It followed a game loss to the Roosters a week earlier, leaving them 2-6, just two wins out of the top eight but with a tough draw to come.

They've got the Roosters and the Raiders again, the Eels and the Storm to come while needing to win eight of their remaining 12 games.

The five things we learned from their loss to the Raiders on Friday don't shine an optimistic light on that task, despite some encouraging signs.

The 22-16 scoreline flattered the Dragons

The margin was closer than it was a week earlier against the Roosters, but the Dragons were genuinely closer to that upset than they were to the Raiders on Friday.

They were well and truly in the arm wrestle against the Roosters, rolled with the ebb and flow, but were ultimately outclassed down the stretch. They missed the jump badly against the Raiders and looked to be back going through the motions in the first half.

The Raiders have been battling. Ricky Stuart admitted they were really ripe for the picking on a short turnaround from a golden-point golden game amid the broader toll of travel to and from Canberra on game days. Then they lost Iosia Soliolia and Emre Guler early.

The Dragons had more possession, completed more sets, ran for more metres, broke almost twice as many tackles, missed half as many as their opposition but never really looked like getting it done.

The Roosters were in a similarly vulnerable spot a week earlier and they couldn't get it done there either. They certainly haven't reverted back that far, but they're two results Paul McGregor will probably rue more than losses to the Warriors and Bulldogs.

McGregor 'falling' analogy rings true

McGregor was "filthy" with his side's first 40 minutes - in particular George William's 38th minute try for an 18-0 lead. The fact it was a virtual carbon copy of Luke Keary's match-winner a week earlier didn't escape the coach's attention either.

READ MORE: Dragons pay for limp first half in loss to Raiders

There's little more you can say about the yawning gap Williams strolled through, or the way Jarrod Croker ran past three Dragons to get to the ball for his second-half try.

His suggestion his team is "falling backwards" as opposed "to falling forwards" was a good analogy. It accepts his side isn't humming along, there'll inevitably be slip-ups, but their lapses are proving costly enough to bring them back to square one.

Corey Norman's under the pump

Simply pointing the finger at halves or big-money players after a loss is typically a lazy exercise, but there's just no way around it when it comes to Norman's recent performances.

On Friday he had two runs for 11 metres in the first half. For a seasoned player, the senior partner in the halves with a four-gamer in Adam Clune, it's simply not enough.

He was better in the second half, laying on a try for Matt Dufty but, for the Dragons to go well, Norman needs to be getting tackled. In eight games this season he's made just one line break.

The Dragons have unquestionably looked better with Ben Hunt at nine and, having already made a host of changes in the spine, McGregor is understandably reticent to tinker further. Norman is also the Dragons best chance of fully turning things around.

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However, fans are hollering for Tristan Sailor to be given a go after the way he finished last year and McGregor hinted he might be running out of patience with some of his more seasoned campaigners, pointing the finger at his more experienced players in the wake of the loss.

It could make for an interesting selection meeting on Tuesday.

If there's a silver lining, it's Euan Aitken's return to form

It's easy to forget Aitken was in the frame for Origin selection just a couple of seasons ago. His fall out of form last year was dramatic and hard to fathom and he got jumped in the pecking order by new recruit Brayden Wiliame earlier this season.

His got a recall in recent weeks and seems to have re-found form by merely playing to his strengths, an uncanny ability to break tackles and make hard carries. He had 21 runs on Friday for 221 metres, a staggering 119 of them post-contact.

He broke 10 tackles and provided the assist in Dufty's second try a throwback to their NYC days. He's off-contract this season and he's going about it the right away if he's chasing a new deal.

Dufty and Zac Lomax have also been among the Dragons best in recent weeks, which is probably why McGregor has turned up the heat on his veterans.

Time to shift Tyson Frizell to the middle?

There's no doubt the Dragons lack variety in the middle of park. Paul Vaughan has been a colossus, but carrying the can there solo is going to take it's toll, if it's not already.

The link to John Asiata and all he brings was a tantalising one but he's been more strongly linked to the Titans, while McGregor spoke to difficulties of mid-season transfers this season.

With the new rules speeding up the play through the middle, Frizell would really test defences with his speed and late footwork. Grinders like Blake Lawrie, Trent Merrin and Korbin Sims churn through the work, but they don't suck the same amount of juice out of the opposition with their carries.

Don't be surprised to see it when Tariq Sims returns from injury, but McGregor could do worse than bite the bullet now. Frizz is on the way out of the club, why not just let him loose in middle and let the likes of Tyrell Fuimaono and Jackson Ford audition for longer term edge roles.