Gareth Widdop believes there is still plenty more improvement in St George Illawarra’s spine after blowing away the Gold Coast.
The Dragons return to Wollongong to host a much-improved Newcastle side on Sunday having won their opening three games to sit top of the NRL table.
The new halves combination of Widdop and Ben Hunt along with electric young fullback Matt Dufty and hooker Cameron McInnes has shone in the early rounds, particularly in the 46-point drubbing of the Titans.
But captain Widdop said there was more to come from the team’s new-look spine despite their excellent start.
“I’d like to think we’ve done enough work in the pre-season. We had limited time but we’ve done a hell of a lot of work,” he said.
“You saw it coming together [against the Titans]. I think a lot of things stuck which is great, we’ve worked really hard on that. Last week [against Cronulla] we were a bit off but we worked hard during the week and managed to put on a few points. The more we play together the better we’ll become.
“I think when you bring in a traditional halfback I suppose it frees myself up a little bit and Ben as well. And he’s a good ball runner as well. I think myself, Ben, Duff, the more we’re linking and playing together we’re less predictable and that’s what we’ve been working on. We’re enjoying it at the moment.”
The Dragons will take plenty of momentum into the clash against Newcastle for their first game at WIN Stadium this season. It is the first of a block of three home matches in a row, with St George Illawarra hosting South Sydney at Kogarah in between visits by the Knights and Cronulla to Wollongong.
I think the more we’re linking and playing together we’re less predictable and that’s what we’ve been working on.
- Gareth Widdop
But Widdop said their excellent start would count for nothing if they were unable to back it up against the Knights.
“As long as we go out next week and live up to our standards and play the way we want to play. But if we go out there and we don’t live up to our standards then obviously it’s a win but it’s disappointing,” he said.
“For us it’s about taking it a week at a time, being consistent in our efforts in all areas, working hard throughout the week in training. We know it’s still early, it’s only round three but we’ll certainly take a lot of confidence from the last few weeks and move forward from this now.”
