Both Dragons halves suffered ankle injuries within 30 seconds of each other just prior to halftime, setting the stage for a second-half collapse that would define their Round 2 clash against Melbourne at WIN Stadium in Wollongong on Saturday night.
Playing on leg injuries and hampered by the ankle damage, Atkinson combined with Holmes early in the second stanza, and the Dragons dared to dream at 20-18. But the moment proved fleeting. The Storm rolled into Wollongong and kicked clear of a spirited Dragons side to secure a 46-20 victory. The hosts led 20-18 after 60 minutes before Sua Faalogo took control of the contest. The livewire fullback scored three tries in the space of 12 minutes to turn the match on its head.
Dragons coach Shane Flanagan was candid about the physical toll. "Both halves have got bad ankles. They will probably both have-to-have scans. I watched both tackles, they weren't hip drops, but weight landed on the lower legs and they got swung around," Flanagan said. Yet the pair demonstrated resilience. "Both of them got treatment at halftime and had to have their ankles strapped. They're two tough young men and they know how important it is that we don't lose a half. So they just got on with it."
When Gutherson crashed into the left corner from a Suli offload nearing halftime, the Dragons led 14-12, but with nine seconds to go before the break, Australian hooker and Storm captain Harry Grant pinched a try and the lead at the break to the tune of 18-14. The momentum swung decisively after the break. As fatigue started to set in, Gutherson's head assessment forced a reshuffle, with Holmes moving to fullback, Suli changing sides and Mathew Feagai coming on for the first time at left centre. Faalogo pounced on the new look defensive line, slicing through to give the Storm back the lead.
Flanagan's post-match assessment offered no excuses. "Too many errors. We killed ourselves with yardage errors, kicking out on the full," Dragon's coach Shane Flanagan said. "We just put ourselves under too much pressure. In the 62nd minute, we're in the game and still leading 20-18. But we didn't deserve to win the last 20 minutes. The amount of ball we turned over in the first half and the second half put us under too much pressure ... we were our own worst enemy".
Melbourne crossed five times in the last 18 minutes, with Faalogo scoring three of them, to announce himself well and truly on the NRL stage. The Dragons were left to rue a night besotted by injuries, HIA's (three) and errors (12). The Dragons next travel to CommBank Stadium on Sunday March 22 to face Parramatta.