Last week I wasn’t in a good place after the Dragons got done over by the Bunnies. I felt they’d clocked off and weren’t putting in. Worst of all, it looked like we could have been finals cannon fodder.

Now, after Friday night’s match against the Tigers, I’m a bit better.

I’m not putting my feet up and relaxing, or anything like that. I’m still worried, just not as much.

Yes, we lost to the Tigers - but it was a much better loss than the one to Souths.

At least against the Tigers, we were hungry. We looked like we wanted to win. And the team’s defensive effort was better as well. They played better than they did against the Bunnies - and they did it against harder opponent as well.

There were real signs of improvement in attitude against the Tigers, and I’d reckon the mental side of things is the hard bit to get right. Doing the tackling, running, passing and all the other stuff on the field is fairly easy compared to getting the attitude and focus right.

Indeed, it’s even likely that, for a team like the Dragons who did the stuff on the field so well, a readjustment in attitude may well bring those other skills back automatically. Obviously you’re going to push yourself and work harder if you’re pysched up mentally.

After last Friday’s game, I think the Dragons might be getting back to that good place, mentally speaking.Though I do hope they get there soon. I’ve almost forgotten what it’s like to see the Dragons win on a weekend.