Thaiday, a representative back-rower and prop, started the match at hooker and it didn’t take long for the veteran to stamp his authority on the game.

Not that Bennett enjoyed it.

Parked at dummy half on the last tackle early in the first half, Thaiday decided to take the kick himself.

The ball ended up running into to touch 20 metres out from the Dragons' line- not exactly a diabolical result.

However, Bennett made it clear kicking was not part of the 32-year-old’s job description.

“I nearly jumped out of the coaches box,” Bennett joked after the match.

“That wasn’t in the script.”

But the coach needn’t have worried with his troops dominating the Dragons in every facet of the game to likely end the Red V’s already dwindling finals hopes.

Brisbane were dynamite with the ball, but it was their courageous defence which kept them in the game after holding out the joint venture for successive sets with the match in the balance.

“I thought our defence was a feature of the night,” Bennett said.

“We started our game well with the ‘D’ and we stuck at it all night. They had a lot of opportunities in the end and we kept turning them back. They got two tries off kicks and didn’t get any running tries, so, I was pretty pleased with all that.”

The same could not be said for his counterpart Paul McGregor whose side now relies on other results in the remaining three rounds to secure a place in the top eight.  

“The nine-day turn is going to help us,” McGregor said.

“We know what we need to do- we just have to go out there and do it. Penrith are a quality team…but it’s up to us. We just have to win.”

The ninth-placed Dragons could drop to 10th should the Raiders down Penrith on Sunday by 15 points or more.