They are nowhere near the finished product but St George Illawarra young guns Tyrell Sloan and Jayden Sullivan showed in the cauldron of Suncorp Stadium that they have plenty to offer the Red V spine in future.
Dragons captain and halfback Ben Hunt was left praising the duo after the 40-18 loss to the Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night.
Fullback Sloan, 20, scored a cracker when he trailed back-rower Jaydn Su'A and put on the after burners to race away and score. He attacked with confidence and also saved a try with a committed tackle in the corner on Broncos winger Selwyn Cobbo when the game was in the balance.
Sullivan, 21, scored a sensational individual try when he backed himself and burned his opposite number Ezra Mam to score when there was nothing on .
"He is a good young player Sully. He is eager to learn and build on his game every week," Hunt said.
"It is good to see him backing himself and playing some good footy. Obviously there is stuff that he needs to learn and keep growing but I think he is heading in the right direction."
Hunt said the Sloan try saver was the "best thing you want to see from your fullback".
"He has come up with a couple of big plays a couple of weeks in a row defensively and that is something we are really looking for in him," he said.
"Everyone knows how good he can attack but it is very pleasing to see him work hard off the ball."
The scores were locked at 18-all in the 70th minute before the class of the Broncos big game players turned the screws.
"It was probably the last ten minutes," coach Anthony Griffin said, when asked where the game was lost.
"We had control of the game in the first half and didn't come out with enough intensity defensively in the second half."
The Dragons have not played finals since 2018. They were tipped to challenge for the wooden spoon after the pre-season debacle in Mudgee where they were whipped 42-24 by South Sydney and had Mikaele Ravalawa and Zane Musgrove involved in a late-night brouhaha at a local motel.
A convincing 32-18 NRL win over the Titans after a bye, and a mostly decent showing against the Broncos, will give their fans hope of better days ahead.
Capitulations late in games won't help the Dragons' cause one iota, but the powerhouse display of bench forwards Josh Kerr, Michael Molo and Zane Musgrove in the first half against the Broncos showed the Dragons have depth and clout in the middle.
Griffin said Sloan and Sullivan weren't to blame for the late fade-out.
"Some of the decisions made by our older blokes weren't so good as well when the heat came on," he said.
"I was really proud of them for seventy minutes."
