Liddle Leads the Charge as Dragons Secure Stunning Victory Over Storm
The St George Illawarra team seized the opportunity presented by a rudderless Melbourne side to secure a 14-8 victory, thus bringing an end to the Storm’s undefeated run at the beginning of the 2025 NRL season.
The Dragons' win on Saturday—their initial triumph for this campaign—was a grim and unsightly match that remained uncertain until the last fifteen minutes.
Hooker Jacob Liddle forced his way across the try line in the 69th minute, causing the drenched audience of 6211 at Kogarah Oval to erupt with excitement.
In the initial two rounds of the season, the Dragons allowed closely contested matches to escape their grip, losing out to both Canterbury and South Sydney prior to last week's break.
Coach Shane Flanagan publicly criticized halfback Lachlan Ilias due to their poor performance during critical moments in games.
Ilias performed steadily on Saturday, yet Liddle demonstrated remarkable skill in identifying a breach within the Melbourne defense and swiftly capitalizing by scoring, thus propelling the Red V ahead of the underwhelming Storm team.
"When 'Lids' arrives, he brings that extra pace from thedummyhalf position and addsanotherdimensionto our game," Flanagan stated.
It's truly essential; they (the starting hooker Damien Cook and Liddle) function as a duo.
Lids" experienced a poor preseason, underwent three hand operations, and did not get much training in, but he’s starting to show improvement at just the right moment.
With Jahrome Hughes absent as halfback, Melbourne found it difficult to maintain offensive rhythm, and their star-studded spine was unable to find its best form.
Craig Bellamy’s team received 46 scrum restarts within the Dragons’ 20-meter area, however, their only try came from Ryan Papenhuyzen shortly before the half-time whistle.
Bellamy stated, 'We had several opportunities that we both could and should have capitalized on, but failing to do so came at a cost.'
After Tyran Wishart, filling in as the temporary halfback for theStorm, kicked a penalty goal to put the visitors ahead, Papenhuyzen added another four points.
In the 34th minute, Valentine Holmes set up the initial try of the afternoon, followed by Papenhuyzen giving Melbourne an 8-6 advantage at halftime.
Melbourne had chances to add more in the second half but Shawn Blore and Eli Katoa both fumbled over the line as Saints' desperation shone through.
"We're a good footy side, but we can't put ourselves under pressure like we did today," Flanagan said.
"40-odd tackles on our try-line, we need to be smarter."
After missing an earlier penalty goal from right in front, Holmes drew the Dragons level in the 62nd minute with a straightforward kick to send the game down to the wire.
In the 67th minute, Liddle became the hero with a try scored up close due to some weak tackling by the Storm defenders, giving his team the advantage.
Holmes included additional points to provide the Dragons with a six-point advantage that Melbourne couldn’t surpass.
