Stephen Crichton hit it big in Las Vegas with a last-gasp field goal to get the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs over the line in a 15-14 victory against the St George Illawarra Dragons.
In a match that appeared destined to end in a draw after a host of wayward attempts from both teams, the Bulldogs captain held his nerve with only seconds left on the clock to the delight of Canterbury-Bankstown fans among the 45,719 supporters at Allegiant Stadium.
The result was a bitter pill for the Dragons, who were once again on the wrong side of a close game, after losing ten games by eight points or less last season.
In an opening half where attacking chances proved few and far between, the Dragons posted first points via a Valentine Holmes penalty goal before Jacob Preston (10th minute) burst through to give the Bulldogs their first try of the season.
The Dragons needed mere minutes to respond with Damien Cook executing a well-placed grubber kick in-goal which was pounced upon by Emre Guler (14th minute) to regain the lead.
The Bulldogs capitalised on the Dragons' poor discipline, levelling the scores after Lachlan Galvin was tackled off the ball, and hitting the front after Clinton Gutherson ran behind his own man, to take a 10-8 lead to the change of ends.
With the game in need of an injection of attacking spark, the Bulldogs delivered early in the second half with Crichton outclassing Holmes from a scrum and sending Jacob Kiraz (49th minute) over with a superb flick pass.
Having been peppered incessantly with bombs throughout his NRL debut, Dragons winger Setu Tu (58th minute) proved just as effective in attack, finishing off an enterprising passage of play with an acrobatic putdown to narrow the margin to 14-12 with a quarter of the match remaining.
A penalty against the Bulldogs while in possession gave the Dragons the opportunity to level the scores; Kyle Flanagan stepped up from 30 metres out in front to set up a thrilling finish.
With the game headed for golden point, the Bulldogs squandered an opportunity to seal the game in regulation time, opting to run the ball close to the posts, while Holmes' long-range attempt from inside his own half was short of the mark.
The Bulldogs knocked back the chance to win the game with a penalty kick on halfway and were rewarded with Crichton slotting the first field goal of his NRL career from in front of the posts.
Upon returning to Australia, the Bulldogs will have a bye in Round 2, while the Dragons will host the Storm in Wollongong.