There was a key word that Paul McGregor uttered after St George Illawarra stole victory over Manly on Saturday night.
Resilience.
On a night when the Dragons were not at their best and when not a lot went their way, the red V remained determined to stay in the contest until the very end. And they eventually got their reward.
They refused to quit.
That resilience is a trait McGregor will be desperate to see more of heading into St George Illawarra's Anzac Day clash with the Sydney Roosters on Thursday.
"We really didn't get much go our way the whole night [against Manly]," McGregor said.
"And to find that desire and that resilience in our defence when we needed to... you get those rewards and those wins. And that's how you build a team over time that produce that sort of attitude in and around what they do."
Despite their win over the Sea Eagles, the Dragons will require a much-improved performance when they take on the reigning premiers at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
While the Dragons have climbed to sixth after four straight victories, the Roosters have a share of the competition lead after their golden-point triumph over Melbourne.
St George Illawarra have an impressive record in the now traditional Anzac Day fixture, winning 11 of the 17 matches since the inaugural clash in 2002 including last season's 24-8 victory.
Ben Hunt was outstanding at Allianz Stadium that day and the Dragons will be hoping for more of the same from their halfback as he chases the Queensland No.7 jersey.
Hunt has been impressive alongside five-eighth Corey Norman since St George Illawarra lost captain Gareth Widdop to a potentially season-ending shoulder injury.
And McGregor lauded Hunt's game management skills which will be vital against the Roosters.
"He's growing in that area, for sure. That part of his game and his kicking [against Manly] was as good as it's been," McGregor said.
"As we spoke about before his game management is good. I think the option there with Normy on the left and him on the right gives us good balance as well. Because you've got a left and right foot kicker on either side of the ruck. So the opposition have got to really hedge their bets a little bit so they get less kick pressure.
"But where they're putting them it's no fluke. They practice pretty hard through the week and their execution under pressure has been great."
