"Five steps backwards": Townsend and Kemp pan 'lacklustre' Dragons

Denan Kemp and Chad Townsend have slammed St. George Illawarra over another disappointing loss as they confirm their spot as wooden spooners.

It’s been a disappointing year for the Dragons, who have struggled to find form and wins, resulting in Shane Flanagan losing his job as coach earlier in the year.

Whilst they found some wins under Dean Young, their poor form continued on Friday night with the Sea Eagles cruising to a 44-10 victory at Brookvale Oval.

As a result, St. George Illawarra will finish last on the ladder for the first time since the merged club began competing in 1999.

It was a strong win by Manly, who cashed in on the Dragons’ 15 errors throughout the match, having managed eight tries before the Saints had a score.

Reflecting on the showing by the Red V, the former Broncos and Warriors winger was critical of their first 20 minutes in particular.    “Being at the game, they just dominated the Dragons,” Kemp said on SEN’s Saturday League Kick-Off.

“Honestly, I reckon the first 20 minutes, I genuinely believe the Dragons didn't have a single tackle in the Manly 20-metre line.

“It was a total domination.

“It looked like first grade versus reserve grade.”

Townsend shared that view, believing Friday night’s result has set the club back after some positive performances across the last month.

“They were poor, the Dragons last night,” he said.

“You saw the scenes from halftime, Dean Young giving him an absolute serve; they deserved it.

“They looked lacklustre last night. It looked like they want the season to finish.

“And that's been the most disappointing for the Dragons because we've seen them take some steps forward at the back end of this year.

“Last night they took five steps backwards.

“Their errors are awful, defensively. On the edges, they weren't on the same page, and Manly just ran riot.”

The Dragons close out their season against the Eels on September 6 at WIN Stadium in Wollongong.

SEN League will have live coverage of the match from 12pm AEST with Crunch Time NRL.

That can be heard across our radio network and on the SEN app. Kick-off takes place at 2pm.