Ball and all: Tyson Frizell and Chase Stanley tackle Jesse Bromwich.
AFTER suffering in the heat and on the scoreboard in Melbourne, St George Illawarra now have to deal with a short turnaround of two days less than their round two rivals Brisbane.
As the temperatures soared to 34 degrees at AAMI Park, the Broncos had already completed their post-game recovery program, picking up the pieces from their loss to Manly.
But coach Steve Price has refused to make any excuses about the disadvantage, following the Dragons’ decision to refuse a 20-minute drinks break against the Storm.
‘‘We’re going to work really hard this week. One positive is we’ve got a short turnaround for Friday night,’’ Price said.
‘‘That’s fine. We’ve got a lot of trust in our high performance staff and we’ve got pretty strict guidelines with our recovery procedures. That won’t be an issue.’’
Prop Dan Hunt, who admitted the Melbourne weather made it feel like it was ‘‘about 100 degrees’’ is also adamant the five-day preparation to tackle the Broncos won’t be compromised.
He reckons the Dragons will be motivated by the opening loss to the Storm.
"After a defeat like that I think the short turnaround is the best thing for you,’’ he said.
‘‘Get out there and have a short sharp week at training and then get out there against Brisbane on Friday night.
‘‘We’re back at home so we’ve got to lick our wounds on the way home and get focused on Friday night."
The game kicks off at 8.05pm on Friday at WIN Stadium, part of a sporting double-header with neighbours the Wollongong Hawks.
While St George Illawarra struggled to deal with the attacking strike of Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater, Hunt said the team’s focus remains on wearing down Brisbane.
‘‘Once you get out there and play set for set you get back in the arm wrestle,’’ he said.
‘‘We’ve just got to do that against Brisbane - get back in the arm wrestle and trade set for set. That’s where I think we play our best football.’’
Hooker Cameron King is confident the Dragons will start to find solutions to their attacking problems, after lacking cohesion at times against the Storm.
"I think all the teams are the same at this time of year - working on new combinations,’’ King said.
‘‘Most teams will definitely want to get better throughout the year and we’re in the same position. I’m sure week by week we’ll work on stuff we need to and we’ll get better.’’