Dugan injured as Storm beat Dragons
Josh Dugan suffered an ankle injury as St George Illawarra Dragons lost 12-4 at Melbourne Storm in their NRL opener on Monday.
An injury to Josh Dugan capped a miserable start to the NRL season for St George Illawarra Dragons as they suffered a 12-4 defeat against Melbourne Storm at Jubilee Oval on Monday.
Full-back Dugan appeared to twist his ankle in the 68th minute attempting field a kick and had to be carried from the pitch.
The Storm opened the scoring with a try for Young Tonumaipea off a Cooper Cronk kick after only five minutes.
That was the only real highlight of the first half for either team as the Dragons attacked the Storm's line repeatedly late in the half without cracking them.
Former hotel porter Eto Nabuli delivered the Dragons' first try in the 49th minute after a brilliant grubber on the run from Benji Marshall.
Will Chambers burrowed over on the hour to restore the Storm's six-point advantage, with Cameron Smith converting from the touchline to make it 12-4 and the Dragons were unable to mount a fightback.
Melbourne's victory could come at a cost, as Dale Finucane, Jesse Bromwich and Felise Kaufusi were all placed on report and must now await the Match Review Committee's charge sheet.