Canterbury Cup Match Report: Bears v Dragons
North Sydney Bears 24 | St George Illawarra Dragons 50
Bears tries: Tom Freebairn, Fletcher Baker, Kieren Moss, Drew Hutchison
Bears Conversions: Brock Lamb 4/4
Dragons Tries: Jai Field, Tristan Sailor 2, Charly Runciman, Jason Saab 2, Jackson Ford 2, Adam Clune
Dragons Conversions: Jai Field 6/9
Dragons Penalty Conversions: Jai Field 1/1
By Hannah McGrory
The St George Illawarra Dragons have orchestrated an attacking masterclass to record a dominant 50-24 victory over the North Sydney Bears at North Sydney Oval on Friday.
Not much could separate the two sides throughout the early exchanges but it was Dragons five-eighth, Jai Field who built momentum and impressed with brilliant footwork to lead his side to a 26-point victory.
The visitors took control late in the second half as Jackson Ford and Tristan Sailor each crossed for two tries to help the Dragons record their fourth consecutive win.
Jai Field admits he was impressed with the defensive efforts of his opposition following his team’s win.
“They are a really good side and the fifty points doesn’t show. Their defence is very highly cracked they got a lot of inside pressure but we completed high in the second half to run away with it,” Jai Field told NSWRL.com.
Field says he was also satisfied with the combination he has created alongside halfback Adam Clune in just three weeks.
“I’ve played a lot of footy with Adam and he’s a quality half and makes my job easy. He’s definitely really really really smart, he’s someone I love playing with and love combining with and tonight definitely showed,” stated Jai Field.
“We bounce off each other, we’ve played a bit of footy together and we know what works for each other and hopefully we continue to do that.”
The Dragons were first on the board after a strong attacking set through Jai Field before the Bears responded quickly and capitalised off a penalty. After receiving back to back penalties, the Bears were in again through Fletcher Baker who had a strong impact scoring a couple of minutes into his first stint.
Dragons responded five minutes later, with a kick from Jai Field at the halfway mark before fullback Tristan Sailor showed terrific athleticism, chased it down and scored. Momentum was in favour of the Dragons as they scored down the right side of the field through centre Charly Runciman.
The Dragons continued to dominate in the second half with the men in white and red scoring six tries. Halfback Adam Clune took control and set up back-to- back tries to help his side secure their fourth win of the season.
The Dragons will play the Wentworthville Magpies next week with the North Sydney Bears coming up against the Western Suburb Magpies at North Sydney Oval.
