The St George Illawarra Dragons finally reaped the rewards of an off-season recruitment run built around experience last weekend, with a gritty defensive performance seeing a job done against the Melbourne Storm.
In what came as a shock to the rugby league watching public, Melbourne, widely regarded as the premiership favourites, were knocked off by the Dragons despite having a staggering 46 tackles in the opposition 20.
Melbourne certainly missed Jahrome Hughes in the creation stakes, but it was the Dragons who continually turned up on their goal line, making as many try-saving tackles as you could possibly ask for.
The fact Melbourne scored only a single try was testament to the way the Red V defended, and more than that, the way in which Shane Flanagan prepared his team.
He very evidently has the wood over Craig Bellamy, having won four of his last five matches against the coach, being two with the Dragons, and two of the last three when he was at Cronulla.
But the Dragons would be remiss to get ahead of themselves if they really want to be built different in 2025.
This is a long, challenging season, and the bottom line is the majority still have them around the bottom of the table on predicted ladders.
Not to say pundits ladders have ever had a bearing on the way a team plays their rugby league, or views their chances, but one win is just that. One win.
And so the Dragons need to find a way to stay on the front foot. Of that, there is no doubt.
One of the ways they seemed to do that against Melbourne was the introduction of Jacob Liddle off the bench.
While the Dragons did have some issues hanging onto the ball throughout the game, and their own attack didn't possess a lot, the 30 minutes when Liddle were on flipped the momentum as the Dragons ran downhill during the second half.
Shane Flanagan praised Liddle, and commented on Damien Cook's shuffle into the lock forward role during his post-match press conference, with the coach confirming Liddle had a difficult pre-season.
"It's great [Jacob Liddle's role off the bench]. Cookie did some really good stuff there at 13 for a bit because his experience there is crucial. Hookers these days in the middle part of the field are making a lot of tackles and doing a lot of work, so you can't expect the beach sprinter to have his best at the end of halves. Lidds comes on and gives us that speed out of dummy half and that threat," Flanagan said after the win over the Storm.
"Lidds had a bad pre-season, three hand surgeries, didn't train a lot so he has come in at the right time."
No one is asking Liddle to play 80 minutes a more, a fate which found its way onto his shoulders more than once last year with the Dragons struggling in the depth department at number nine.
That's not the case anymore with Cook's signing, but whether 30 minutes is the right balance - and it's a trend, given he has played similar minutes in each of the opening rounds - is up for dispute.
Liddle adds spark off the bench that Cook has lost towards the twilight of his career, and yet, based on what was shown during the final half an hour against last year's grand finalists, you could argue that the Dragons would be better off having both Cook and Liddle on the field at the same time for more minutes.
A one-two punch at dummy half against tiring forwards is a lethal combination, and there is no doubt, even at this late stage of his career, that Cook still brings plenty to a rugby league team.
There is no reason why Cook can't start, take the sting out of the game, and then shuffle into a lock role for the final ten minutes of the first half before having a break of his own after halftime, then playing the one-two punch with Liddle through the final 20 to 30 minutes of the game.
That, on the surface at least, should only give the Dragons extra attacking weapons at a time of the game when it's needed while not compromising at the defensive end, given the work both Cook and Liddle can do there.
It balances the minutes nicely between the duo and could well be the answer moving forward to turning the Dragons into an attacking threat to a level far greater than what has been on display during their first three games.
There is little doubt they need to back up their win over Melbourne with one over the Eels this weekend as Clint Gutherson makes his return to the west of Sydney, but it's more than just a win needed.
It's the style of win.
It's the dropped balls, the defence being on the same level, and more coming from the attack.
You feel that Cook and Liddle in tandem could be just the way to get things firing.
