Amongst the chaos of a golden-point thriller marred in controversy were some much-needed signs of life for the oft-maligned Dragons.
Very few, if any, gave St George Illawarra a chance to topple the Bulldogs in the season opener in Las Vegas on Sunday (AEDT), much less causing any real damage in the 2026 season.
Even head coach Shane Flanagan conceded in the lead-up to round one that his side were unlikely to win the competition this year.
But in the third and final game of a Sin City triple-header, the Dragons showed they were up for the fight and almost snatched victory over an NRL premiership contender, going down 15-14 with just seconds left after a Stephen Crichton field goal.
It was a deflating way to end what was a magical week in Vegas, but the general consensus was that the Red V were hard done by after some crucial refereeing decisions went against them over the course of 90 minutes at Allegiant Stadium.
One of the standouts in the strong losing effort was new recruit Daniel Atkinson, whose kicking game kept the Dragons in the contest until the dying stages.
Atkinson amassed 864 kicking metres in general play for the match and while he knows he will “need to be better” in tense situations like golden point, there are still positives to look back on.
“Obviously frustrated with the way it ended – we had such a good week building up, the atmosphere was good all week and we switched on when we had to,” he told Wide Word of Sports.
“We switched on during the game too, it was a gritty game and I thought we turned up and showed a lot of resilience.
“Obviously I took my chances (in extra time) and at the end of the day, it didn’t end up going through the posts, so I’ll look back on it and see how I could set myself up in a better position. I’m disappointed that I didn’t ice it, but I’ll look back and be better for it.
“This is a new Dragons in 2026. We want to pride ourselves on putting our best foot forward every single game.
“A lot of things didn’t go our way, but we didn’t ‘um and ah’ about it – we just got on with the job. We didn’t get the two points, but there’s a lot of positives to take out of that game.”
In his post-game press conference, coach Flanagan admitted the “frantic” nature of the latter stages will be a lesson.
“We can be a little bit better, especially in our field goal set up – but it was frantic and a lot of fatigue goes into the game,” he said.
The loss marked Atkinson’s first NRL game for the club after spending the past few years at Cronulla and there’s reason for optimism that this new-look spine can get the job done more often than not in 2026.
Dragons captain and hooker Damien Cook believes the balance between himself, Clint Gutherson, Atkinson and Kyle Flanagan is what should hold them in good stead.
“I thought we gelled together really well and I loved playing with Atko for the first time,” Cook said.
“He’s someone who takes the game on, he’s a very competitive player and I think Kyle brings a great balance there, he keeps us calm and sticks to the game plan … it’s probably the same mix that myself and Gutho have.
“There’s a really good mix amongst the spine, tonight I felt like we were really good – it was very loud out there so it was hard to communicate, but I feel like we got our plan on quite well and it’s a step in the right direction.”
Adding to the positivity in Dragons camp will be the looming return of Jacob Liddle, who could add the spark and X-factor many believe the side lacked in Vegas.
As the dust settles on a week that showcased the passion of rugby league supporters in one of the world’s most iconic cities, the Dragons now have time to reflect and push forward before a round two clash at home against the Melbourne Storm.
Atkinson is hopeful those same Red V faithful who took part in the Vegas festivities will jump on board and continue to get behind the team as they look to usher in a new era with him steering the ship.
“I thought we were outstanding, to be honest,” he said.
“We’re only a new spine, so we were good in some areas but we need to be better in some. But for round one, I’m pretty happy with how we went but I’m sure all of us boys will be eager to watch the review and figure out how to get better heading into round two.
“I loved the week, I loved the atmosphere and what Fremont Street was about. The boys loved every minute of the week, it brought us closer together.
“The amount of Dragons fans that came out, it’s a credit to them and a credit to our club and how passionate everyone involved is … I hope we made them proud in Vegas and can keep making them proud this year.”
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