St George Illawarra's stunning resurgence is built on defensive discipline, but captain Ben Creagh has demanded the Dragons develop a more ruthless edge if they are to cement a top four place this season.

The Dragons blew their pre-game average of 13 points per game out of the water with five tries in 60 minutes, equalling their previous best tally from their 31-6 victory over the Bulldogs in round six.

Their supposed lack of potency with the football has been the only criticism levelled at the Dragons this year but they looked every bit the entertainers in Wollongong.

St George Illawarra enterprise with the ball left them in the unfamiliar position of having a 14-point buffer for the final quarter of the game, a distinct change from previous encounters that have been well and truly alive in the dying minutes.

Coach Paul McGregor suggested after the match that his side didn't handle the extra latitude as well as they could have but said it was understandable given the foreign territory they were treading.

"I didn't enjoy that last eight or 10 minutes, to be honest, we played a little bit frantic because we hadn't been in that position before where we've been in front by a few points," McGregor said.

"It's just part of our education as a group where we need to be clinical to close out games," he said.

"We didn't play a team that's struggling, we played a team that's really in form, particularly in their forward pack and we did enough to win. We're going to have to do that every week."

Creagh agreed with the coach but said it was a welcome change to have his side's early work rewarded with a cruise down the stretch.

"The last five or six weeks, the games have been really close grinds for us, so it was a bit different," Creagh said.

"It was disappointing coming into half-time letting them score that try and giving them a sniff to get back in the game but it was good for our confidence in attack. We scored some good tries and it was nice to get a bit of a lead and hold onto it until the end of the game."

Even in a more open game, the Dragons forwards again did a number on their opposition with the likes of Tyson Frizell and Joel Thompson making the most of their last chance to impress NSW coach Laurie Daley. A veteran of 11 Origins, Creagh said the pair have done all they can to earn a call up when the side is name on Tuesday afternoon.

"If you want to talk about players who are tough and uncompromising and committed guys ... those two guys are ready for Origin," Creagh said.

"I really do hope they get an opportunity and, if they do, they won't let anyone down."