NRLW: New stars emerge as Dragons eye grand final berth

The Dragons put themselves behind the eight-ball with a first-up loss to Brisbane in round one before a nightmare week almost culminated in being forced to play with 16 players against the Warriors.

It came after losing star forward Teuila Fotu-Moala to suspension on Tuesday and fellow marquee recruit Kimiora Nati due to illness less than 24 hours before flying to Auckland.

Queensland Origin rep Stephanie Mooka also didn't make the trip due to visa issues and a further glitch saw Fotu-Moala named to play despite being ineligible. It saw them almost forced to play a woman down before the issue was resolved moments before kickoff.

He's hoping for a smoother preparation for this week's clash with the Roosters, but Lacey said his squad's true colours showed through the adversity after trailing 6-0 at the break.

"We thought we got the rough end of the stick there with Teuila's verdict and felt we were up against it," Lacey said.

"We wanted to come out swinging and turn it into a positive then on Friday we found out Kimi wasn't going to be able to play so that knocked us down a couple of pegs again.

"We just had to focus on getting on the plane and getting the job done. Then we found out that Teuila's name had been left on the sheet... we quite literally got that sorted just before warm-up.

"We just kept getting thrown hurdles but that was the pleasing thing about the performance. We sat on the plane on Monday and said 'we know whatever gets thrown our way we can deal with it'."

A three-game suspension will rub Fotu-Moala out for the remainder of the season while Nati is no certainty to return for the grand final should they get there.

The loss of their two biggest marquee recruits would be tough to deal with for any club but Lacey's found a silver lining in the emergence of some new stars.

Teen duo Keeley Davis and Shaylee Bent were among the Dragons best on the right edge against the Warriors while fullback Botille Vette-Welsh continues to prove the competition's breakout star.

In what's sure to spark a tug-of-war over International eligibility, the Kiwi-born NSW Origin rep ran for a staggering league-record 212 metres last week, including a 70-metre solo try.

It was a signing that went under the radar prior to season kickoff, but Lacey knew he'd found the perfect replacement for Sammy Bremner at fullback.

"You look at the good fullbacks in the game with Sammy, Chelsea [Baker] and Corban [McGregor], she probably came in fourth on the [pecking order] at that stage," Lacey said.

"I had the luxury this year of working with the emerging NSW team and I got to work with her at the Centre of Excellence. I could see how balanced and skillful she was.

"I wanted someone who was a little bit bigger to be able to bring the ball back but had footwork and skill. She was playing halfback for the Tigers at the time so I knew she could pass.

"I said 'you're exactly what I need, I don't need to look any further' but I'm sure she's surprising herself at the moment with how good she's going. She's on fire and we're reaping the benefits of it."

The 26-6 win over the Warriors will see them start heavy favourites against the win-less Roosters on Sunday, but Lacey says his team isn't listening to "outside noise" after being roundly written off after round one.

"The saying a week's a long time in footy is definitely at the fore when it comes to our competition," Lacey said.

"We went from [premiership] favourites to underdogs going to New Zealand in the space of a week. Now people are giving us a chance again but that's for other people to say.

"We can only control what we can control. I know what our team's got, I know a lot about the opposition to and I know any of these teams on their day is competitive."