Friday night footy saw sin-bins and injuries in the first clash between St George Illawarra and Penrith Panthers, while Manly Sea Eagles couldn’t kick start their season against a resurgent Sydney Roosters.
Proceedings kicked off at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium as Dragons sought to continue their winning ways against last year's premiers, however the Panthers were too strong in the 20-16 win.
Jaydn Su’A was controversially sent to the sin-bin for a marginally late hit on Sean O’Sullivan in the first half, and his absence was felt.
He had the third most metres gained on the ground and scored a try on return to the field.
The second half was evenly fought, but it saw the Dragons pull themselves back into the game with a try to Su’A.
Although, they were left a player down again after Zac Lomax was sent off early for a professional foul. Like Su’A, Lomax’s return to the field resulted in another try for the Dragons to breathe some life back in the dying minutes but it was too little too late.
The main injury to come out of the match was Dragons Hooker Andrew McCullough, who dislocated his elbow three minutes into the second half, while the Panthers await scans on Brian To’o and James Fisher-Harris for a knee and shoulder injury respectively.
On a positive note, second rower Viliame Kikau had a successful 100th game and was a major factor in the Panthers getting across the line with two tries at crucial times.
The second game of the night was less injury-clad but was a telling in where both sides sit going into the rest of the season.
The final score saw Roosters victorious 26-12.
The Roosters rebounded hard at the SCG after a disappointing first round loss and put Manly to the sword from the start. It leaves the Roosters with some more hope to cling to ahead of a huge clash with the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
While Manly will rue the team’s inconsistency to start the year and will be hoping to turn things around against the Canterbury Bulldogs next Sunday Night.