RED V DRAGON IN LAS VEGAS 2026

[Blood Shot Eyes]

3 runs 39meters. Bludger of a game. Guler not much better

always kicking from our 50!

Yep I agree....tbh I wasnt that excited about Kerr's return...providing he can stay fit I think we will get a good return from Sele this year

 

[Blood Shot Eyes]

some notables:

1. our defence was greatly improved, especially cover out wide;
2. Atkinson kicking and kick-chase a huge improvement;
3. Kyle’s defence proved invaluable on more than one occasion. Credit where credit’s due.

Yes there's some good stuff that came out today....but it just pisses you off when we get rolled by that solitary 1 point yet again...what's that 3 last year and 1 so far in 2026....but what is really hard to swallow is the bloke that did the grub act with his stiff arm to the head of a player on the ground kicked the decider....fmd now that's bullshit in anybody's language

 

[Blood Shot Eyes]

Doesn't help us much, though.

No it doesn't but at least I can feel I've kicked him in the nuts

 

[Blood Shot Eyes]

Against all odds the boys had a red hot crack and we had our chances. This is one of the games I am pissed off we lost but also proud of the effort. It's only round 1 we will gain alot of confidence and experience from this one.

As tough as it sounds considering we were rissoled by the ref we would have taken a lot more confidence and experience out of this game if we had iced the cake in the closing stages...unfortunately it's a bad trait that has stayed with us since 2010

 

[hewi]

Rava would have been sent off for that

 

[Illusion]

Rava would have been sent off for that

100 percent right this guy is protected ......... I thought here we go at least 10 in the bin .........

 

[This Year?]

Still seething. Apologies won't cut it anymore (not that I'd expect it anyway because that would be an admission of cheating).
The NRL can go f**k themselves.

 

[twinkletoes]

99% of the comments on here about the game could be cut and paste from last season… great effort, lack speed in backline, can’t ice the close games, refs against is, dogs get all the calls… nothing has changed

 

[Ghostrider22]

I don’t really care how we play boring or entertaining just as long as we are in the fight. Bennett years were the same.

Under Bennett we had a good forward pack and speed 2026 we don’t have the players

 

[Gippsy]

And under bennett we used to get the rub of the green from the refs. That is long gone.
Im sure the refs have a perception bias before the game and you'll find bennet coached sides, along with others, get a favourable bias. The nrl has to look seriously at this sort of thing, starting with our game.

 

[Lovemedragons]

99% of the comments on here about the game could be cut and paste from last season… great effort, lack speed in backline, can’t ice the close games, refs against is, dogs get all the calls… nothing has changed

When it got to 14-8 I was expecting a 36-8 final score, but that didn’t happen, the boys showed plenty of fight, but had no idea how to win.

Atkinson has a good kicking game, that was different. Kyle was his usual ordinary self.

 

[SAP58]

Still seething. Apologies won't cut it anymore (not that I'd expect it anyway because that would be an admission of cheating).
The NRL can go f**k themselves.

My sentiments as well - head high tackles, forward passes, head slams to name a few. NRL will not apologise they will issue some rhetoric dribble later today which is no way near the truth because they think they are untouchable. Listening to SEN radio this morning at least Chad Townsend & Jimmy Smith are not trying to crawl up the NRL ar*es like other comentators & are telling it as it is, WE WERE RIPPED OFF with a number of atrocious decisions against the Dragons !!

 

[great.scott]

Apart from Kikau dumping then later putting his knees into Tu’s back.
The ‘stripping’ penalty that led to the golden point.
The most astonishing one was play on when it was a knock on and then picked up by a player in front of his teammate who dropped the ball.
Officiating is the big problem with nrl and afl with presumed bias for certain teams.

 

[RedVDave]

We don't have the worst record but it's still not pretty.

 

[Wolfgang90]

I would've liked to see a bit more offloads, we did it in the trials, we also shifted the ball in the trials but all that stopped in this game. I wonder whose decision it was to play extremely conservative. A high completion rate doesn't necessarily mean good footy.

Dogs in defence bunched up & smashed us because our play was soo predictable, it sucks because we've got strike on the edges but they need to get early ball & quick shifts.

 

[qld redvee]

Still seething. Apologies won't cut it anymore (not that I'd expect it anyway because that would be an admission of cheating).
The NRL can go f**k themselves.

Also noticed during the game that doggies players complain every tackle that something has happened to them in the tackle, just to get officials in 2 minds

 

[Wolfgang90]

Also why did the game stop for a stephen crichton cramp? and the dogs trainers on the field before the field goal giving instructions. That's not allowed anymore...

 

[Victoire]

I honestly believed that with a bit of luck we could win this game. I even tipped us!

Well... if you'd told me that not only did we not receive that tiny bit of luck, but the Roman Goddess of Luck, Fortuna herself, was personally sucking off every single Dogs player right in front of our eyes then I'd expect we'd lose 91-6 or something like that. Amazing that we almost won it. I guess a Las Vegas heist movie is more compelling when the thieves have to work hard for it. No-one wants to watch George Clooney rob a petrol station do they.

I agree we may appear to lack some speed and athleticism.. but despite that apparent lack we still scored just as many tries as they did, from far far fewer opportunities. We took our minimal chances. Shit, we'd even set up nicely for a field goal in good position at one point, but a blessed Dogs player was on his hands and knees right in the passing path between Cook and Atkinson, a sweet spot, which did just enough to slow the pass down and prevent the Atko attempt. Wow, whoda thunk it

Anyway. In spite of it all, they did good. I love the Couchmen so much, I just feel better about life when they're both out on the field. Safer, more peaceful. Cook was amazing - 70! tackles, a clever try assist kick, and punched up the middle all game. Sua was awesome and I want more of him. I'm glad Hamish played long minutes, he is also one of those guys that makes me feel good. Sele had his best game in the red v. Setu Tu great finish on his try but stoic and flawless catching those Burton bombs. Flanagan saved us multiple times in defence. Atkinson has a damn boot!

Plenty to like imo. I just hope they can replicate that effort every week, and that Grant Atkins is transported into the nearest black hole.

 

[jeffdragon]

What a surprise Chrichton doesn't get charged by nrl.

 

[Flinstone]

Again the refereeing decisions went against us, too many calls to list.

I don't mind the simple game plan if we can win the field position but maybe we didn't get within their 20m zone because we didn't spread the ball enough, not sure.
In saying that, the simple up the middle would suit Liddle's game getting quick out of dummy half.

Atkinson's kicks kept us in the grind, can't let him get caught with the ball on 4th tackle, Kyle doesn't have the range.

I don't think attempting a long range field goal in the last 90 sec of extra time was the right move, too much risk of giving them field position. We never really got close enough for a good shot.

We could have done a few things better but so could of the Dogs.
I think we were the better team and deserved to win that game and the difference really was the help the Dogs got from the refs.

The boys should hold their head high, against all odds they really pushed the Dogs.