Dragons

Mitchell limped from the field in just the 14th minute and did not return - but he had already made an impact on the match after scoring an early try.

After a disciplined first half performance the Dragons fell away in the second term, completing just nine of the 17 sets of possession as they crashed to a fourth consecutive loss.

The performance of rookie winger Mathew Feagai was one positive for the Dragons and he ran 198 metres with the ball, but errors proved costly for the Red V.

Tristan Sailor, 23, faced a NSW District Court trial in March after the woman said she could not remember having oral, vaginal and anal sex him in 2020.

After retiring to consider a verdict about 1pm on Thursday, jurors reached their unanimous decision after two hours and 20 minutes and delivered verdicts of not guilty to the two aggravated sexual assault charges Mr Sailor was hit with.

Jaydn Su’A was binned for the second week in a row and it cost the Dragons dearly.

Su’A was controversially given his marching order for a late hit on Panthers halfback Sean O’Sullivan last week.

This time it was a high shot on Sharks star recruit Dale Finucane and Su’a was put on report for the 16th minute incident.

But not everyone was convinced he deserved the sanction which which proved a game-changing moment.

Sharks centre Jesse Ramien was binned in the 73rd minute for a high shot on Dragons forward Jack Gosiewski - but the score was already 36-6.

If looks could kill, Ben Hunt would have left Sloan in a heap on the field after the fullback decided to try allow a Dallin Watene-Zelezniak grubber run into touch.

It appeared to be a safe play, before the ball took an ugly bounce, cutting inside past Sloan and Hunt as Zelezniak dotted the ball down.

While there were some positives to take out of 2021 — like winning four of their first five games and the emergence of some future stars — overall it was a season to forget for many of the Red V faithful.

Remember barbecue-gate? The Dragons claimed the throne for arguably the biggest and perhaps most bizarre story of the season when Paul Vaughan hosted 12 teammates at his house in a serious breach of not only NRL Covid-19 protocols but also New South Wales government restrictions.

Hunt likened the hype and on-field chemistry between young Dragons Tyrell Sloan, Junior Amone, Jayden Sullivan, Max and Mat Feagai and Zac Lomax to the Generation Next Broncos he was a part of - and who eventually went on to feature in the 2015 Grand Final.

A proud Queenslander, Hunt is keen to return to the Sunshine State, and would be an ideal target for NRL newcomers Redcliffe. Hunt also happens to be good friends with Wayne Bennett who coached him at the Broncos, as well as Queensland’s shock Origin series win in 2020.

The Dragons announced on Monday that Burgess has signed a two-year deal after his recovery from a hip operation has progressed well since his return to Wigan last year in the Super League was cut short by what was at one point feared to be a career-threatening injury.

Much to the surprise of many fans and experts, Dufty was informed by the Dragons that he wouldn’t be re-signed beyond this season, despite being arguably the club’s best attacking weapon.

The 25-year-old has been linked to the Broncos and Bulldogs — two clubs that are in the market for an established No.1 — but Channel Nine’s Danny Weidler is reporting the Raiders are the favourites to sign him.

The Dragons had slipped down the ladder with a string of defeats since their last win in April, but they were back on track thanks to a one-sided triumph on the road.

The visitors had Corey Norman back from a fractured cheekbone and both he and Queensland Maroons star Ben Hunt scored in inspiring performances.

It started badly for the Dragons as Raymond Faitala-Mariner crossed for the Bulldogs inside two minutes, but the Dragons were soon on top.

The home side produced a superb defensive effort to hand the Dragons their first loss of the season.

The win had seemed safe with 14 minutes to go when hooker Isaac Luke grabbed the home side's third try.

Luke, who made several dummy-half runs, produced a 40-20 and finished off by scoring close to the line.

But the Dragons set up a grandstand finish when second-rower Tariq Sims forced his way over for a converted try with six minutes to go to close the gap to four points.