The Dragons' attack continues to misfire while Brisbane's ability to burst out of the blocks helped them to another comfortable victory.
Report: Broncos shut out poor Dragons
Broncos make another fast start
Brisbane have now scored the first try in their past nine games.
On Thursday night it was a beautiful cut-out ball from five-eighth Anthony Milford that found winger Corey Oates in the fourth minute to immediately put the under scoreboard pressure. Oates has played in seven of these nine games and has scored the first try in three of them.
These fast starts are giving Brisbane early confidence to go on and win games, with the Broncos having won seven of those past nine.
It almost won them an NRL grand final in 2015 and you can expect the trend to continue throughout 2016.
Dugan all class in a beaten side
Josh Dugan was incredibly strong for the Dragons. His work inside his own 10-metre line in both attack and defence was world-class.
In defence, Dugan was everywhere. His positioning to defuse bombs and cover grubber kicks saved the Dragons on many occasions, while his tackling technique close to his line is the best in the competition.
In attack he was almost unstoppable, running for an unbelievable 288 metres and making five tackle breaks and one line break.
It was a performance that may have delivered him the NSW Origin fullback jersey. James Tedesco may be playing well, but at the moment Dugan is a one-man show for the Dragons.
Marshall missed, Widdop wasteful
Gareth Widdop is lacking confidence and the Dragons' attack is suffering because of it.
The key example came midway through the first half when the Dragons were trailing 12-0. Widdop collected the ball on the fifth tackle and advanced inside Brisbane's 40-metre line, but instead of putting in an attacking or threatening kick, the 27-year-old grubbered the ball over the sideline. His teammates looked confused, the Broncos looked confused and even the referees looked confused.
It sums up his style of play at the moment. His kicking game put no pressure on the Broncos, often kicking the ball dead to give Brisbane a seven-tackle set.
With Benji Marshall ruled out before kick-off with a hamstring injury, Widdop needed to take control. The English international failed to do that and has now managed just two try assists in six games this season. The Dragons will not score points unless Widdop finds form very soon.
Dragons' point-scoring woes continue
Down 12-0 at half-time, the outlook looked bleak for St George Illawarra after putting in 120 minutes of football without a try.
Minutes into the second half, the Dragons had a chance to get back into the game. Peter Mata'utia was unmarked on the sideline and had a clear path to the try-line but knocked on. It sums up the Dragons' season so far with so many chances missed.
The 26-0 scoreline means St George Illawarra have now only managed to score 40 points in 480 minutes of football this season, finding the try-line just six times. They have failed to score a point in their last two matches.
Coach Paul McGregor has threatened changes if things don't improve and it may now be time to swing the axe.
Crowd gets behind Thursday night football
Thursday night games are for television viewing, right? Wrong. The scheduling committee took a punt rostering Thursday night games throughout the 2016 season, but if Brisbane is anything to go by, the risk is starting pay off.
The Broncos faithful proved that the NRL can draw crowds on a Thursday night. The 29,869-crowd flocked in masses to see the two traditional rivals battle it out.
