Match Details
Match Date	12th Apr, 2015
Opponent	St George Illawarra
Result	Loss 6-31
Coach	Des Hasler
Captain	Aiden Tolman
Venue	Homebush (ANZ Stadium)
Crowd	20,273
Referee	Ben Cummins Matt Noyen

Veteran halfback delves into his back catalogue of cut-out balls and flick passes to inspire St George Illawarra to a 31-6 victory over the Bulldogs. Marshall the magician had not been spotted in rugby league circles since his disappearing act from Leichhardt left him wandering the sidelines of Eden Park just over 12 months ago.

But the magician resurfaced at ANZ Stadium on Sunday, turning back time to lead St George Illawarra to their fourth-straight victory with a 31-6 win against the Canterbury Bulldogs.

It was vintage Benji Marshall. There were cut-outs, short balls, no look passes, banana kicks and a field goal. There were bits of the brilliant and bits of the not so brilliant.

‘‘I thought last week he managed the game very well against Newcastle and I thought that was his best game of football since he’s been at this club,’’ Dragons coach Paul McGregor said. ‘‘I thought he followed through with that today ... I thought he really got into the game after that 20-minute period and was busy and very controlled. He’s a big game player, he’s captained his country, so we need the commander out there with Benji and he’s certainly doing that for us. It’s a credit to him. He’s worked really hard on his game.’’

It was the Marshall of old. And, in a way, it was the Dragons of old. Not since the great wall of Wayne came crashing down at the end of 2011 have the Dragons defended with the purpose and desperation they have shown in the past month under the tutelage of McGregor.

For three years under the Wayne Bennett regime, the red V was a symbol of solidarity and recognised competition-wide as the best defensive unit in the competition. But after three years of mediocrity that left even the most avid Dragons questioning the desire and commitment of their troops, pride has been restored at one of the most renowned rugby league clubs.

The Dragons conceded just their second try in 301 minutes of football when former Dragon Josh Morris crossed in the 49th minute in front of a crowd of 20,273.

While St George Illawarra’s defence had been praised going into the clash against the Bulldogs – who were missing James Graham, David Klemmer, Brett Morris, Tim Lafai and Sam Kasiano – there was still plenty of criticism of the club’s stuttering attack. But Marshall and his compatriot Gareth Widdop answered the call, producing the best attacking display of the season.

‘‘I thought they defended very well, I thought they defended their try line really well and I thought they scrambled really well,’’ Canterbury coach Des Hasler said.

‘‘I don’t know how many times, I think it was three or four times, that we got held up over the try line. I thought we had a fair run on the play but each time they got down our end of the field they walked away with points.’’

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald

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