Not since their premiership winning year 2010 have the Dragons opened a season with three successive wins, but that run ended when they were soundly beaten 36-20 by the resurgent Brisbane Broncos in a game the visitors always had under control.
For the Dragons, the next five weeks in which they face off against the Rabbitohs, Storm, Warriors, Roosters and Bulldogs will go a long way to establishing their true credentials.
The performance of Gareth Widdop for the Dragons since his transfer from the Storm has transformed the Dragons attack. He is providing a solid core to their attack which other Dragons players are relying on. The Dragons wingers, particularly Brett Morris who rarely saw the ball last year, are flourishing under Widdop’s direction.
The centres have been a problem for the Dragons so far this year. Former fullback Gerard Beale is performing strongly and ex-Souths centre Dylan Farrell is yet to fire, while both suffering from defensive lapses. The Dragons NSW Cup side has great backline depth, so good replacements are available but yet to be called upon by Steve Price.
With Widdop’s position at five-eighth secure, the question of who should partner him at halfback has yet to be resolved after the injury to Michael Witt in Round 1. Sam Williams has the position at the moment, but Witt has shown superior attack and utility Kyle Stanley is also an option.
All this has been done without the presence of injured fullback and playmaker Josh Dugan, who will offer further attacking options for the Dragons on his expected return against the Rabbitohs next week.
The Dragons young and mobile forward pack seem to be excelling under the new rules of the game and captain Ben Creach’s return to the second row has seen an attacking resurgence from him. If the Dragons forwards can match the opposition, their backs have the points in them to secure wins.
One of the lowest scoring sides of last year are averaging around 30 points a game, but their defence remains a concern. Against the Broncos, their poor goal-line defence decided the game.
Steve Price may be the Dragons head coach, but he is assisted by former Illawarra great Paul McGregor, who is also acting as on-field trainer. Maybe this new coaching combination is working or maybe it is Widdop’s influence which is the key factor. Either way, it now looks that Price is secure as coach for the moment and the Dragons will have to cope with what they have for 2014.
The team’s improvement may be limited by the strength and cohesion of a coaching team which is unproven at top level, though you could have said the same about the Roosters’ rookie coach last year.
I can see the Dragons making the eight, but cannot see them doing much more under the leadership of Steve Price.
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