South Sydney defeated a fast-finishing St George Illawarra 16-10 at ANZ Stadium on Monday night.

The three tries to two victory ended a three-match losing streak for the Rabbitohs as well as giving the Dragons their first loss in seven games.

Returning half-back Adam Reynolds opened the scoring with a penalty goal after John Sutton was poked in the eye.

Sutton, also returning, left the field and did not return.

The Dragons hit back when Peter Mata’utia broke through ordinary defence and put Gareth Widdop over.

The Rabbitohs levelled when Greg Inglis fired a cut-out pass to Aaron Gray who scored his first NRL try.

The lead changed again when Dragons winger Jason Nightingale crossed just before halftime.

The Rabbitohs came out firing in the second half, scoring 10 unanswered points through tries to Alex Johnston (pictured) and a second for Aaron Gray.

The Dragons controlled the final 10 minutes, but the defending premiers held strong to secure a vital two points.