The 2024 NRL Anzac Day clash delivered a brutal reminder of just how wide the gap between title contenders and battlers has become, as the in-form Sydney Roosters crushed a crisis-hit St George Illawarra Dragons side by a stunning 46-point margin to extend the Dragons’ winless start to the season to eight straight losses. The result caps a chaotic week for the Dragons, which began with the club parting ways with head coach Shane Flanagan on Monday and ending with a humiliating defeat that stands as one of their lowest points in recent seasons. Following Flanagan’s departure, club legend Dean Young stepped into the interim head coaching role, and one of his first major decisions was to hand promising young halfback Kade Reed his NRL debut — a call that former coach Flanagan had resisted, opting to wait until Reed gained more experience in lower grades.
Reed’s debut almost got off to a fairy-tale start just minutes into the match, when the 19-year-old threw a perfectly weighted, pinpoint cut-out pass that put winger Mat Feagai over for what looked to be a dream opening try. The crowd’s cheers quickly fell silent, however, when the NRL Bunker overturned the score after spotting a marginal forward knock-on in the lead-up. Despite the disallowed try, Reed put in a fearless performance across his 80 minutes: he tested the Roosters defensive line with early attacking chips, pressed for opportunities to shift the point of attack, and even had a second try denied late in the game by an obstruction call. The rookie was not without growing pains — he finished the match with six missed tackles, and a costly dropped ball under pressure allowed Roosters captain James Tedesco to race away for a try that pushed the home side’s score past 50. Still, his bright glimpses of potential gave Dragons fans one of the few positives to take away from a grim day.
Young’s squad did little to help their new interim coach or their young debutant, however. Two first-half sin-binnings for ill-discipline left the Dragons short on the edge of their own try line repeatedly: Luciano Leilua was sent off the field for a high shot on Roosters halfback Sam Walker, while Daniel Atkinson joined him for a deliberate professional foul. Unforced errors also proved costly, with multiple spilled kicks directly leading to Roosters tries, turning small moments of pressure into converted tries for the red-hot visitors.
For the Dragons, the only other bright spot came off the field, with the club confirming Saturday that they had signed representative fullback Scott Drinkwater from the North Queensland Cowboys, with the move set to take place from the 2027 season onward. Still, it will be a long road back to competitiveness for Young, who now faces the challenge of rebuilding a culture and fixing on-field performance after one of the worst start to a season in the club’s history.
For the Roosters, the performance was far more than just another win: it was a statement of intent that the club is emerging as the biggest threat to reigning premiers Penrith Panthers’ bid for a fourth straight premiership. After scrambling to secure wins with second-half fightbacks in recent weeks, this match was a clinical 80-minute performance from Trent Robinson’s side, with their entire spine firing on all cylinders from the opening whistle. Captain James Tedesco continued his career-best form, notching two try assists and opening up the Dragons’ middle defense repeatedly to set up a first-half double for Sam Walker. Five-eighth Daly Cherry-Evans was equally dominant, laying on three first-half tries, while hooker Reece Robson turned in a dynamic performance out of dummy-half that included his first try in Roosters colours. Walker also put in a strong kicking game that pinned the Dragons deep in their own half for long stretches, forcing multiple line dropouts that kept the pressure consistent.
The Roosters will face their biggest test of the season so far next week, when they take on the red-hot Brisbane Broncos in what is already shaping up to be one of the must-watch matches of the 2024 NRL regular season.