Ability to scramble under pressure a good sign

When you keep a team scoreless for 63 minutes and have posted three tries at the other end, you'd be entitled to think the game is secure.

Yet the Dragons had to hold their nerve to convert that scoreboard control into a narrow victory at the SCG.

In fact, the Tigers slaughtered the end game with over exuberance, though in the same breath St George Illawarra's ability to scramble when seemingly shot was another good sign as far as the season goes.

The old ground is a grand sporting arena. But, at the risk of sounding a touch sacrilegious, its virtues as a rugby league arena might be of the past.

The crowd is a long way from the action and the field is rock solid - a cement car park. The contrast in conditions between yesterday's celebration and the grand final in the slop 50 years ago couldn't have been more stark.

That said, the hard track would have been preferable to what was on offer back then.

The surface adjustment hampered the early going against the Wests Tigers, with kicks not finding the mark and a scratchy completion rate.

In the first half for the 4-0 leaders, it was just 10 of 18.

Despite being without Benji Marshall, the Tigers weren't lame in the creative department and put many questions to the red-and-whites.

Admirably, that is becoming a consistent feature of the their game, with all the forwards sharing the workload, captain Ben Creagh leading the way with 29 tackles and Trent Merrin close behind on 27.

Merrin is in wonderful form. He has a presence carrying the football and demanded special attention from the Tigers.

The forward pressure at key moments gave the Dragons the impetus and they rose when needed to set up Jamie Soward for the winner.

Soward again is proving to be absolutely critical to the Dragon's hopes this year.

His deft kicks, including the feathery effort for the second try and those in general play, were again on the money as the game wore on.

And he set up the other two tries as well with vision and composure. His field goal prowess is up with the best.

Three consecutive wins after the hat-trick of losses makes for a warm mood in the Dragons camp.

But one gets the feeling, if they are to be a real threat to the likes of the Storm or the Rabbitohs, they'd need to get out of cruise mode in their set completion and whip up the intensity.

They had the dinner suits on when the Tigers stormed home and needed some luck to secure this win.

Given the Roosters' form, the Anzac Day clash will be a good time to test that intensity.