Parramatta secured a hard-fought 30–20 victory over St George Illawarra, but the result was overshadowed by a suspected season-ending ACL injury to forward J’maine Hopgood, who left the field after an awkward tackle that saw Ryan Couchman sin-binned.
Coach Jason Ryles described the incident as unfortunate and linked such outcomes to fatigue, while also praising his side’s resilience and defensive effort. Winger Josh Addo-Carr provided a key late highlight, scoring his 160th career try to move into the NRL’s all-time top 10 and seal the win.
Despite showing attacking promise and dominating several statistical areas, the Dragons remain winless and rooted to the bottom of the table, with coach Shane Flanagan acknowledging missed opportunities as the difference.
