After last tasting victory in July 2021, the Dragons can finally celebrate.
More than eight months after their last win – also against the Warriors – the Dragons were solid and composed throughout before pulling away late thanks to a rampaging Mikaele Ravalawa, who bagged a hat-trick.
A lot has changed since that win – there was the ill-fated barbecue, an embarrassing losing streak and a massive overhaul of personnel.
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“It’s round one and you want to get away to a good start,” a reserved Dragons coach Anthony Griffin said afterwards.
“It means two points. Last year is last year – it’s a different group, this group.”
The Dragons welcomed half a dozen debutants into their line-up, and it was only fitting that new utility Moses Mbye was the one who sealed the game with a couple of minutes left.
“That’s exactly why we bought him to the club,” Griffin said afterwards.
“His versatility – he filled in at centre for (Zac) Lomax when he was in the head bin, and finished the game at hooker … it was good to see him get some decent time there tonight.”
Tyrell Sloan was the early star, setting up tries to Ravalawa and Jack Bird with lovely sleight of hand.
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“He just kept getting himself in the right position,” captain Ben Hunt said of his young fullback – while labelling Ravalawa a “real handful”.
“He’s the type of player, you just want to get the ball in his hands.”
The big Fijian bulldozed his way over Marcelo Montoya a couple of times in the second half, first to swing the game back in the Dragons’ favour after the Warriors had taken a 16-14 lead, and then again to extend it.
Warriors fans can take heart in some spirited performances – particularly that of Josh Curran – but it wasn’t enough as they ran out of steam in the final quarter of the game.
“When we got to 16-14, I thought that considering the amount of field possession the Dragons had, it was a good effort by the boys,” coach Nathan Brown said.