It quickly became the case when Dragons' Nathan Orr scored eight minutes into the new half, starting what would be a dominant stretch of play from the hosts on their way to a 38-10 win at Glen Willow Stadium.

Panthers suffered a blow before the opening whistle when their leading centre pairing of Jeremy Gordon and Keelan Bresac both had to withdraw.

Mudgee's Ben Thompson got the scoring underway with a try in the sixth minute before Panthers hit back through Josh Rivett and leveled it up at 6-all.

After persistent attacks at the Panthers' try line, the Dragons eventually broke through for their second four-pointer of the day through Corin Smith.

Momentum continued to stay with the Dragons through the remainder of the first half but the Panthers defence kept the damage to a minimum until the break.

However, once Orr scored for the Dragons it sparked a match-winning run of tries.

Dragons scored two more times before the hour mark and even a try against the run of play to Panthers' Charlie Hutchings didn't stop the momentum.

Chad Chandler and Charlie Clayton each scored to seal the deal for the Dragons and ensure they have a share of the lead on the Group 10 ladder with Orange CYMS.

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