A 77th-minute Jacob Liddle match-winner helped the Dragons pull off a come-from-behind 26-22 win over the Newcastle Knights at McDonald Jones Stadium on Sunday afternoon to claim their third win of the Knock On Effect NSW Cup season.
Liddle has scored a try in both appearances since shifting from the NRL side and has provided plenty of punch out of dummy-half for first-year head coach Bronx Goodwin.
Newcastle took advantage of an early Dragons mistake to get on the board in the opening stages with edge forward Dane Aukafolau powering his way through the defensive line in his first game for the club.
Knights lock Thomas Cant was denied a try moments later after he poured through a hole created via an obstruction before Aukafolau wrestled his way to the line for another off a sharp ball courtesy of five-eighth Liam Sutton.
The Dragons found themselves in promising field position off a Newcastle drop the next set and managed to capitalise through big man Nick Lui-Toso who was the beneficiary of a ricocheting Connor Muhleisen grubber.
The visitors were on the scoreboard again not long after with Liddle scooting through a gap behind the ruck and linking up with fullback Treigh Stewart who went through the hands to find speedy winger Sione Finau for an outstanding try from inside their own half.
The Dragons went within inches of a third try minutes later only for a wayward pass to end the attacking raid as the Knights took a 12-8 advantage into the break.
The start of the second half did not go to plan for the Red V with Newcastle’s Ben Talty steaming through a gap just six minutes in to extend their lead back beyond a converted try.
A 40/20 courtesy of former-Dragon Adam Clune put the Knights straight back on the attack before he put his boot to work once more laying on a try for centre Simi Sasagi to make it 22-8.
In his first NSW Cup outing since 2019, Zac Lomax kickstarted the Dragons' fightback on the hour-mark pouncing on a deft Stewart kick to score in the left corner before slotting a crucial conversion.
The Dragons attack pushed forward with some newfound pep following the try and they did not have to wait long for their next one with Lomax reeling in a Stewart cut-out and putting Sione Finau over in the corner for his second of the afternoon.
Lomax slotted his second conversion in a row from the left touchline to cut the lead to two.
With a tick over three minutes to play, the Dragons forced an error off a kick and took full advantage the subsequent set with Liddle jumping out of dummy-half off a quick Alec Tuitavake play-the-ball to score what proved to be the match-winner.
