1 hour ago
4
Updated July 26, 2026 — 5:12pm,first published 4:03pm
It was the Spoonbowl that really wasn’t. And despite finally locking in a long-term coach with a batch of promising local juniors to build around, the Dragons have copped the reality check they didn’t really need.
The Gold Coast’s 38-18 win on Sunday afternoon all but confirms the inevitable. St George Illawarra are now eight points adrift of the 16th-placed Wests Tigers with seven games left in their season. Space will have to be made in the trophy cabinet for the first wooden spoon in the joint-venture’s history.
The Titans entered the match sitting second last on the NRL ladder. However, with both teams showing better form than typical cellar dwellers – and the visitors well clear of the bottom – this contest never truly felt like a Spoonbowl.
Newly installed full-time coach Dean Young will be all too aware, though, after the Dragons failed to match their improvements of the past six weeks.
“Intent on both sides of the ball,” was his apt explanation of where his side was so soundly beaten.
“They ran harder than we tackled and tackled harder than we ran. It started there and it finished there.”
The day started with celebrations for Clint Gutherson’s 250th NRL outing, while 75 Dragons Old Boys also added to an occasion St George Illawarra simply didn’t play to.
After Gutherson set up the first try with a lovely offload to Tyrell Sloan, the Gold Coast started an assault on the Red V right-edge defence that never really stopped. And why would it when three first-half tries came far too easily?
With Kyle Flanagan and Matt Feagai targeted repeatedly, Young eventually turned to utility Lyhkan King-Togia in place of Feagai out wide.
“They’ve been really good the last month, the right edge, but they were certainly off today,” Young said.
“So I felt like I had to make a change, when we were down, chasing points, so I decided to put Lyhkan on and try to generate something. I thought he was good, but the right edge needed to be better.”
The same can be said for anyone in red and white on Sunday afternoon. An early 40-20 from Daniel Atkinson was undone by other long kicks that sailed out on the full and conceded seven-tackle sets. Josh Kerr needlessly landed himself on report within seconds of coming from the bench by belting Titans halfback Zane Harrison late and off the ball.
Incoming Dragons recruit Phillip Sami gave Red V fans an unwelcome taste of what they can expect from him next year with a try and 239 running metres. Beau Fermor, Jayden Campbell and Keano Kini all simply ran amok, while Jaylan de Groot bagged a double playing in the centres as well.
When Campbell duped Flanagan with a couple of dummies and sped straight past him in the 61st minute, the Titans had a fourth win from their past seven starts in the bag.
The Dragons have a promising crop of local juniors, as well as Keaon Koloamatangi and Scott Drinkwater leading their recruits next season.
But they also have the wooden spoon, and looked every bit a last-placed side on Sunday. Young has a five-day turnaround to fix it before hosting the Dolphins in Wollongong on Friday night.
“I’ve got a group of players downstairs that are really disappointed with that performance and I know they really care about the remainder of the season,” he said.
“We don’t have long to feel sorry for ourselves. We’ve got to get on with it and make sure that we compete really hard at home come Friday.”
