The Tigers inexplicably played short down inside the 10m, allowing the Dragons to score a late try and penalty goal to seal a 24-22 comeback victory.
The Tigers were leading 22-16 when Junior Pauga ran a short 10-yard down, allowing the Dragons to march 100 yards and Jackson Ford to score to close out the scoring.
Asu Kepaoa was then sent off for a high shot which allowed Zac Lomax to take the penalty in the 80th minute.
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Tautau Moga produced a skilful clearance for Jaydn Su’A to score in his 100th NRL game and give the Dragons an early lead.
Dragons fullback Cody Ramsey was sin-binned for taking out Starford To’A in a scoring chance that opened the door for the Tigers.
Adam Doeuihi set up Fa’amanu Brown who cut through an open hole to score and close out the scoring.
Doeuihi then set up debutant Tom Freebairn with a second try assist for his first NRL try as the Tigers took the lead.
Jack Bird was sent to the sin bin for backing up a penalty with a repeated back chat after being sent off for 10 to reduce the Dragons to 12 men for the second time in the half.
Jock Madden set up Freebairn for his first-half brace as the Tigers took control with a big lead.
Zac Lomax set up Tautau Moga for a try to start the second half to get the Dragons back on track.
Zac Lomax pounced after he was denied a try earlier to see the Dragons close the scores.
Jock Madden scored a brilliant solo try to see the Tigers take the lead against the run of play.
Jack De Belin produced a pass to set up Jackson Ford to close the scoring with four minutes to play after the Tigers inexplicably played a short drop inside 10 meters to see the Dragons march 100 meters up the field.
“I can’t believe what I just saw,” Warren Smith told Fox League.
“That sums up the season.”
Asu Kepaoa was denied by a high shot over Lomax gifting the Dragons a penalty goal which he iced to win the game.
Here are the main takeaways from the match.
TO COME . . .
PREDICTION OF THE MATCH
Wests Tigers hope to avoid the wooden spoon with a shock result against the St George Illawarra Dragons.
Jack de Belin starts at close with Aaron Woods switching to the bench and Jack Bird moving from center to block.
Tyrell Sloan starts on the wing, with Matthew Feagai switching to centre.
The Tigers are level on points with the Gold Coast Titans but occupy last place due to a lower points differential.
And with a final round clash against the fast-finishing Canberra Raiders, who are pushing for a finals place, this could be the Concord outfit’s best chance to get off the ladder.
However, they will have to do without star forward James Tamou who is suspended after his verbal outburst at a referee in the Tigers’ embarrassing loss to the Sydney Roosters.
Luke Garner (head), Ken Maumalo (groin) and Alex Seyfarth (shoulder) are also out.
The Dragons are officially out of the final race and unable to finish higher than 10th on the ladder, but they still represent a dangerous outfit.
Anthony Griffin’s side racked up 46 points against the Titans last week, with 16 of them scored with just 12 men on the field.
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However, the big story at the Jubilee Stadium is the future of Ben Hunt.
The star half-back has been revitalized since moving to the Dragons and is a heavy favorite for the Dally M Medal, but reports emerged of an extension offer of $700,000, a figure many considered an offer of low ball
The 32-year-old is likely to command upwards of $750,000 and it will be intriguing to see if the recent reports have any effect on his performance.
Jack Bird has been moved to the centers to compensate for the suspended Moses Mbye.
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