As it happened: Dragons' win a triumph for young and old alike

 

Great Dane: Knights veteran Dane Gagai reminded Maroons selectors of his class with 18 runs for 204 metres and eight tackle breaks. His battle with fellow Queenslander Val Holmes was an absolute beauty, both men coming up with some great defence and line breaks courtesy of their fancy footwork.

Dazzling debut: Former Rugby Sevens star Nathan Lawson made the most of his opportunity with 180 run metres from 17 runs. The two-time Olympian was assured under the high ball and ran the ball with plenty of purpose.

Young guns: Rising playmaker Lyhkan King-Togia ran for 88 metres and broke five tackles and forced a couple of line dropouts with some clever kicks while giant forward Loko Pasifiki Tonga bagged a try and ran for 67 metres in 23 minutes of game time.

Old heads: Clint Gutherson (169 run metres), David Klemmer (168 run metres), Val Holmes (158 run metres), Jack De Belin (122 run metres) and Damien Cook (53 tackles) all stood tall as the Dragons sent their loyal fans home happy. 

Full-time: The Dragons climb to sixth on the ladder for the time being with veterans David Klemmer and Clint Gutherson showing the way and young guns Lyhkan King-Togia and Loko Pasifiki Tonga also impressing.

79 min: Nathan Lawson caps a fine debut when he comes up with a superb take off a high ball as the Dragons wind down the clock to their fifth win of the season.

76 min: Val Holmes scorches through after a Kyle Flanagan grubber but fails to ground the ball as he tries to get it down.

74 min: Sharp work out of dummy half by Jayden Brailey on the short side creates a chance for the Knights but Fletcher Hunt fails to push up in support of his hooker and the defence shuts it down.

70 min: On the back of a mistake by Clint Gutherson the Knights finally get on the board when Leo Thompson skips across field and gets a neat offload away for Kai Pearce-Paul to score. Dane Gagai converts. Dragons 20-6.

68 min: A great defensive play by Fletcher Hunt as he lunges at Tyrell Sloan and knocks the ball free as the Dragons winger was set to score.

66 min: After Toby Couchman is held up just short of the line, Lyhkan King-Togia grubbers into the in goal to force a line dropout to keep the pressure on the Knights.

65 min: Leo Thompson is placed on report for a crusher tackle.

63 min: A 'down town' offside penalty against Jayden Brailey hands Val Holmes an easy shot at goal and the Maroons star bangs it over for 20-0.

60 min: Val Holmes zeroes in on Jack Cogger and forces an error from the Knights five-eighth.

59 min: Sensational footwork by Dane Gagai puts him into space down the right and he finds James Schiller in support. The winger tries to send a ball back inside to his centre but the pass goes astray. The Dragons are penalised for interference on Gagai, preventing him from getting to the ball.

57 min: David Klemmer gets his first break for the night after a mammoth stint in which he had 14 runs for 168 metres and made 33 tackles.

57 min: The Knights go to the air for Fletcher Hunt to go up against Tyrell Sloan in a contest. The ball spills free and Hunt picks it up to dive over but it is sent up 'no try' for a knock on in the air.

52 min: A chip over the top by Kyle Flanagan finds Tyrell Sloan but the winger's attempted flick pass back infield goes forward.

47 min: Dane Gagai catches a bomb and is forced back in goal by the Dragons chasers and the Red V get another set after a line dropout but Nathan Lawson is tackled into touch by James Schiller.

46 min: The Knights get a shot at early points but Kai Pearce-Paul is pinged for passing the ball off the ground and the opportunity is lost.

Slow out of the blocks: The Knights have been held scoreless in the first half in seven of their 12 games this season.

Half-time: Veteran prop David Klemmer plays the full 40 minutes and leads the way with 113 metres from 10 runs while Clint Gutherson chalks up 100 run metres and Val Holmes 101. The Dragons completed 20 of 24 sets at 83 per cent and controlled proceedings for the majority of the half. 

40 min: Fletcher Sharpe nudges a grubber into the in goal and Clint Gutherson knocks ball dead to ensure the Dragons keep their line intact to lead 18-0 at the break.

39 min: The Dragons lose their captain's challenge when Val Holmes knocks on and they claim he kicked the ball before it hit the ground. The bunker backs the ref's call and the challenge is gone.

37 min: The Knights finally crack when Damien Cook turns an inside ball to a rampaging Loko Pasifiki Tonga who gets over for his first NRL try. A third successful conversion for Val Holmes makes it 18-0.

35 min: A neat grubber by Lyhkan King-Togia earns the Dragons a line dropout and they pile on the pressure inside the Red Zone.

33 min: A loose pass by Clint Gutherson is cleaned up by Kai Pearce-Paul but the Knights turn it straight back over when Thomas Cant puts it down.

31 min: The Dragons threaten again but Fletcher Hunt flies high to bring down a great catch and the Knights come away.

25 min: Jack de Belin gets on the back of a dummy half from Damien Cook and makes big metres before offloading to Clint Gutherson who crosses for his sixth try of the season. Val Holmes converts. Dragons 12-0.

23 min: Jaydn Su'A leaves the field with an ankle injury after crossing for his try. He had been battling since the early minutes of the game when he rolled the ankle.

21 min: The Dragons strike first when Kyle Flanagan holds up a pass and then lays it on a platter for Jaydn Su'A to score on the right edge. Val Holmes adds the extras. Dragons 6-0.

17 min: Knights prop Leo Thompson goes on report for tripping.

16 min: A penalty against the Knights for obstructing a defender gives the Dragons a shot at first points but strong defence from Dane Gagai shuts it down.

12 min: Val Holmes coughs the ball up coming out of his own end but the Knights return the favour with a mistake by Fletcher Sharpe and the home side come away.

11 min: A penalty against the Dragons for a flop invites the Knights into the Red Zone but they come up empty.

8 min: Tyrell Sloan gets a grubber into the in goal and Fletcher Sharpe is forced to tidy up and a line dropout ensues.

4 min: The Dragons go left and debutant Nathan Lawson gets over the line but the pass from Val Holmes was well forward and the Knights get the scrum feed.

3 min: The first penalty of the night goes against Tyson Frizell for a high shot on Toby Couchman. 

Late Mail

Dragons: Blake Lawrie and Toby Couchman have come into the starting side an hour before kick-off with Jack de Belin and Luciano Leilua reverting to the interchange. Christian Tuipulotu's return from a hamstring injury has been put on hold for another week so former Australian Sevens star Nathan Lawson will make his NRL debut on the wing. 

Knights: Maroons star Kalyn Ponga will be rested from the match with Fletcher Sharpe to line up at fullback as he did in the win over the Panthers. Jack Cogger comes in at five-eighth to partner Tyson Gamble in the halves. 

Numbers Game

• The Dragons have won only one of their past four games at Jubilee Stadium.
• The Knights have won four of their past six games against the Dragons.
• Dragons winger Tyrell Sloan has scored nine tries in nine games in 2025.
• Knights fullback Fletcher Sharpe has scored five tries in his last four games.
• Dragons hooker Damien Cook has scored five tries in his last six games against the Knights.