The search is on for an idiotic Dragons fan who threw a pie at Bulldogs supporters during the 28-20 loss to Canterbury at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium on Saturday.
St George Illawarra have issued a statement apologising for the rogue spectator who thought it would be funny to be filmed buying a pie and then throwing it at a group of Dogs supporters on the Kogarah hill.
The footage was circulated on social media on the weekend and if identified, the fan faces hefty sanctions with calls for a lifetime ban.
In the clip, which was initially posted on TikTok, he is seen purchasing the pie with a friend and asking “would that look good on a Bulldogs supporter?”.
He then lobs it into a group of fans as they watched the game and cowardly runs away. An irate Canterbury fan is also shown as he displays the mess it made on his jersey and police are then seen talking to the fan who allegedly threw the pie.
Both clubs are in the process of lobbying the NRL to allow them to open the 2026 season in Las Vegas due to the traditional rivalry which exists between them but inflammatory incidents like this are only going to damage their chances of getting admission to the showpiece event.
“The Dragons are aware of a video circulating on social media depicting antisocial behaviour from a Dragons fan at last night’s match against the Bulldogs at Nestrata Jubilee Stadium. The Dragons condemn any such behaviour in the strongest terms and will assist the NRL in relation to any breaches of the NRL Spectator Code of Conduct.
“The Dragons would like to sincerely apologise to the Bulldogs fan impacted by the incident. We will work with the Bulldogs to contact the fan and pass on our apologies directly.
“As a club, we want all fans, both home and away, to always feel safe at our games. Any behaviour that causes others not to feel safe will be acted upon. The Dragons would also like to stress that the behaviour of one individual should not detract from what was overall a very respectful sellout crowd with fans of both clubs supporting the match in a great spirit.”
The Dragons played strongly in the first half but fell away to trail 28-6 before a late comeback fell just short.
They take on South Sydney at their Wollongong base this Saturday.
Ryles calls for patience after Parra’s Storm shellacking
New coach Jason Ryles has called for patience from fans after Parramatta were thumped by premiership favourites Melbourne in his first match in charge.
The first half at AAMI Park on Sunday afternoon was a horror show for the Eels, with the Storm scoring eight tries to surge to a 46-6 lead.
But the Eels at least dug deep after the break, cutting their missed tackle count from 30 to 17 and scoring two tries to take honours from the half, 12 points to 10.
It was always going to be a tough day out for the visitors, with Melbourne boasting an unrivalled round one win record, now stretching to 22 seasons under coach Craig Bellamy.
Ryan Papenhuyzen makes a break to score a try. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
Parramatta also lost their star halfback and captain Mitchell Moses, ruled out for six weeks with a foot injury.
His replacement Ronald Volkman was playing his sixth NRL match, while among the other rookies fullback Isaiah Iongi lined up for his second as reserve hooker Ryley Smith made his debut.
Ryles wasn’t looking for excuses and felt there were shoots of promise in the second half.
“We’ve had a lot of change and a lot of change in personnel, the program and then I’ve changed a lot of things that we’re doing on the field, so it’s going to take time,” said Ryles, a former Storm assistant coach under Bellamy.
“I take full responsibility in regards to the amount of change that I’ve brought to the club, but at the same time it doesn’t happen overnight.
“I’ve got no doubt that over the course of time and the buy-in that the players have given us has been enormous.
“It’s one of those things that we’ve got a tough lesson but we had a dramatic improvement in the second half in parts of our game, in particular our contact, and we’ve seen what we’re capable of in little periods of the game.”
Ryles said he didn’t feel intimidated by the scoreline, as he was already able to pinpoint areas for growth.
“I won’t say I’m sitting here and I’m wondering what to do because I know,” he said. “I’m seeing all the little parts of where I know we’re going to get better.
“We’ve got some players, we had two debutants, Isaiah’s played one game and that is not an excuse at all.
“But the reality of it is they need to play more footy and the only way they’re going to get to play more footy is if we put them out on the field with these guys.
“And I know that they’re not going to be flash-in-the-pan players, they’re going to be around for a number of years if they keep tracking the way they are.”
with AAP
© AAP
