AFTER being walloped by the Bulldogs 38-0 in Round 24, Dragons coach Paul McGregor tore strips off his finals-bound team to fire them up — and it worked.

Heading into Round 25 they had lost all but two of their last eight games, and McGregor was not seeing the enthusiasm he expected of a team about to play finals for the first time since 2015.

Their season was spiralling rapidly and McGregor knew he needed to do something to stop it.

Two days after the embarrassing loss at Jubilee Oval, McGregor walked into the video session and delivered one of the all-time sprays.

Foxsports.com.au understands McGregor’s blow-up almost blew the roof off WIN Stadium in Wollongong.

After dishing out the hard truths, McGregor then told his players to take two days off work, to get away from football and think about how they wanted to end their 2018 NRL season.

“I know it really helped me because I was able to freshen up and get my head right, get my body right. It was what I needed,” said fullback Matt Dufty, who had earlier asked his coach for a break and had been benched for the Bulldogs game.

“(McGregor) gave us a (verbal) beating but then he said we should all be excited, we’re playing finals footy. He said go away and get yourself right for the game against Newcastle.

“It was good to just spend time with friends and family, get away from footy and get away from all the media. I didn’t really use my phone, I just got away.

“It was good to get that balance because it’s just been footy for 25 weeks and I know I needed that rest.”

The Dragons responded, beating Newcastle 24-14 in the final game of the season, which set them up for a resounding 48-18 victory over the Broncos in last week’s elimination final.

With their season back on track, the Dragons now face South Sydney in the do-or-die semi-final at ANZ Stadium on Saturday.