The pressure on Shane Flanagan is set to intensify after St George Illawarra slumped to their worst ever start to a season with a 32-0 flogging from North Queensland.
The Dragons were booed by fans at a half-empty Kogarah on fulltime on Saturday, after what was easily their worst performance of the season.
The result means they are now winless through their first five games for the first time in history, while the team’s losing streak is now at a record nine dating back to August.
Jake Clifford of the Cowboys celebrates scoring a try. Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images
Potentially making matters worse for the Dragons was co-captain and fullback Clint Gutherson limping up the tunnel on fulltime with a leg injury.
On the flip side, North Queensland now have three straight wins, just weeks after their coach Todd Payten’s job security had appeared as bleak as Flanagan’s following a 0-2 start.
Flanagan now needs a revival of that kind from his Dragons, after he conceded to AAP on Friday he was “a realist” and knew he needed wins to remain coach.
In two-and-a-bit seasons at the club he has blooded a number of young forwards, but the Dragons’ finals drought is now at risk of reaching an eighth year.
They had at least been in all of their first four losses until late in the game, but were never in the contest on Saturday.
Scott Drinkwater and Jaxon Purdue blitzed them, with Drinkwater kicking a 40-20 before the Cowboys’ first, then slicing through the Dragons’ left edge two plays later to score.
The Dragons’ best attacking raid in the first half ended when Dan Atkinson kicked on the second tackle, which was easily scooped up by Drinkwater.
Moments later it was 10-0 when Jake Clifford offloaded for Purdue to go 65 metres and score, before Clifford later grubber-kicked for Purdue’s second on halftime.
The Dragons could count themselves somewhat unlucky in the lead-up to Purdue’s second, with David Fale penalised for an extended boot to Murray Taulagi’s neck as he leapt to catch a bomb.
Nothing summed up the Dragons’ day more than a 90-metre Braidon Burns try, when a wayward Lyhkan King-Togia pass went to ground from a Dragons scrum.
Making matters worse for the Dragons was the fact that came while the Cowboys were down to 12 men, with Reuben Cotter sin-binned for a professional foul.
King-Togia in particular had a poor afternoon in place of the concussed Kyle Flanagan, while Atkinson’s kicking game was below par, with multiple grubbers going dead.
In contrast, Clifford was great at No.6 for the Cowboys, and Purdue had a field day outside him.
The centre finished with 189 metres to go with his two tries, and also sent Taulagi over for one in the second half.
Burns and Sam McIntyre both limped off with ankle injuries in the win, the only sour note for the Cowboys.