Dragons vanquish Roosters as Eels revival gathers pace

SYDNEY: The St George Illawarra Dragons lead Australia’s National Rugby League after crushing title rivals Sydney Roosters as the Parramatta Eels won again this weekend.

Halves Ben Hunt and Gareth Widdop outpointed their big money scrumbase opposites Cooper Cronk and Luke Keary in a 24-8 Anzac Day win before a 41,000 crowd. The Dragons have only lost once in eight games this season and lead the Penrith Panthers and New Zealand Warriors by two points.

The Parramatta Eels won their second straight game after dropping their first six matches, in a 24-22 thriller over the Wests Tigers at ANZ Stadium on Sunday. The lead changed five times in the pulsating encounter as the Eels carried on their improved form generated in previous week’s big win over Manly. Stand-off James Maloney guided Penrith to a 22-14 victory over the Canterbury Bulldogs at Panthers Stadium.

The Panthers came from behind to post their sixth win of the season after trailing 12-2 midway through the first half. Defending champions Melbourne Storm were at their points-scoring best as they overwhelmed the New Zealand Warriors in a 50-10 win at AAMI Park.