Enter the Dragon: How the Red V can earn their first win of the season

April 25, 2026 — 5:00am

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The Dragons, once a team so dominant that they won 11 premierships in a row, are now going into the biggest game of the year on an 11-game losing streak stretching back to last season.

It isn’t a great sign ahead of their traditional Anzac Day clash against the Roosters, but there have been several circuit-breakers that could spark a turnaround. None is more significant is the appointment of interim coach Dean Young as Shane Flanagan’s replacement.

Young has wasted no time putting his stamp on St George Illawarra, sacking assistant Michael Ennis and handing young halfback Kade Reed his NRL debut. They are bold moves from a coach not guaranteed his position beyond this year and a clear sign that, while he’s in the job, he’s doing it his way.

When I asked Young during the week if he wanted to convey anything to long-suffering Dragons supporters, he simply said: “I don’t have any message to the fans. I just hope we can put in a performance that they can be proud of, that’s all I care about.”

To that end, here are the key areas the Dragons need to get right if they are to upset the Roosters at Allianz Stadium.

What an incredible stage to make your first-grade debut on. If Kade Reed is nervous about........

© The Age