Refusing to back down from their mid-week statement which slammed the NRL for granting the Tigers permission to play debutants Brooks and Nathan Brown, Price said Doust will again seek an explanation on the second tier breach.

The 18-year-old whiz kid scored a try and had a hand in several others as the Tigers shed their wooden spoon woes and left them squarely at the feet of the Dragons.

"I clearly support Peter on how we went about it with the NRL this week," Price said after the Tigers romped to a 34-18 win at the SCG. "The outcome was a bit disappointing, but we'll take it up next week.

"We clearly got beat by a better team, but at the end of the day we'll follow it up."

Brooks fronted the post-match press conference and innocently claimed "I don't listen to the media" when asked about comparisons to Immortal Andrew Johns.

So it was left to coach Mick Potter to sing his young halfback's praises, before conceding he will be back in the Holden Cup next week.

"My expectations were that he would go OK and I thought he exceeded that," Potter said. "For him it was a great debut."

Added skipper Benji Marshall: "I think the future for the club, without putting too much pressure on him, if he keeps training hard and working the way he works, is bright. I feel like I'm leaving the club in pretty good hands.

"[But] if we can ease that pressure a bit and not have too much expectation for next year and the years coming forward [will be good]. But he's such a great talent for him and it's exciting."

The result condemned second-from-bottom St George Illawarra to a fifth straight defeat - the worst losing streak in the joint venture's history. 

The only thing worrying the Red V faithful now, just how low can they go?

Only four points adrift of cellar dwellers Parramatta, the Eels would realistically need to win all three of their remaining matches to avoid the dreaded honour given their inferior for-and-against.

But that will be of little consolation to Dragons fans, who watched their side squander a bright opening 10 minute period before being embarrassed 34-18 by the previously in-turmoil Tigers.

Price questioned the logic of the on-field officials to not refer a Chase Stanley touchdown upstairs mid-way through the second half. Nathan Fien's bomb, which was contested by Daniel Vidot, appeared to bounce off Lote Tuqiri's head, but the immediate ruling was a knock on against Vidot.

"We've been playing some reasonable footy over a number of weeks now, but we just keep getting pipped at the post," Price said. "That was a very disappointing loss.

"I thought we started quite well in the game, but we were very disappointing in that 15-minute block prior to half-time. We played some reasonable footy to get back into the game and clearly that was a try to Chase Stanley.

"They didn't go up to the video referee which was very disappointing, but in saying that we didn't deserve the two points today."

If one play summed up the Dragons' fortunes, it came only seconds before half-time when Bronson Harrison popped an offload deep in Tigers' territory to opposite Curtis Sironen. His pass found a flying Tim Simona who streaked 90-metres downfield to score after the siren sounded.

Trailing 22-6 at the break, the Dragons clawed their way back to within four points after Adam Quinlan was on the end of a long Charly Runciman break and skipper Ben Creagh barrelled his way over.

But it was as close as they got as the Tigers consigned them to their ninth loss in 11 home matches this year. It was also their first loss at the SCG since 1999.

Even the embattled Marshall got in on the act for the Tigers, slicing through some feeble Dragons defence in the first half and shovelling a pass for the even more maligned Braith Anasta to score.

The electrifying Simona crossed for his own try-scoring double, helping snap the Tigers' six-game losing streak.

WESTS TIGERS 34 (Tim Simona 2, Joel Luani, Braith Anasta, Curtis Sironen, Luke Brooks tries; Benji Marshall 5 goals) defeated ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS 18 (Leeson Ah Mau, Adam Quinlan, Ben Creagh tries; Chase Stanley 3 goals) at SCG. Referee: Jason Robinson, Phil Haines. Crowd: 15,016.