On a sun-drenched Saturday at Henson Park (July 26), the Newtown Jets brought the party to life, not just for the Beer Footy & Food Festival crowd, but for their top five credentials, as they beat the St George Illawarra Dragons 40-16 in a rollicking NSW Cup Round 21 clash.
From the opening whistle, the Jets were all business. Fullback Mawene Hiroti introduced himself to the Dragons in style, tossing an outrageous dummy and darting through untouched for first points. Hooker Jayden Berrell was soon shimmying and slicing through the middle, linking up with Kyle Pickering who cruised in under the posts. Not even 15 minutes in and the Jets seemed in control.
Jordin Leiu kept the blue flags waving with a bustling try, and with the Dragons kicking off dead, it looked like it could get ugly. But the Red V weren’t there just for the beer – a slick chain of passes out wide saw Lyric Craft-Te Moananui cross to get the Dragons on the board. Nick Tsougranis burst through with a powerful run to keep things interesting, narrowing the margin to 16-10 at the break.
The Jets came out after oranges with steely determination, the ghosts of the Roosters game still haunting them. A Kristian Dixon try, followed by Michael Gabrael’s quick reaction to a Niwhai Puru grubber, pushed the lead out. Berrell helped himself to a four-pointer after pouncing on a spilled bomb, and while Tsougranis’ second gave the Dragons hope, a Hiroti double in the dying minutes sealed both his hat-trick and the Tom Kirk Cup.
Special mentions go to Hiroti’s dazzling hattrick, Berrell’s scheming runs, and the always-energetic Henson crowd, making this more than just a win: this was a statement. “The Dragons have been the quiet benchmark of the season. We beat the Warriors earlier in the season, and it was great to now beat the Dragons,” confessed Jets hooker Josh Cook.
Next up, the Jets roll into Belmore to face the Bulldogs, while the Dragons regroup for a blockbuster against the Warriors. But on this sparkling Sydney afternoon, Henson Park belonged to the boys in blue!
