Accountability driving Dragons NRL turnaround

Some straight talk was certainly called for after a dismal 2016 campaign in which the club missed the finals for the fourth time in five seasons with the worst attack in the competition barring wooden-spooners Newcastle.

It saw them widely tipped to finish in the bottom two this season but the Dragons have looked nothing like the club of yesteryear having won the race to 100 points after just four rounds.

They were the last team to reach that mark in 2016 and Widdop attributes the turnaround to a change in mindset with coach Paul McGregor putting the onus on the senior players to drive a cultural shift.

“They were internal discussions but things had to change, there was no doubt about that,” Widdop said.

“We’re all blokes and we need to be honest with each other if we want the club to improve. We sat down and we’ve got a good leadership group in place now which is certainly beneficial. 

“It was good to look back on the season we had and learn from it and I think we’ve gone in the right direction from that. We’ve moved on from 2016 now.

“The club’s a lot different, we’ve got new players in, new staff in so there’s a different vibe and I think we’ve found what we’re really about as a club.  

“Everyone’s accountable for their actions and their role within the team and it’s working well for us at the moment.”

Widdop has been the major beneficiary, leading the competition with 48 points over the opening four rounds, including a equal club record 22 points in round one.

He said his side’s newfound attacking potency is a matter of playing to their strengths up front.

“We’ve certainly simplified things a lot,” Widdop said.

“There was a big [preseason] discussion about the way we’d like to play and we knew it’d be silly to go away from our strengths.

“When you’ve got a forward pack like we do it’d be silly not to use them. They’re big powerful and strong and they’re laying a good platform for the backs. As backs, and as halves, we see a bit more space which is good. 

"On top of that our defence the last couple of weeks has been great, we’ve been scrambling for each other and that’s what wins you games.

“It’s great to have some back to back wins. Everyone’s doing their bit for the team and performing well but it’s about being consistent and backing it up each and every week. That’s the biggest challenge for us.”

Off-contract this season, Widdop has made a compelling case for a new deal with the club that would see him partner marquee signing Ben Hunt in the halves from next season.

It could well hinge on whether the Dragons can come to an agreement with star fullback Josh Dugan, who is currently at odds with the club over his positional future.

That standoff could last well into the season but Widdop’s in no rush to settle his future.

“It’s obviously a week to week thing,” Widdop said.

“I’ve just got to make sure I’m playing good football and the contract side of things will take care of itself.”