Dragons dump Zac Lomax to the wing, naming Dufty at fullback after round one NRL loss

Injury to Mikaele Ravalawa resulted in a reshuffle and after Lomax spent the summer as the Dragons No.1 option, he was shifted in the wake of the 24-14 loss to Wests Tigers at WIN Stadium, paving the way for Dufty's shock return.

During the pre-season McGregor had declared Lomax had first crack at the fullback role.

"It's his spot to lose. There's probably no debate over it to be totally honest," he said.

Lomax said in February: "When Mary told me last year that I was going to get a crack there, I just thought 'it's up to me now'," he said.

The round-two Panthers clash on Friday will be the Dragons' first in an empty stadium, as the impact of coronavirus spreads and forward Josh Kerr is expecting a unique night.

"It will be different. You want to play in front of fans. You run out there and there's people screaming, it lifts you," Kerr said.

"But when you boil it down, with this virus, I'd hate to give it to someone without knowing I had. This has never happened before, you've got to take precautions."

In defeat, it was a positive start to the campaign for Kerr, who felt a pop in his right knee during the All Stars game and immediately feared the worst.

In a fair degree of pain and with the joint feeling loose, the St George Illawarra prop forward was worried he had torn his ACL.

Coming off a bumper preseason and impressive performances at the NRL Nines and in the All Stars clash, Kerr was devastated by the thought his season was over before it even began.

So when scans confirmed he had only suffered a minor MCL tear, the 24-year-old immediately set to work to ensure he was back on the field as soon as possible.

"I was nearly in tears," Kerr said. "I had started off the nines and that game pretty well.

"I had never done my knee before, I felt a pop inside my knee, it felt a bit loose. I was thinking it was my ACL.

"I couldn't believe it happened, everything was going so well for me. I had worked so hard, I'd sacrificed so much, I'd done all the little things right, diet, training, I was coming in doing extras early in the morning. I wanted this to be my year.

"I was lucky to have only a minor MCL tear and be back out there pretty quickly."

As it turned out, Kerr was back healthy for round one, though he only trained once before coach Paul McGregor threw him into the side for Sunday's loss to the Tigers.

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That didn't stop the promising talent from playing 39 minutes, the most Kerr's played in his NRL career.

The forward has been pushed to improve his fitness in recent years, so he was thrilled to play so many minutes despite a limited preparation.

"When I got out there I felt really good, I was actually amazed at how I was feeling. The whole second half was pretty much defending the whole time.

"From where I have been to where I am, it's good.

"I only had one training session leading into it. To come out and be able to play well was great.

"I know how much work I put into my rehab and everyone else who helped out, all the boys helped me massively to get me back on the field."

Paul Vaughan and Tariq Sims took early guilty pleas for grade one dangerous contact charges. While Vaughan is free to play, Sims has been suspended for one week due to carry over points.

Tyrell Fuimaono has moved into the starting side, with Jacob Host named on the bench.