St George Illawarra skipper Ben Creagh has endorsed their third halves pairing in six rounds, saying it could give his side an edge on Monday night as it looks to end a Melbourne hoodoo that stretches back to 1999.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Most of the Dragons squad, including Creagh, have not won south of the border but Michael Witt, who earned a recall from coach Steve Price this week, and Gareth Widdop have tasted success in Melbourne.
Witt famously scored the winning try for the Warriors against Melbourne in one of the biggest upsets in finals history in 2008.
Creagh said Witt's experience would be a huge plus. An injury in round one has denied the 30-year-old Witt the chance to lock up the No.7 jersey.
''He's played in a lot of big games, Witty, and he's a very experienced player,'' Creagh said. ''He's very composed and adds a lot of patience to our attack. He played really well for us in the Charity Shield and against the Tigers.
''He got injured there, which didn't help him, but there's no reason he couldn't be our starting No.7 for the rest of the season. He hasn't done anything wrong in the games he has played and having an experienced head alongside Gareth will be a big positive for us.''
Widdop was the fourth wheel to Melbourne's big three of Cooper Cronk, Billy Slater and Cameron Smith before moving to Wollongong this year.
Creagh said the 25-year-old's insight into the Melbourne machine would be helpful.
''He's been giving us a few tips during the week about what to expect but there's not going to be any surprises there,'' he said. ''They're just a tough, consistent footy side.
''You never go down there and have an easy game or a game where they have an off night.
''They really relish playing at home and making it tough for opposition sides, and Monday night will be no different.''
Creagh said his side had focused on the threats the Storm posed across the park. ''It's a big mistake sometimes when teams go down there and just focus on three players when they've got such a quality side,'' he said. ''They've got a really strong forward pack and their outside backs are dangerous as well.''