Saffy's elevation means Neville Costigan, on the comeback trail from off-season knee surgery, has been brought on to the bench for Saturday night's clash with Gold Coast at WIN Stadium.

"They obviously started the season playing well together, but we've all got to do that in the team," he said.

"I thought the tight forwards did a great job, I mean Jeremy Smith and Poorey and especially Mick did a great job in going forward and laying that foundation.

"I think we've just got to sharpen up a little bit and finish some opportunities.

"That will come, but the biggest thing is our defence and keeping that right.

"If we can keep doing things right around the middle of the ruck and not letting points in, we'll be all right."

South African-born Saffy, who played rugby union before switching to league four years ago, has spent most of his time in the second-row.

He and Weyman will go head-to-head with former Dragons star prop Luke Bailey, a Shellharbour junior, on Saturday.

It is Bailey's 150th NRL game, a milestone fittingly played in the Illawarra.

Saffy and Costigan's promotion comes as coach Wayne Bennett chose to drop Chase Stanley and shift Beau Scott from the second row to the centres.

Bennett moved Scott to the centres after Melbourne five-eighth Greg Inglis proved a handful for Dragons defenders Stanley and Jamie Soward.

"We were targeted a bit down there, so hopefully I'll be able to tighten things up a bit," Scott said.

"I'm not sure if it varies my role, I'll just play a similar role but a bit wider I guess.