Vaughan has points to prove at the Dragons

So potent were the Raiders as a scoring force, they piled on more than twice as many points as his new club St George Illawarra.

But Vaughan refuses to believe the Dragons have little to offer when hunting tries this year, even as the halfback situation remains unresolved.

After three months in Wollongong slogging it out in the preseason, Vaughan is adamant St George Illawarra can be a premiership force.

“A lot has been said about the attack here, but I think the attack’s unreal,” he said after training on Tuesday.

“We’ve got a great forward pack and I think the backs, running off the forward pack, are unreal. It’s a dangerous team and the forwards pose a threat themselves, with guys like Friz (Tyson Frizell), JT (Joel Thompson and (Jack) de Belin. 

“I don’t think we’ll have a problem scoring points this year.”

The Raiders marched to second on the NRL ladder last year, scoring a staggering 688 points in 24 games, a record more than 100 points better than eventual premiers Cronulla. 

In contrast, the Dragons have been under fire from their own fan base for their lack of scoring ability, managing just 341 in 2016. 

Having splashed out $6 million to sign Broncos halfback Ben Hunt, who arrives next year, supporters hold significant doubts about their ability to turn it around this season. 

Their first chance to show renewed strike with the Steeden comes at this weekend’s Auckland Nines, when they tackle Parramatta, Manly and the Warriors in their pool games. Forward Tariq Sims, who shifted from Newcastle to Wollongong in the middle of last year, accepts the criticism was warranted and is using it as motivation. 

“St George is a massive brand in itself,” he said. 

“We demand perfection and our fans demand perfection and they deserve perfection. All that we can do is prepare the best we can and make sure we deliver when we need to deliver. Our fans deserve the best.”

Winger Nene MacDonald missed training on Tuesday because of a virus, but is expected to still make the trip to New Zealand. 

Eden Park

Piha Group: Dragons, Eels, Sea Eagles, Warriors

Saturday: (12.25pm) Dragons v Eels, (4.45pm) Dragons v Sea Eagles); Sunday: (11.50am) Dragons v Warriors.

TV: Live on Fox Sports 2.

Dragons squad: Patrick Herbert, Nene Macdonald, Euan Aitken, Levi Dodd, Kalifa Faifai Loa, Kurt Mann, Siliva Havili, Cameron McInnes, Luciano Leilua, Tyson Frizell c, Joel Thompson, Jack de Belin, Tariq Sims, Taane Milne, Shaun Nona, Will Matthews, Matt Dufty, Jai Field.