Desperate to avoid falling to 0-3 after three rounds, Dragons players referred to Thursday's match as a must-win.

Now they have that first win, St George Illawarra are looking to go back-to-back against an unsettled Newcastle lineup.

"It was a great win for the boys," Paul Vaughan said. "We were working towards that for a couple of weeks, it's good to finally get the two points and start the season. 

"It's great for the confidence of the boys to get the two points, because if you're looking at 0-3, that's when you're thinking things are starting to get a little dicey. Under those circumstances, you have to grind out the win, they're the best wins to be a part of. 

"We'll get a lot of confidence out of that, we'll get Tyson back soon, then we're almost full strength, obviously with a couple of key guys being out."

The Dragons have the luxury of a 10-day turnaround ahead of the trip to Newcastle and it comes at a perfect time for a side that had to endure two trips to Queensland and a five-day turnaround in a brutal opening three rounds. 

Tyson Frizell is approaching his return after lacerating his testicle in the round one loss to North Queensland. The extra days' rest could see Frizell named for the round four fixture, although coach Paul McGregor will not risk rushing Frizell back into the side if he is not 100 per cent.

With Gareth Widdop out after dislocating his shoulder on Thursday night, which he is expected to have surgery on in Melbourne later this week, the extended break also provides more time for Matt Dufty to train with the starting lineup. 

Widdop's absence will force Corey Norman to take on a greater play-making role. He started on the best possible foot, kicking the game-winning field goal against the Broncos.

It was a field goal Widdop had kicked countless times at training, with Norman confirming he had no hesitation in calling for the ball in his captain's absence.

For Vaughan, it's an example of why the Dragons recruited the former Parramatta half in the off-season. 

"He did a really great job Corey," Vaughan said. "He's got the X-factor. It is really good that you've got players in your team like that that can ice games and to kick a field goal within a minute of the game ending, it's something pretty special. 

"It's a great building block and a great platform for us going forward, that'll kick-start us."

With Widdop out, Cameron McInnes is the leading contender to be named captain for the Newcastle clash on Sunday night.

It's a role McInnes shared with Frizell in Widdop's absence last season and the 24-year-old said he's ready to lead the side if he's asked to do so.

"It's a great honour," McInnes said. "Any NRL club it's a great honour to be a captain of, but especially a club as rich in history as St George. If I have that honour, I will be very humbled and honoured. 

"Jammer [James Graham], the person he is, he inspires all of us, so regardless of who has the 'c' next to their name, Jammer's such a great leader of our team. My job is to just lead with actions and make sure I'm playing the way the team needs me to play and just try and lead by actions."

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