Huddersfield Giants' status as a Super League club continues to hang by a thread after a nightmare opening 40 minutes handed hosts Leigh Centurions victory on a plate.
When head coach Rick Stone's side needed to deliver more than ever before, they couldn't have failed much more miserably.
The Giants may have ended up losing by a relatively slender 48-40 margin to a Leigh side who were promoted to Super League as a result after 10 years out of the wilderness.
But when the stakes were also so high for Huddersfield in their bid to retain their top-flight status for 2017 they just couldn't rise to the occasion - until it was far too late.
Their first-half performance was an utter embarrassment as they went in at the break 42-10 down when they knew a win would leave them needing to win just one of their remaining fixtures at home to Leeds Rhinos next Sunday or at Hull KR seven days later.
But now they'll need to triumph in both games to avoid being involved in the 'Million Pound Game' which they'll need to win to be a member of the Super League again next year.
The fact the visitors scored 30 points in the final 28 minutes should give them some hope, but by that stage the damage had obviously been done.
The first half was an absolute horror show. It couldn't have gone any worse.
Every time the Giants made a mistake - and, boy, didn't they make a bucketload of them! - Leigh took full advantage to score seven tries, all of which were converted from all over the field from Martyn Ridyard to make it 42-10 at the break.
Right from the kick-off it was utterly horrendous, with the Giants allowing the ball to go dead at the start as they conceded their fourth drop-out of the half.
From that position, former Giants Academy centre Greg Worthington crossed in the corner and it was a bitter taste of things to come.
Within five minutes, the Centurions had added their second try when another ex-Huddersfield man dived in for the first of his three first-half scores after Aaron Murphy had knocked-on near his own tryline.
And six minutes later, more poor Giants play gifted the ending for Dawson to score again.
At 18-0, the writing already looked on the cards.
But, finally the visitors woke up.
On their first attack, Danny Brough's short ball send Michael Lawrence crashing through and moments later Murphy finished off in the corner to reduce the deficit to eight points after 23 minutes.
Unfortunately, as the Giants pushed hard for a third try, Brough's pass was intercepted by Ridyard close to his own tryline and raced 90m to get his side back on top.
That lead should have been cut again in the 32nd minute when Jermaine McGillvary rust clear and fed the supporting Jamie Ellis who spilled the ball 20m out with the line wide open.
A minute later, Dawson had complete his hat trick and in the final five minutes Cory Paterson and Ridyard - after the final hooter had sounded - to give Leigh a 32-point interval advantage.
The start of the second period didn't look any brighter, with the lively Kruise Leeming helped off the field with a painful leg injury within two minutes of the restart.
And after Brough was unlucky to see a 40-20 kick go fractionally out of play moments later, Leigh again took full advantage by creating theopening for Mitch Brown to storm away.
Jake Connor eased some of the growing pain by collecting Ellis's grubber to score to make it 48-16 after 52 minutes.
Video referee James Child ruled out a second for Paterson for obstruction minutes later and then Ukuma Ta'ai was denied by a knock-on just moments later.
But there was no denying Leroy Cudjoe with 17 minutes remaining as he showed all his strength to brush past a couple of markers to scorefrom close range and then doubled his tally two minutes later by racing in from 40m.
Brough's goal at least brought a little more respectability at 48-28.
And when Ellis touched down against his former club for Brough to land his fifth goal in the 69th minute the lead was down to 14 points.
That lead was down to eight with just over three minutes remaining when Ellis touched down Brough's grubber for a sixth converted try and the Giants' 30th point in just 24 minutes.
But in the end it just wasn't enough.
