St George Illawarra had lost four matches in a row to leave Shane Flanagan searching for answers as their form towards the business end of the season had fallen off a cliff once again.
However, the Dragons bounced back in a big way recently as they battled to a surprise win over the ladder-leading Canberra Raiders in dire conditions, before also knocking off Cronulla in the local derby.
The Red V were unable to keep the momentum going when they lost to New Zealand last week, although they will have a chance to get back to winning ways when they take on South Sydney in the opening game of Round 25.
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St George Illawarra Dragons NRL game this week
The Dragons will take on the Rabbitohs at Accor Stadium on Thursday, August 21 at 7:50pm (AEST).
Dragons confirmed team list for Round 25
1. Clint Gutherson
2. Christian Tuipulotu
3. Hayden Buchanan
4. Mathew Feagai
5. Corey Allan
6. Lyhkan King-Togia
7. Kyle Flanagan
8. Emre Guler
9. Damien Cook
10. David Klemmer
11. Luciano Leilua
12. Jacob Halangahu
13. Ben Murdoch-Masila
14. Jacob Liddle
15. Blake Lawrie
16. Loko Pasifiki Tonga
17. Tyrell Sloan
18. Raymond Faitala-Mariner
19. Viliami Fifita
20. Nathan Lawson
21. Lachlan Ilias
Dragons latest team news:
St George Illawarra nearly pulled off a famous win last week against the Warriors after losing three forwards to concussions during the first half.
Jack de Belin and Hamish Stewart were wiped out in the same play, before Hame Sele departed from the match shortly afterwards.
The Dragons have a lengthy injury list and these three losses from last week are compounded by the fact that Jaydn Su'A and Michael Molo also remain in the casualty ward.
Jacob Halangahu has been handed a maiden NRL start in the backrow, while Ben Murdoch-Masila will start at lock amid the injury crisis.
Blake Lawrie was a late out in Round 24, but returns to the bench for this one.
Christian Tuipulotu made his return from a long-term hamstring injury during the defeat in Auckland starts on the wing, with Corey Allan lining up on the opposite flank once again ahead of Tyrell Sloan.
However, Sloan has been promoted to the bench after getting some game time as 18th man last week.
Moses Suli is still sidelined with a knee injury, although he is expected to return in the last round of the regular season.
The likes of Valentine Holmes, Toby Couchman and Dylan Egan have already been ruled out for the rest of the season.