Melbourne has earned its fair share of respect over the years, but it’s something St George Illawarra have given the reigning premiers far too readily according to Dragons back-rower Tyson Frizell.
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The Storm have won eight of the last 11 games against the Dragons heading into their clash at Jubilee Oval on Sunday, and have hit top form in recent weeks, posting 124 points.
The Dragons are 7-1 and coming off an impressive Anzac Day victory of their own, but there’s no doubt Melbourne present their biggest test of the year thus far.
Frizell is no stranger to the likes of Cameron Smith, Billy Slater, Cameron Munster and Will Chambers having won last year’s World Cup alongside them.
They’ve also proven a major thorn in his side having lost out to Melbourne's Queensland contingent in the past two Origin series’ with NSW
It leaves him well aware of their capabilities, but Frizell said it's something his side has dwelled on too much ahead of previous meetings.
“I think in the past we’ve probably given Melbourne too much respect,” Frizell said.
“Even though they’re a good team, and we always show them that respect, we need to be playing to our standards and worrying about ourselves.
“We try and test ourselves every week and try to play the best we can and not worry too much about the opposition like we have in the past.
“In a game footy you do need to do a little bit of homework on them but we know how they play.
"They’ve been doing the same sort of thing for quite a while now and doing a good job at it.
“We know a Melbourne team will never beat themselves and we can’t give them any sort of opportunity to beat us on the weekend.
"We know we can compete with them if we play to our potential but we'll need to be at our best.
“We’re playing pretty consistently at the moment and I’m sure if we continue to do that we’ll go in with a good chance.”
A win on Sunday would rubber-stamp their title credentials, but Frizell insisted his side doesn't feel a need to prove themselves to knockers expecting their bubble to burst as it has in previous seasons.
“We’re not trying to prove anything to anyone else,” he said.
“We’re just trying to play well every week and prepare as best we can. We’re not worried about what’s happened in the past.
“I guess people are waiting for us to slip up and see how long our run is going to last for, but I’m sure we’re going to be winning more games than we lose this year.
“It’s a fresh start every year and, with the players we've brought in, it’s a pretty different team this year and a pretty different environment.
“Even though [fading out] has been a bit of a continual thing, there’s a lot more belief this time around.
“I know we probably said the same thing at this time last year but I definitely feel the way the boys are playing we’ll continue to progress through the rest of the year.”