What followed was a fairly dour performance and a scrappy four-point victory. Many were disappointed by what they saw. But not Dragons captain Gareth Widdop. 

His side fought through trying conditions in the first half to run over the top of the Sharks in the second 40.

Further to that, it was a chance to refine his combination with halfback Ben Hunt. A chance for the pair to identify key areas to improve and iron out any early-season kinks.

“We didn’t have too much time in the preseason to work on our combination,” Widdop said. “I feel the last two weeks we’ve done some good things but we certainly need to improve as well. I say it all the time, but the more we play together on a weekend, it’s only going to improve.” 

Widdop concedes the Dragons attack looked disjointed at times, with the team struggling inside the Sharks 20 metre line. He was, however, pleased with the way the team fought to get on top of their opponents. 

“We got outside of our shape, our structure a little bit, which threw us off. 

“But in saying that, after we went down to 12 men, we defended really well, and on the back of that scored a few points and a few penalty goals. We certainly need to fix a fair bit in attack, it was a bit scrappy, but we’ll take a win at Shark Park.”

The arrival of Hunt has allowed Widdop to play with more freedom than previous years, with Hunt steering the team around the park, and Widdop inserting himself into the attack when he sees fit.

While this has resulted in fewer touches for the Englishman, it has allowed him to be more effective when he does get his hands on the ball.

“I think I played with six or seven different halfbacks in the last few years, when you’ve got a traditional halfback in the team, he’s going to guide you around. 

“It certainly does take a lot of pressure off myself. For me, I get to roam around a little bit more around the field and jump in when needed. 

“I’m enjoying that at the moment, and knowing I’ve got a halfback there, and a combination that’s going to stay together for a while, and obviously with Cam McInnes there as well, it certainly helps.”

In taking this approach to the game, the pair have frequently appeared on the same side of the field, working together to manipulate the opposition defence. This, according to Tariq Sims, serves as a point of difference to other teams in the league.

“Ben complements Gaz really well,” Sims said. “They both swing through both sides of the field. From experience dealing with that, it’s always tough as a defender to isolate one half, when they keep swapping on you.”

The challenge for the Dragons will be to continue to improve throughout the season as teams become accustomed to their playing style. That task begins on Sunday afternoon against the Gold Coast Titans.