IT'S not the farewell Dragons skipper Gareth Widdop was looking for - a penultimate round dead rubber in front a meagre SCG crowd of just over 9000.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It's unlikely missing 16 games due to shoulder surgery was something he envisioned either but, like his side's 42-14 loss to the Tigers on Sunday, they are the facts.
Throwing an intercept for Paul Momirovski's 90-metre effort five minutes into the second half was another, but the fact the joint-venture is limping towards the lowest-placed finish in its history is the coldest fact of all.
Momirovkski finished with a hat-trick in a victory that kept the Tigers finals hopes alive, while the Dragons will turn their attention next week's clash with the Titans.
The Titans own woes will spare them the ignominy of fighting to avoid the wooden spoon, but the 15th versus 16th clash is as underwhelming as finishes get.
"It's hard pill to swallow for him for sure being involved in a score that blew out to what it did at the end after giving great service for many years," coach Paul McGregor said post-match.
"He's fought back to come back and play for the group and unfortunately it hasn't finished the way he wanted it to. I'm pretty shattered.
"We were at 18-14 55 minutes into the game and they wanted to pay the price a bit more at different times. Obviously the score blew out and we capitulated at the end.
"We care so much and we're not seeing the results we want and the performance we need. I'm the coach, I'm the leader of the club. I think we've all got to take responsibility throghout the the club but I'm the coach."
The Dragons bad luck on the injury front continued, with Corey Norman a late withdrawal with a groin strain and Cam McInnes suffering a broken leg with six minutes remaining.
McGregor said the latter was certainly a cruel blow given his hooker's efforts throughout the season.
"He's got to go have an X-ray but the diagnosis at the moment is a broken leg," McGregor said.
"He just asked how long it's going to be so he can get back to training. That's Cam, you want them all like that.
"What's next is unknown, it might heal on its own or it might need a screw or a plate.
"With six minutes to go to a player who gives everything and more, certainly he's been our player of the year by far.
"To come to second-last game and break the leg's not justice, that's for sure. He's out next week and he'll be right in 12 weeks."
Fitting all his stars into the same spine was supposedly coach Paul McGregor's biggest preseason headache. In reality, it's one he's had on just seven occasions this season.
The other part of that puzzle Matt Dufty is on the outer and evidently now sitting behind Tristan Sailor, who made his second NRL appearance on Sunday, as the club's first-choice No. 1 when Widdop departs for the Super League.
Ensuring he does so on a winning note is all they'll have to play for next week as a nightmarish season mercifully draws to a close.
The Tigers opened the scoring just five minutes in after Brooks swooped on a deflected grubber from Hunt and shot 80 metres up field.
He was reeled in by Sailor but Momirovski crossed for his first try on the next play. He converted for a 6-0 lead after five minutes.
The Dragons hit back through Euan Aitken after Robert Jennings had an air swing at a grubber from Widdop in his own in-goal.
Widdop grabbed he extras to level up at six apiece and took a brief lead for his side with a penalty goal two minutes later after Luciano Leilua was taken out by Momirovski in pursuit of a cross-field kick from Hunt.
Luke Garner re-took the lead for his side, winning the race to a grubber from Brooks, with Momirovski slotting the conversion for a 12-8 lead nine minutes before the break.
Momirovski plucked a wayward pass from Widdop out of the air and raced 90 metres four minutes after the resumption to quickly push the lead out to 10.
Widdop briefly got his own back with a try after Corey Thompson spilled a kick from Hunt, but it was his side's last joy of the match.
Momirovski sealed his hat-trick 10 minutes later with Benji Marshall, Brooks and Thompson both getting across before time was up to seal the result.