Jason Nightingale and Cameron King at North Cronulla Surf Life Saving Club after Sunday's loss. Picture: Lisa McMahon
RUGBY LEAGUE
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, after 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 will not 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 the Wollongong Hawks.