Elliott attracted no less than five Dragons defenders but they could not stop him from scoring 10 metres out.
Signs of the upset were apparent early when Bulldogs captain Josh Jackson was sin-binned and somehow the Dragons still conceded a try.
By the time Jackson returned to the field of play in the 35th minute, the Bulldogs were in front 8-6 for just their second half-time lead this season.
Jake Averillo scored two tries and kicked six goals to guide the Belmore outfit around the paddock, while Jeremy Marshall-King’s return after a three-month foot injury, also proved pivotal.
With Kyle Flanagan watching on as 18th man, it was his former halves teammate who produced two pieces of individual brilliance before and after half-time to set up a 14-6 lead.
From there, Averillo and Marshall-King combined with Brandon Wakeham to pile on a further two tries to seal the win.
Bulldogs coach Trent Barrett said the win gave his team some confidence going forward.
“It’s been a difficult three months and now they’ve got the opportunity to just get better each week,” he said.
“Things are slowly starting to improve and I’m really pleased they didn’t concede any soft tries [as we have done previously].
“We’ll get better but there’s no doubt it’s been hard.
“We’re on the right track now but I’m still not happy with where we sit, the next 11 weeks is going to be important for us.”
Bulldogs take on the Eels on Sunday from 2pm at Bankwest Stadium.
Dogs unleash at last
CANTERBURY has thrashed eighth-placed St George Illawarra 28-6 at Stadium Australia to claim just its second win of the season.
The bottom-placed Bulldogs exposed the Dragons’ severe defensive lapses early and dealt them further embarrassment in the 68th minute when Bulldogs second-rower Adam Elliott encountered little resistance on his way to the line.
