Kogarah's Netstrata Jubilee Stadium or Gerringong's Michael Cronin Oval? When the Dragons recorded their first win of the season last Saturday against the Melbourne Storm, you could have been forgiven for confusing the two.

Three Gerringong Lions juniors - Tyran Wishart, Hamish Stewart and debutant Dylan Egan - took to the field for the closely fought 14-8 Dragons win.

Egan seemed right at home in his debut NRL game playing 49 minutes off the bench with four tackle breaks and 34 tackles including a barnstorming run at a crucial moment in the game which led to a penalty and, ultimately, the try that sealed the game.

“It was definitely a dream come true,” Egan said. “I definitely had nerves and butterflies, but overall I was just really excited to get out there.”

Once it was announced earlier in the week that Egan would make his debut after being an unused reserve for the Dragons’ first two matches, he was flooded with messages of support to the point where he had to put the phone down to focus on preparations for the game.

“I decided not to reply to any messages from Thursday on and just started focusing on what I had to do for the team.

"The older boys and coaching staff showed a lot of confidence in me, which gave me a lot of belief in myself too."

From then on, Egan says the whole week felt like a highlight reel. “From the moment you’re told you're going to debut, to telling your family and friends, to the jersey presentation, and then running out onto the field for the first time. The whole week was unreal.”

The Dragons managed to break their duck for the season against the Storm, but it wasn’t convincing in the slightest - only leading by six points for the final 13 minutes.

Dylan Egan. Photo: Game Face Photography

Egan admits he was all nerves and adrenaline until the very last moment.

“There was a minute to go and we had a fresh set of six and at that point I pretty much knew that we won the game. That was definitely a highlight,” says Egan.

His fellow Gerringong Lions teammate Hamish Stewart, who debuted in round one this season, says it was an honour to get to share the stage with such a close friend.

“To run out with Dylan was so surreal, we've played together from U6s in Gerringong, right through the Steelers pathways and now together in the NRL.

"I love playing with Dylan and so does everyone that plays with him, he's all effort and competes on everything. He's the ultimate teammate,” Stewart said.

Stewart made 24 tackles in his 30 minutes on the field and many of those were made with the help of Egan or vice versa.

The other Gerringong Lion, Tyran Wishart, may have come away with the loss but was pivotal in Melbourne’s only try, in addition to making 151 run metres and 22 tackles.

Photo: Game Face Photography

Egan believes the dominance of Gerringong in the NRL is due to the passion fostered in the small town.

“There’s just a huge love for footy in Gerringong. You’ll go up to the footy field on any afternoon, and there are always kids kicking the ball and playing footy against each other. It’s a great environment to grow up in,” Egan said.

The Dragons will face the Eels on Saturday at Parramatta and both Egan and Stewart have retained their spots in the Dragons' 17.