NRL.com Wrap: Knights downed by Dragons in opening hit out

Full-time: The final siren has sounded on an intriguing contest in Kogarah, with the home fans going home happy after St George Illawarra claimed a come-from-behind victory. Newcastle controlled large portions of the contest, but they conceded three tries in the final 11 minutes to see a two-point lead turn into a 10-point loss. Dragons halfback Kade Reed was superb, finishing with a try, three try assists to highlight why St George Illawarra officials hold him in such a high regard. Dragons 28 - Knights 18. 

78th minute: St George Illawarra fans at Jubilee Oval are starting to celebrate as Tyrell Sloan scores in the corner to put the result beyond doubt. It was a well-worked move to the right, with Kade Reed delivering a superb pass to send his winger over. Dragons 28 - Knights 18. 

76th minute: We're off to the Bunker as the Dragons look to extend their lead. Lyhkan King-Togia put a grubber through, Tyson Gamble was unable to reel it in, multiple players collided, then Hayden Buchanan was the first to get his hand on the ball. The try is awarded, Kade Reed's kick sailed wide and St George Illawarra lead by six with three minutes to play. Dragons 24 - Knights 18. 

70th minute: This game has another twist left in it and the Dragons are back in front. Mat Feagai read the Knights attacking play, plucked the Tyson Gamble pass out of the air and raced 50 metres to hand his side the lead. In a further sign of what this match means to the hosts, Kade Reed has been injected back into the contest for the last 10 minutes. Dragons 20 - Knights 18. 

66th minute: Newcastle are back in front after Thomas Cant carried multiple defenders over the line. The Knights have done a good job controlling possession throughout the contest and now they're looking to close out the match. Dragons 16 - Knights 18. 

60th minute: Both coaches have started to empty their benches, with both Fletcher Sharpe and Sandon Smith leaving the field in the past five minutes. Kade Reed has also come off, along with Josh Kerr and a number of the more experienced Dragons. St George Illawarra continue to hold on to a four-point lead but Newcastle have been throwing plenty at them in attack. Dragons 16 - Knights 12.

50th minute: Kade Reed continues to pull the strings for the Dragons and this time he's put Josh Kerr through a giant hole to put his team on top. Kerr is playing his first game in the Red V since 2023 after a two-year stint at the Dolphins. Dragons 16 - Knights 12. 

Kick-off: We are back for the second half, with Newcastle to start with the football. Coach Justin Holbrook has opted to leave Sandon Smith and Fletcher Sharpe on the field, however Sharpe has moved to fullback and Tyson Gamble into the halves. Dragons 12 - Knights 12. 

Half-time: That's half-time in an intriguing game of football, with the two teams locked at 12-all. Dragons halfback Kade Reed was impressive for the hosts, while Newcastle No.7 Sandon Smith shone in his first game for his new club. The Knights were on top for large portions of the half and scored three tries to two but goal kicking let them down. Dragons 12 - Knights 12.

38th minute: Kade Reed scored a try at one end, now he's saved one at the other end. Sandon Smith took an intercept on his own 20 metre line and set sail for the other end of the field. Reed was in hot pursuit and slowly reeled his opposing halfback in before making a try-saving tackle and forcing an error in the process. Dragons 12 - Knights 12.

33rd minute: James Schiller looked to have his first try in Knights colours, but the Bunker has intervened after the winger was tackled before getting up and running towards the line. He didn't have to wait much longer to get on the board, however, latching on to a superb Sandon Smith cutout pass before soaring through the air for a spectacular put down. Dragons 12 - Knights 12.

28th minute: Matt Arthur has caught the Dragons short-side defence napping, putting through a deft grubber from dummy-half for Brodie Jones to score in the corner. Dragons 12 - Knights 8.

24th minute: Setu Tu has impressed throughout his first pre-season with the Dragons and he now has his first points in the Red V. The winger plucked a loose ball out of the air and raced nearly 70 metres to score. Tu has rocketed into contention for St George Illawarra's season opener and is in the frame to start in Las Vegas. Dragons 12 - Knights 4.

17th minute: The Knights have hit back, with Brodie Jones producing a late offload despite attempts by the Dragons to wrap him up. Five-eighth Fletcher Sharpe hit the ball with speed, evaded a defender and linked up with Kyle McCarthy to score the try. Dragons 6 - Knights 4.

13th minute: Newcastle have largely controlled the opening exchanges of this match but it's St George Illawarra who open the scoring thanks to a piece of individual brilliance from halfback Kade Reed. The 19-year-old gathered the ball, kicked through for himself, regathered and scored a spectacular try. Dragons 6 - Knights 0.

3rd minute: The Dragons outside backs have made their intent clear in defence, rushing in to put pressure on the Knights attackers. The tactic has delivered results on both sides of the field, with Newcastle fullback Fletcher Hunt spilling the ball under heavy pressure. Dragons 0 - Knights 0.

Kick-off: The second game of our double-header is underway, with Newcastle kicking off to the Dragons. Both teams are looking to hit the ground running as they build towards a Las Vegas season-opener in three weeks time. It's been an eventful opening minute, with Josh Kerr dropping the ball in the opening tackle, putting the Knights on the attack. Dragons 0 - Knights 0.

Late Mail: The Dragons will start the match 1-13, however Newcastle have made one late change to their squad. Jermaine McEwen has dropped out of the team, with Brodie Jones coming into the starting side in jumper No.18. 

Bulldogs v Cowboys at Jubilee Oval

Full-time: Cowboys winger Ronald Philitoga has produced a desperate cover tackle to save the match for his side. Canterbury fought valiantly in the second half, with a number of their youngsters producing impressive performances. North Queensland's big guns did all the work in the first half before receiving an early shower. Halfback Jake Clifford pulled the strings, Heilum Luki impressed in his first match since 2024 and Robert Derby put his hand up for a starting wing spot in an entertaining start to the 2026 Pre-Season Challenge. Bulldogs 30 - Cowboys 34.

79th minute: This match might have one last twist left in it. A Cowboys error handed possession back to the Bulldogs before Justin Matamua produced a great carry to put his side into attacking territory. The Bulldogs attacked right, Alex Conti produced an excellent cut-out pass and Mikey Nassar scored in the corner. It's a four-point game with just over a minute to play. Bulldogs 30 - Cowboys 34.

76th minute: North Queensland have given themselves some breathing room now. The penalty allowed the visitors to work into attacking territory and they quickly capitalised. A deflected kick allowed the Cowboys to attack a disjointed Bulldogs line, with Mason Barber eventually breaking through to extend his side's lead. Bulldogs 24 - Cowboys 34.

73rd minute: Canterbury have spent the past few minutes camped on the Cowboys line and looked destined to score before Liam Sutton produced a try-saving tackle. The five-eighth forced an error in the process, which the Bulldogs then compounded by failing to pack the scrum in time. The penalty handed North Queensland an easy exit from their own end. Bulldogs 24 - Cowboys 28.

67th minute: The Bulldogs are rolling right now and they have another try. Joseph Teaupa put up a towering bomb, Jope Rauqe chased through, challenged for the ball and collected the loose ball to score his team's fifth. Aaymon Fitzgibbon landed the conversion and we have a four-point ball game on our hands. Bulldogs 24 - Cowboys 28.

65th minute: Canterbury have four in a row after Joseph Teaupa produced another piece of brilliance. The five-eighth shrugged off the rushing defenders, put the ball on the toe and there was no stopping Louis Grossemy. The deficit is now 10 with 14 to play. Bulldogs 18 - Cowboys 28.

58th minute: The Bulldogs have had all the momentum in the second half and they've crossed for their third to set up a grandstand finish. After rolling down the field, five-eighth Joseph Teaupa orchestrated a short-side move to set up Cooper Toy in the corner. The winger had plenty of work to do but did the job to beat the cover defence. Bulldogs 14 - Cowboys 28.

47th minute: It hasn't taken long for Aaymon Fitzgibbon to have an impact on this contact, the son of Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon racing through to gather a grubber and ground the ball. At 18 years old, Fitzgibbon is the youngest player on the field tonight, but he has played beyond his years so far. Bulldogs 10 - Cowboys 28. 

Kick-off: We are back for the second half, with Cowboys coach Todd Payten turning to a number of his emerging players after an impressive opening 40 from his veterans. Zac Herdegen has slotted into halfback, with Liam Sutton moving to five-eighth. The Bulldogs have also injected a number of youngsters, with Aaymon Fitzgibbon entering the fray. Bulldogs 6 - Cowboys 28.

Half-time: That is the end of a superb half of football by the Cowboys, with a host of big names standing tall. Halfback Jake Clifford was pulling the strings, winger Robert Derby scored a double and Heilum Luki crashed over for a try in his first match since 2024. There were some bright spots late in the half for the Bulldogs, with Justin Matamua crossing to score his side's first points of 2026. Bulldogs 6 - Cowboys 28.

38th minute: The Bulldogs are on the board. A string of set restarts allowed the hosts to work into attacking territory and while the Cowboys tried valiantly to defend their line, the fatigue eventually proved too great. Justin Matamua was the man to break through, the forward stepping past some tired defenders to slam the ball down. Bulldogs 6 - Cowboys 28

27th minute: Jake Clifford has another try assist, hitting Kai O'Donnell on a short ball. The back-rower looked to have been wrapped up by the Bulldogs defence but somehow wrestled his way out of the grasp of three defenders to sneak over the try line. Bulldogs 0 - 28

24th minute: Robert Derby has his second as the Cowboys continue to flex their muscle here at Kogarah. The visitors produced a slick right-edge move to expose the Bulldogs defence and while Derby made it slightly more difficult than it could have been, the winger slammed the ball down to continue his side's dominance. Bulldogs 0 - Cowboys 22

18th minute: Cowboys five-eighth Jaxon Purdue has now got in on the action, producing a towering bomb that Bulldogs fullback Taye Cochrane was unable to secure. North Queensland centre Zac Laybutt was on the spot to extend his side's lead. Bulldogs 0 - Cowboys 16.

16th minute: Robert Derby has extended his side's lead, winning the race for a Jake Clifford grubber, latching on to the ball and slamming it down to score the second try of the night. Clifford has been excellent in the No.7 jumper tonight as has looks to prove he belongs in the Cowboys halves alongside Tom Dearden. Bulldogs 0 - Cowboys 10.

10th minute: We've had a second Captain's Challenge, with the Bulldogs successfully arguing an early tackle. The penalty handed Canterbury their first chance to attack and while they threatened the line, an errant pass brought an end to the opportunity. Bulldogs 0 - Cowboys 6.

6th minute: Heilum Luki has crashed over for the opening points of the game. The punishing edge forward is playing in his first match since September 2024 after tearing his ACL at training last pre-season. The 24-year-old is set to make a key difference to the Cowboys attack this season and will be on the plane to Las Vegas if he can get through the next two weeks unscathed. Bulldogs 0 - Cowboys 6.

3rd minute: It's taken just three minutes for our first Captain's Challenge of the year, with Thomas Mikaele lodging an appeal after he was ruled to have dropped the ball in the play the ball. The skipper has come up trumps, North Queensland awarded a penalty for ruck interference. The Cowboys will have the first attacking opportunity of the match. Bulldogs 0 - Cowboys 0.

Kick-off: Rugby league is officially back for 2026. Jonathan Sua has kicked off and the Cowboys will have first use of the ball. Both coaches have opted to field young squads filled with stars of the future. A number of off-season recruits will also make their first appearances for their new clubs, with Gordon Chan Kum Tong headlining the list for Canterbury. Bulldogs 0 - Cowboys 0.

Late Mail: The final teams are in for the opening game of 2026, with the Bulldogs making one late change. Daniel Suluka-Fifita drops out of the squad, with Fletcher Baker moving from the bench to the starting side in his first match in Canterbury colours. Suluka-Fifita is not injured and is expected to line up next weekend against the Knights. No late changes for the Cowboys, who will start the match 1-13.