Overview

• St George Illawarra surged to a 26-4 half-time lead before Parramatta mounted a second-half fightback to cut the margin to six points.
• A touch-judge ruling that Josh Addo-Carr’s boot brushed the sideline thwarted a potential Eels try and proved pivotal in preserving the Dragons’ advantage.
• Emergency call-up Nathan Lawson scored a double within minutes of kick-off after Christian Tuipulotu’s warm-up injury and finished unable to lift his right arm.
• Multiple in-match injuries to Luciano Leilua, Toby Couchman, Viliame Fifita, Hamish Stewart and others left the Dragons with no fit players on the bench.
• The victory boosts the Dragons’ top-eight prospects but heightens concerns over squad depth ahead of a demanding run of fixtures.