciano Leilua (quad), Hamish Stewart (concussion), Toby Couchman (shoulder) and Viliami Fifita (knee) all failed to finish the game, heaping the pressure on the Red V before a torrid month in which they're due to play the ladder-leading Raiders, Roosters and Bulldogs. If Dragons fans hadn't suffered enough by already losing three games this season when leading by 12 points after half-time – against the Rabbitohs, Eels and Sharks – their stress levels were off the charts as they somehow kept their top eight fight alive. Parramatta threatened to erase a massive 26-4 half-time deficit through quick tries to Dragons old boy Zac Lomax, Dean Hawkins and Kelma Tuilagi, and it almost looked inevitable they would chalk up one of the most remarkable wins in their recent history against a busted hosts. But Lomax tried an audacious offload with less than five minutes left after a Tuilagi line break, the ball falling to Valentine Holmes, who sprinted 60 metres to ice the Dragons' sixth win of the season. Kyle Flanagan kicked a last-minute penalty goal to seal the result. The Dragons could finish the weekend on the same number of points as eighth spot if the Sharks don't upset the Storm in Melbourne on Sunday. Shane Flanagan was breathing fire even before kick-off, telling Fox League in a pre-game interview some of the criticism of his halves, son Kyle and rookie Lyhkan King-Togia, was 'ridiculous'. In a sparkling first-half in which the Dragons ran riot, King-Togia in particular was outstanding, and Kyle Flanagan produced his own statement with a neat try to extend St George Illawarra's lead. But the match turned on its head after half-time, with Leilua failing to return to the field, Stewart knocked out after a kick-off carry from Matt Doorey and Couchman in significant pain with a shoulder complaint. LOMAX JEERED ON WOLLONGONG RETURN Lomax wrote his own headlines in his first match against his old club earlier this year, sensationally kicking a golden point field goal before missing the next six weeks with a foot injury. But he had no control over the fans at WIN Stadium. And he couldn't muster the result he wanted. There were a smattering of boos every time he went near the ball, and they were loudest when he lined up his only first-half conversion attempt which cannoned into the post. LAWSON'S ON If you'd told Nathan Lawson 15 minutes before kick-off he'd have his first NRL try just a couple of sets after the kick-off, he would have laughed at you because he wasn't even supposed to be playing. But Tuipulotu was injured in the warm-up, prompting a frantic chaotic last-minute change and Lawson scored at the end of the Dragons' first set with the ball. By half-time, Lawson had a double and St George Illawarra's opposite winger Corey Allan had left the field for a concussion test, passed it and returned to score his own four-pointer as the Dragons steamed the Eels through the middle and took advantage on the edges. But the second half couldn't have been a greater contrast with the Eels' 2026 signing Jack de Belin typifying the Dragons' struggles, forced to play on an edge as his side desperately hung on.
News.com.au
28-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Footy world divided by controversial Josh Addo-Carr call in Dragons' win
Parramatta was denied a try after a hugely controversial call in the second half of their 34-20 loss to St George-Illawarra on Saturday night. The Dragons led 26-4 at halftime after a dominant opening 40 minutes and appeared ready to coast to victory at WIN Stadium. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. But the Eels had other ideas, scoring three tries in an 11-minute stretch to roar back into the contest at 26-20. Then came the moment that will have plenty of people talking. The Eels moved the ball to the left side of the field with just over 17 minutes remaining, when Sean Russell found Josh Addo-Carr on the left wing. The man known as the Foxx broke a Corey Allan tackle and passed back inside to Russell, who had clear air in front of him to stroll to the line and give Parra the chance to tie the game at 26-26. But the touch judge had other ideas, lifting his flag and ruling Addo-Carr had touched the sideline to stun the Eels fans watching on. When the replay was shown, it was one of the tightest calls you could see on the footy field and far from convincing. 'Addo-Carr is away, it might be 26-26 in a moment,' Andrew Voss yelled on Fox League. 'No the flag is up, a foot over the sideline. Our man is standing by his decision. 'Addo-Carr, left leg down and then the right, where is it? Could be this one. I don't know. 'If it's not, it's as close as you can go. Oh boy.' Steve Roach added: 'I don't know about that. How could naked eye make a call? 'He had a player down in front of him, how could he see it?' Voss then clarified the ruling, stating: 'That is incredible that moment, but once the sideline official's flag goes up, the protocol is you don't go to the Bunker. It was going to be 26-all. 'Send some Panadol to the Dragons' box.' Fans were deeply divided by the incident on social media. Lui Zacher tweeted: 'Touchie has X ray vision to see through a Dragons player, and CSI: Enhance technology to call Addo-Carr's boot on the line 15 metres away, but someone chucks a forward pass right in front and it's 'I didn't see nuffin'.' @aotesam wrote: 'I think his foot *just* went into touch … but there is absolutely no way you can call it with confidence.' Jack Holdsworth said: 'The first time a useless touch judge has ever made a live call and he reckons he's seen 1mm of Addo-Carrs foot on the sideline. Give me a f**king spell.' Mr_Ives wrote: 'That Dragons Eels touchie could see Uranus without a telescope.' Gemma Rogers suggested: 'I thought the touchie got that right. Looked like his foot was just on the line.' LJ declared: 'Parra have been screwed big time there, that was never in touch!' The Dragons eventually scored another try through Valentine Holmes with five minutes remaining to establish a match-winning lead. Voss was left hoping Addo-Carr's moment wouldn't be the biggest talking point of a great game of footy. 'There's been so much happening in this game,' he said. 'I know people are going to go back to the Addo-Carr foot on the line. 'If he's in, it's the closest to being out anyway there's ever been and that would be 26-all at that point. 'But I'd rather savour the game at the moment, rather than the controversy.'
News.com.au
23-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Zac Lomax prepared for boos from Dragons fans as he returns to Wollongong in Eels colours
Parramatta star Zac Lomax knows exactly what to expect as he prepares for a return to Wollongong this weekend. He also knows that the result is far more important than silencing any of the jeers that come his way. 'Oh, what do you think,' Lomax said when asked whether he expected to be booed by Dragons fans. 'That's footy. I'm not the only person that's been in this situation. I'm sure it will be weird. I'm sure I won't get a real nice reception there, but that's the way that it goes. 'They're all my good mates down there and they'll be some of my best mates forever you know. 'We have a job to do. I want to go down there and put in a good performance. It's going to be a good test for us.' • SAINT, SINNER, SHOOSH: SCHUSTER TAKES INDEFINITE BREAK FROM NRL Lomax left the Dragons at the end of last season in a blaze of controversy and he had a game to remember when he played against his former club earlier this year. On that occasion, Lomax stepped up and nailed a field goal in golden point to give the Eels a win over St George Illawarra. That game was at CommBank Stadium, where Lomax has quickly become a fan favourite. He was once feted by Dragons fans as well at WIN Stadium but a move to the Eels changed that and there seems little doubt he will be in the eye of the storm on Saturday night. Asked whether it would be emotional given it will mark the first time he has played at WIN Stadium in anything other than a Dragons jersey, Lomax said: 'To be fair, I don't even know. They're in a very similar boat to us where they have to win. 'You completely try to take the emotion out of it because the emotion can affect your game I guess positively and negatively.' The Eels will arrive in Wollongong with their spirits lifted after a big win over the Gold Coast, a result that gave them a buffer over the Titans at the foot of the ladder. Lomax kicked six goals from as many attempts against the Titans, exorcising the demons from the second State of Origin game in Perth when his goal-kicking radar was awry. Asked whether he felt any responsibility for the Blues defeat, Lomax replied: 'Oh man, it's easy to look at it that way because it's two points. 'For me I pride myself on being a good goalkicker as well. So for me, it was not ideal. We're in situations like that, that's, that's Origin. 'The thing is I probably couldn't have struck them any better, they just stayed out. That's the way that footy goes.'
