For Canterbury fans, there should have been concerns as early as round one.
What happened in Vegas was never going to stay in Vegas.
The Dogs were one of four NRL teams that travelled to the US to start the season – and they did not hold back when it came to splashing the cash.
They took their entire staff over for the trip as a reward for 2025. Thousands of dollars were spent on attending a concert by The Eagles at the Sphere.
They trained at the home of the Las Vegas Raiders, where Matt Burton kicked a ball into the roof, and had a few of the NFL stars urging him to try his luck in their game.
In the contest that mattered, Canterbury defeated St George Illawarra courtesy of an 89th-minute Stephen Crichton field goal in extra-time, but they got lucky.
Bronson Xerri appeared to lose the ball when tackled by Ryan Couchman, but referee Grant Atkins ruled it a strip. From the penalty that followed, Canterbury marched downfield and Crichton secured the two competition points.
“It’s a loose carry every day of the week,” then-Dragons coach Shane Flanagan said afterwards.
As Couchman recalled this week: “It was a disappointing way to finish the game – we deserved at least a draw.”
Injured skipper Clint Gutherson added: “You never know what happens after that if we win that night.”
The NRL stood by the decision, but agreed the Dragons were hard done by on several contentious calls they raised after that match.
Flanagan wanted to know why Crichton was not binned for hitting Setu Tu in the head in the first half.
He also wanted an explanation as to why Tu was penalised for an escort penalty when Viliame Kikau jogged into the back of him, which gifted Canterbury a penalty and saw them take a 10-8 lead just before half-time.
A third incident saw Bulldogs winger Jacob Kiraz knock the ball on, only for Atkins to allow play to continue and Connor Tracey charge downfield with the ball.
The heartbreaking loss was a disappointing way to cap what had otherwise been a positive week for the Dragons.
Many had put a red pen through the Red V’s finals hopes before the players had boarded a plane. But the spirits were high in camp all week in Las Vegas. Injured back-rower Dylan Egan learned to count cards at blackjack (he was labelled the “human calculator” by teammates), and plenty of his teammates cleaned up watching him the first night.
An upset over the Dogs would have had the Dragons skipping their way back through customs in Sydney and ready to attack the year. Instead, they lost their next 10 and split with Flanagan.
The club eventually settled on Dean Young as head coach, secured some decent signings for next year, and have recently begun to show glimpses of their potential. Better still, they get a chance to end the finals dream for Canterbury on Saturday night, 174 days after the Dogs broke their hearts at Allegiant Stadium.
What Ryan Couchman remembers about THAT Jarome Luai kick
St George Illawarra Dragons’ forward Ryan Couchman went viral when he somehow survived being on the end of a Jarome Luai kick from close range.
The Tiger’s co-captain went to launch the ball down field last Sunday, only to collect Couchman.
Couchman’s dazed reaction afterwards was replayed at the start of the week, with the Dragons’ media team poking fun of the incident on their social-media feeds.
“All I remember was the face stinging for a little bit, I didn’t see it coming, I was a bit dizzy, but my whole face felt like it was burning,” Couchman said.
“Jarome apologised afterwards and said he never meant it. He was never aiming for my head, and I knew that. It ended up a good result for us because we got the ball in good field position.
“My mates were changing their profile pictures on Instagram to my face and how I looked after the kick. Even after the game, one of the first things I thought about was how that incident was going to become a meme.”
After rupturing his ACL in round one last year, against the Dogs, Couchman has been excellent for the Dragons. Even though Hamish Stewart is seen as the club’s eventual long-term No. 13, Couchman has more than looked comfortable in the lock role.
– Christian Nicolussi
“We’re a much better side than we were back then,” Couchman said, while Gutherson added: “We’ve won back-to-back games now, which we haven’t done in 12 months, we went after Cronulla, went after the Tigers, now hopefully we’ll go after the Bulldogs.”
Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo was aware both sides were different to the ones rolled out on US soil.
Ciraldo has done well keeping spirits high, but must be frustrated with his team’s inconsistency. The Dogs’ best game of the season was against Penrith in round six, when Lachlan Galvin and Jacob Preston caught fire on the right edge.
Then last month, they kept the Tigers scoreless with some excellent defence, met the Warriors on one of their rare off nights, beat the Storm, and should have beaten the Roosters had they been more patient.
“What I will say about the Dragons is they’re probably one of the most confident teams in the comp right now,” Ciraldo said on Friday.
“They’re playing well and have a lot of belief. Only a couple of weeks ago, we won three in a row, everyone was pissing in our pocket, but we’ve had a couple of lessons since then. I’d like to see us learn from them on Saturday night.”
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