Melbourne captain Christian Welch has tipped St George Illawarra for an improved season in 2024 after they came close to clinching one of the upsets of the year over the Storm in Wollongong.
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Their finals hopes long since over, the 16th-placed Dragons punished top-four hopefuls Melbourne for early ill-discipline at WIN Stadium to take a surprise 18-4 lead in the first half.
Two of Saints' three first-half tries came on the fifth tackle from close range, Ben Hunt pulling the strings as the Dragons poked holes in the heavyweights' goal-line defence.
Even when the Storm attempted to kick clear in the second half, the Dragons refused to lie down.
They scored first after the break through Billy Burns and would have drawn level heading into the final five minutes if Ben Hunt had nailed his conversion attempt from the right touchline.
Ultimately, it took the ball flying free from Hunt's clutches in the final three minutes and being scooped up by Jahrome Hughes for the Storm to seal a 38-28 win.
The performance marked the fourth time in as many weeks that the Dragons pushed their more highly-fancied opponents before falling in tight circumstances.
Even before firing coach Anthony Griffin in May after a string of losses, the Dragons have rarely been put to the sword in season 2023, losing by more than 20 points only twice since March.
Welch said there was reason for optimism at the joint venture, who will be coached by premiership-winning mentor Shane Flanagan from 2024.
"I'd be pretty excited for what they've got next year," the Storm skipper said.
"I think (Tyrell) Sloan, (Junior) Amone, Ben Hunt and they've got some really physical forwards.
"It was a really tough game out there.
"I know they're probably not where they wanted to be on the ladder but I think you've got to be pretty excited about that performance and what they've got for next year."
Interim coach Ryan Carr said there was plenty to like about the Dragons' latest performance.
"We put a lot of emphasis on how we were going to start the game," he said.
"The start is usually a reflection of your attitude and I thought our attitude was bang-on tonight.
"We're building a really good attitude and culture around what we're doing and we're going to be a better team for it."
Australian Associated Press
