Friday night footy LIVE: Lomax and co torch Warriors; Eels host ...

From Wollongong to Darwin we go, don’t get to say that often in rugby league land. The Eels have been taking an early season game north for several years now - had the pleasure of tagging along a couple of times. The Anzac Cup at Darwin track is a great time to be had by all, Monsoons Nightclub in town, that’s certainly some sort of time too.

Wayne ‘life of the party’ Bennett hasn’t made the side for the visitors, he’s been laid low with a virus back in Brisbane. Rest up Wayne, Kristian Woolf has got this.

Wayne Bennett: the great man is down for the night.Credit: Getty

The teams are in by the way. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow is gone for at least a month with a torn hamstring, replaced by 27-year-old Trai Fuller at fullback. Fuller’s been around the traps in Qld Cup for a while, he’s only 170cm tall but there’s a bit of Dylan Edwards’ endless running game about him, apparently with a bit of attitude as well.

Parramatta have swapped Junior Paulo and Joe Ofahengaue around as is customary this year. Jarrod Wallace drops back to 18th man for the Dolphins, replaced on the bench by Oryn Keeley.

Eels: 1. Clinton Gutherson 2. Bailey Simonsson 3. Viliami Penisini 4. Morgan Harper 5. Sean Russell 6. Daejarn Asi 7. Dylan Brown 8. Reagan Campbell-Gillard 9. Joey Lussick 16. Joe Ofahengaue 11. Shaun Lane 12. Bryce Cartwright 13. J’maine Hopgood 14. Luca Moretti 15. Ryan Matterson10. Junior Paulo 17. Blaize Talagi 18. Brendan Hands

Dolphins: 1. Trai Fuller 2. Jamayne Isaako 3. Jake Averillo 4. Tesi Niu 5. Jack Bostock 6. Kodi Nikorima 7. Isaiya Katoa 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Jeremy Marshall-King 10. Mark Nicholls 11. Kenny Bromwich 12. Euan Aitken 13. Max Plath 14. Josh Kerr 15. Sean O’Sullivan 16. Ray Stone 18. Oryn Keeley 17. Jarrod Wallace

What a stunning result in Wollongong.

The Dragons, heavy outsiders going into the match, have survived a brutal first 20-minute onslaught to thump title contenders the Warriors on the back of another five-star display from Zac Lomax.

Should we dare mention the “f” word about St George Illawarra? They just might be a different kettle of fish this year under Shane Flanagan.

How good is Anzac Day going to be next week against the Roosters?

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The Dragons produced their best performance of the season.Credit: Getty

That would have been a great reward for a superb night, but referee Gerard Sutton has pulled it back.

Ray Faitala-Mariner burst into the backfield after a neat Ben Hunt pass, he only has to draw the fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, but is ruled to have thrown it forward to Zac Lomax, who was putting the ball down under the black dot to cap off a super night. Maybe a bit cruel.

Inside the last four minutes.

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Zac Lomax has been superb for the Dragons.Credit: Getty

They are just so, so good these wingers.

Dallin Watene-Zelezniak has helped the Warriors add a bit of respectability to the scoreboard with one of those freakish tries that wingers are so good at these days, contorting his body around the corner post, and shrugging off the challenge of Christian Tuipulotu and Tyrell Sloan to ground the ball inside the touchline by millimetres. And I mean millimetres. Spectacular.

Shaun Johnson nails the sideline conversion and the margin is back to 18 points with eight minutes left.

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So, is it premature for Dragons fans to think they might be a finals team after this performance? Go on, let them dream. They deserve it. There’s been a lot of pain for a lot of years.

Shane Flanagan has injected Fa’amanu Brown into the action for the outstanding Jacob Liddle, who has been one of the Dragons’ best so far this season. It’s his fifth NRL club so far.

Down to the last 13 minutes here at Wollongong. Dragons fans must be thinking what is going on. It’s never this comfortable watching their games.

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Mikaele Ravalawa celebrates a Dragons try.Credit: Getty

The Dragons’ lightning fast fullback has just gone the length of the field to score. The Dragons are breathing fire.

It started with Shaun Johnson dropping the ball cold as the Warriors camped on St George Illawarra’s line, had Ben Hunt pick it up and then throw it to Tyrell Sloan, who has gone almost 90 metres to score, outpacing Dallin Watene-Zelezniak.

This is remarkable from St George Illawarra. Where has this performance come from, especially given the bludger of a game at Campbelltown last week?

Zac Lomax kicks the easy conversion from in front and the Dragons are racing away from the Warriors with 16 minutes left.

Are you ready for Anzac Day, Dragons fans?

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Amid all that Roger Tuivasa-Sheck madness, referee Gerard Sutton has placed Warriors forward Jackson Ford on report for a crusher tackle on Mikaele Ravalawa. The bunker has seen something, and didn’t like it, apparently.

The official crowd is also in at 13,111. Not bad for a Friday 6pm kick-off in windy Wollongong. Most of them are going home very happy at the moment.

Warriors centre Roger Tuivasa-Sheck.Credit: Getty