Canberra have thrashed St George Illawarra 36-14 to move into third on the NRL ladder, despite centre Nick Cotric becoming the first player this season to be sent off.

Cotric was playing his first game back from a syndesmosis injury and scored Sunday evening’s opening try, before tip-tackling Dragons centre Tim Lafai in the 59th minute.

It marked the first send-off since Melbourne’s Curtis Scott was dismissed last year for punching Manly star Dylan Walker.

Cotric’s marching orders did nothing to slow down the Green Machine who scored the next two tries en route to a thumping win in Wollongong.

Raiders centre Jarrod Croker broke two records and co-captain Josh Hodgson was instrumental as Canberra leapfrogged the Sydney Roosters into third.

Croker, 28, became Canberra’s leading try-scorer and, in the process, the youngest player to reach 1900 points.

The Dragons started all four of their State of Origin players but were lacklustre for most of the night as the visitors ran riot.

The Raiders were handed three penalties in the opening three minutes before Croker opened the scoring with two points.

NSW representative Cotric scored in the 10th minute after barging through three tacklers.

St George Illawarra should have equalised in the 16th minute but Mikaele Ravalawa stumbled while diving into the corner which allowed Croker to make a try-saving tackle.

One minute later, Croker threw a dummy, fended off Euan Aitken and etched his name into the record books with his 121st try for Canberra.

Hodgson dominated through the middle and produced two first-half strips, before Joe Tapine scored a slam dunk try on halftime.

The Raiders picked up where they left off in the second half and forced fullback Matt Dufty into the in-goal which led to Bailey Simonsson scoring in the 42nd minute.

Canberra five-eighth Jack Wighton was still buzzing from the Blues’ Origin series victory last week and was pulling the strings before the visitors made it two tries in five minutes.

Fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad went out of dummy-half and darted over for his seventh try of the season to set up a 26-0 lead.

The Dragons looked dead and buried but scored the next two tries through Korbin Sims and Luciano Leilua but the revival was short-lived.

Cotric was sent off but it only made Canberra hungrier and Siliva Havili scored next before Nicoll-Klokstad bagged his fifth career double in the 67th minute.

Dufty ran away with a consolation intercept try at the death.