Rookie Dragons prop Toby Couchman is hoping his side’s breakthrough win against the Broncos is a sign of more positive things to come after a tough start to the season.
Once again one of the team’s top performers, Couchman ran for 215 metres from 20 runs as well as pitching in with 35 tackles as the side lifted to win their first game in 295 days.
Part of a rising crop of forwards brought into the team that the club are looking to build their future around, Couchman said the winning feeling was a sweet reward for weeks of tough lessons and foundation setting.
“It’s special, I think we've been building for it for a couple of games now,” Couchman said of the win.
“(We have) had some tough opposition and we learnt a tough lesson in a few of those games, but we knew coming out of those games what we had to do and to do it and get the win, it feels good to get a win again.
“I think there was a lot of positives from the Penrith game up here (at Magic Round) a couple of weeks ago.
“Obviously they're a class outfit, but the way we played, we knew if we played like that, we're going to beat a lot of teams.
“The Warriors game, there were moments we were happy with; we were in the game with 12 minutes to go, that’s another great side, but still plenty to fix up, and I feel like we've fixed that up.
“It got scary at the end, but to hold on and get the win was awesome.”
One of the lessons was staying in the game longer, with coach Dean Young saying his forward pack collectively weren't happy with the inability to match the physicality of the Warriors in their loss, something they looked to rectify.
“We lost the physical battle versus the Warriors, and we still were in the game somewhat, so we knew if we fixed that we'd be a good chance of winning,” Couchman said.
While the win was a fully squad effort, Dragons fans have been excited to see the continued development of the young forward pack who are representing their region, with the Couchman brothers Toby and twin Ryan playing as Thirroul Butchers juniors.
Fellow forward prospects Dylan Egan and Hamish Stewart grew up playing for the Gerringong Lions, while all four represented Illawarra Steelers as part of the Dragons pathways in the SG Ball.
“The young forwards, I love playing with them, my brother obviously, love playing with him,” Couchman, who played his 50th NRL game against the Broncos, said.
“Hamish, Dylan, I've played with them growing up a bit, they just work their arse off.
“Now Loko [Jnr Pasifiki Tonga] is in there, he's a beast.
“It's good having him out there too, so I love playing with those boys … we're all young and we want to win here.
Round Up - Round 13, 2026
“This is home, and I definitely want to be here.
“Obviously the season, it's been hard this year – it's hard to look too far forward and focus on that, but when you really think about it, there is a possibility here that we could do something big and I definitely want to be a part of it.”
Next up, the Dragons will be looking to keep their momentum rolling when they head to Ocean Protect Stadium to face Cronulla.
Match: Sharks v Dragons
Round 14 -
home Team
Sharks
8th Position
away Team
Dragons
17th Position
Venue: Ocean Protect Stadium, Sydney
Match broadcasters:
- WatchNRL
