Star Dragons playmaker Jamie Soward will run fearlessly on to Suncorp Stadium on Sunday undaunted by demons of the past.
Soward will mark his 100th NRL game at the scene of last year's devastating semi-final loss to Brisbane, which ended a season that promised so much and delivered precious little.
Even after Friday night's nailbiting golden point loss to the Gold Coast, St George Illawarra are still flying high at the top of the ladder for the second season in a row.
They are four points clear of their nearest rivals with six rounds remaining.
Full coverage of the Dragons But considering last year's shocking late form slump, the spotlight is more intense than ever on the Dragons to finally produce the club's first title.
Soward said Sunday's clash with Brisbane wasn't about putting memories of the failed 2009 campaign to rest.
"I think last year is last year," he said.
"It's obviously disappointing our finish (to 2009), but for us, (Brisbane is) a team that needs to start winning to make the eight and we're a team that everyone wants to try and knock off."
St George Illawarra continue to carry the tag of finals chokers, having bowed out last year after winning the minor premiership, as well as shattering preliminary finals losses in 2005 and 2006 and the 1999 grand final defeat.
After a patchy month of form which included victories over Wests and Souths and losses to Penrith and the Titans, the road ahead is treacherous.
The battle in Brisbane is followed by blockbuster battles with the Roosters and Manly, all of them teams fighting for places in the top eight.
Soward said the Dragons' recent struggle for fluency and potency in attack stemmed from the defensive desperation of the opposition in crucial games for both teams.
The 25-year-old five-eighth, who plays his 44th consecutive NRL game on Sunday, said the players knew they had targets on their backs.
"We've been playing guys who need to start putting a couple together or they're out of the finals," Soward said.
"We've put ourselves in a good position, but you saw last year what happened.
"We just need to make sure we're switched on for those teams fighting for a top-eight spot and make sure we can get a few wins leading into the finals.
"I think whoever was on top of the ladder (would be targeted)."
From Roosters cast-off to Dragons cult hero, Soward admits his NRL career has been a roller-coaster ride and admits he feels lucky to have made the 100-game milestone.
Soward played 22 games for the Roosters, before switching to the Dragons mid-2007.
He was then dumped from St George Illawarra's 2008 qualifying final loss to Manly by former coach Nathan Brown, but has fought back to play every club game since under the coaching of Wayne Bennett.
"Early on when I left the Roosters I'd only played something like 25, 26 games in three years, which is a bit disappointing," Soward said.
"It's been a bit of a dream run to get so many games under the belt and last year to get 26 rounds, it was pretty special."
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