The Dragons scored in the first and last minutes of the clash to snatch a 28-22 win over the Bulldogs, whose star Kieran Foran watched from the sideline for the final 42 minutes.
It was a disastrous end to a game Canterbury had seemingly sewn up when they led by 12 points with 24 minutes to go.
With a suspected ankle injury, Foran was forced from the field just before half-time following a high tackle and the 30-year-old never returned.
With the Dragons starting strong and scoring in the first minute, the momentum soon swung towards the Dogs when Jason Marshall-King dived over from dummy half for a 20th-minute try.
The Bulldogs maintained the pressure through penalties and Dragon errors before Meaney scored from a scrum win.
His conversion put the Bulldogs ahead for the first time and Canterbury second-rower Raymond Faitala-Mariner extended his side’s lead in the 34th minute.
Meaney’s conversion and a penalty goal after the tackle on Foran, gave the Bulldogs a 20-10 half-time lead, with a penalty kick giving them a 12-point buffer.
However the Dragons scored in the 65th minute and ensured the score was 22-22 six minutes from full-time before the last-minute try sealed the deal.
“I thought we put in a massive effort, but we kept putting ourselves under pressure, either through dropped balls or six-agains,” Foran said.
“Had we mounted a bit more pressure down their end, we would have been right.”
The Bulldogs take on the Knights this Sunday from 2pm at McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle.
Pack getting back on track
A TRY in the final minute of the game completed a remarkable Dragon comeback and denied interim Canterbury coach Steve Georgallis a win in his first game since taking over from Dean Pay.