Jack de Belin says St George Illawarra players were not playing for each other – or their coach – last season.
But a change in culture aided by a strong pre-season has the Dragons breathing fire and aiming for a top four finish.
The Dragons wore much criticism from their fans after a disappointing campaign last season. One of the worst attacks in the competition, only a handful of new signings and a coach under pressure had many doubting why 2017 would be any different.
Few predicted such a swift turnaround with St George Illawarra second on the NRL table after five rounds following their 28-6 win over the Wests Tigers but de Belin said he – and his teammates – aren’t surprised.
“If you look at it on paper it’s a high calibre playing group,” he said.
“I did that last year, looking through the team and thought for what we’ve got here we should be performing a lot better.
“Last year was a year of lost opportunity. There wasn’t a lot of growth or development. We kind of just got stale and you could see from the performances we weren’t really playing for one another or the coach. But this year we’re united and we can match it with any side.”
The 26-year-old has started the season in arguably career-best form.
The bond inside the Dragons camp is as strong as it has been in recent memory. An arduous pre-season that involved a lot of hard work and team bonding has helped the atmosphere around the club.
“We had a great pre-season, to be honest. We really came together and there was a lot of belief and confidence,” de Belin said.
“Obviously we didn’t trial that great and the [Auckland] Nines wasn’t the best performance either but the confidence was always there and we knew we were building something special… we’re definitely showing what we’re capable of and definitely heading in the right direction I think.”
The Dragons will face fellow surprise packets Manly at Brookvale Oval on Saturday, with the Sea Eagles fifth after three straight wins over North Queensland, Canterbury and the Sydney Roosters.
De Belin, while happy with his own form, said he still had improvement in his game and that State of Origin was a goal on the horizon.
“I’ve definitely got rep aspirations. I’m never satisfied just playing club footy. It’s good to be playing club footy and having a career doing that but I would definitely love to play some rep footy,” he said.
“[My form has] been good. I’m happy but you’re never satisfied. Obviously you’re always looking to improve and build. That’s obviously the platform I’ve created and now I’ve just got to keep building on it.”
