Dragons 2018: End in sight after representative runaround

It’s likely he’ll have that luxury after his side stayed top of ladder with a late escape act against Parramatta on Thursday night where six of his eight players involved in the representative weekend backed up.

Tyson Frizell and Leeson Ah Mau were rested and it was mixed night for the rest, though halves Ben Hunt and Gareth Widdop produced some clutch plays to get the Dragons home.

It leaves the Dragons 3-0 through the rep season, with just next week’s game against Melbourne – minus their Origin players – to come.

The middle period shaped as the acid test for the Dragons given the mid-season wobbles they’ve endured in recent seasons, including last year’s slide out of the top eight.

The Dragons Origin contingent will still need to come through Origin III but McGregor said he’s content with where his side’s at. 

“To get three wins around this time of year is really important,” McGregor said.

“Everyone calls us May premiers, now we’re June premiers.

“For me, it's just great to get through such an important time of the year, winning games and with people healthy. That’s the most important thing.

“We’re going to win games and lose games along the journey of the competition but we know what we’re about. Everyone’s still waiting [for us to fall]. They can stay waiting.” 

Describing the last week as the most logistically difficult of his coaching career, McGregor said plans are already in place to freshen up his big guns, with a top four spot now their’s to lose. 

“I couldn’t talk any of them out of playing [on Thursday] so that’s how important it is to one another,” McGregor said.

“Leeson turned up [on Wednesday] dressed in his training gear ready to train and his eyes were red, he’d slept four hours in two days so I said that’s just not going t happen. We’ll need him next week.

“Tyson through this time of they year needs a rest and his body needs a rest. He got the rest and he’ll have a good turnaround between Origin II and Origin III.

“It’s a combination of a few things when you guys through the rep round, first it’s if they’re healthy and they’re confident and they want to play.

“Then it becomes a decision on managing the guys through the week and, looking forward, giving them a rest at different stages in the last 10 rounds, not so much playing rest, but training rest as well.” 

McGregor was the first to admit his side was far from their best against the Eels, but was pleased to pick up a valuable two points. 

“We got a win which is the most important thing at this stage of the year,” he said.

“We got one that in the past we wouldn’t of. In some big moments, big players got the job done when it was needed so it was great.”