Warriors’ crushing victory pushes Dragons further down NRL ladder

St George Illawarra’s season appears to be in shambles, even with the presence of Ben Hunt, as the team suffered a heavy 48-18 defeat against the Warriors in the latest NRL clash.

Although Hunt, who had recently expressed his desire to leave St George Illawarra Dragons, he did not face any discernible antagonism from the Wollongong supporters, his lackluster display during the game might have warranted some disappointment. Some fans could even contemplate demanding a million-dollar refund for the lackluster performance from their top-earning player.

Despite a commendable performance during the Queensland’s second consecutive State of Origin series victory against NSW, Hunt was significantly outperformed by Warriors’ Shaun Johnson. Johnson delivered his season’s 16th and 17th try assists, and scored one himself, pushing the Dragons further down the ladder with a 30-point drubbing.

Hunt’s performance fell far short of the expected standard, with just three runs for 24 meters and a lack of visible contribution to the offence. His future with the club, following 118 games, now hangs in the balance and will be decided by the board.

Hunt told the Nine Network, “I’ll have a discussion with the higher-ups this coming Monday, and we’ll sort things out then.”

Gal puts Ben Hunt on the spot! 👀#NRLDragonsWarriors #9WWOS #NRL pic.twitter.com/KGqjQwKASP

— NRL on Nine (@NRLonNine) June 23, 2023

The ineffective Hunt wasn’t the only lowlight for the Dragons. Mikaele Ravalawa, the team’s winger, also had a disastrous outing. Ravalawa’s series of blunders aided the New Zealand Warriors to secure a 20-6 lead by halftime.

Despite these challenges, fleet-footed fullback Tyrel Sloan displayed impressive speed, providing some hope for the Dragons. However, the Warriors took full control of the game after that.

After Marata Niukore was sin-binned for causing Moses Suli a category-one concussion, Zane Musgrove lifted the spirits of home fans by reducing the deficit to eight points with a successful try.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. The Warriors went on to score five additional tries – including a second-half hat-trick by Zelezniak – solidifying only their second NRL victory at WIN Stadium and fueling their unexpected pursuit for a top-four finals spot.

St George Illawarra Dragons are currently paying $19 to make the top 8 with the NRL betting sites.

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