Fans and commentators may be lining up to write off St George Illawarra after an underwhelming start to the season, but don't tell that to the players, who firmly believe a top-eight finish is within their reach.
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With the bye this weekend, the Dragons are licking their wounds after slumping to five-straight defeats to fall to 13th on the ladder.
Not receiving a week off are Ben Hunt, Tyson Frizell and Paul Vaughan, with the trio set to feature for their respective states in next Wednesday's State of Origin opener.
For Vaughan and Frizell, the chance for all players to step away and refresh after a challenging start to the season will ultimately benefit the side as they begin a push to the finals.
"For the boys to break up, get a couple of days away with the family, if they're travelling or going for a little bit of a holiday, it freshens you up a little bit," Vaughan said. "Then you can come back in when you're required, get the job done and look forward to starting the second half of the season strongly."
The sluggish start marks a contrast to the Dragons of recent years, with the side known for bursting out of the gates before fading in the latter rounds.
The prospect of a fast start was dashed before the season began, with Jack de Belin stood down under the NRL's no-fault stand down policy.
The challenges continued to emerge, with Frizell, Gareth Widdop, Korbin Sims and Corey Norman all spending time in the casualty ward before the Dragons were dealt a double blow in Sunday's loss with James Graham and Tim Lafai both set for extended stints on the sidelines.
Whereas the Origin period has derailed St George Illawarra's campaign in previous years, the draw has been kind to the club in 2019.
The Origin trio will receive an extended break before the Dragons round 13 clash with the Bulldogs on the Queen's Birthday public holiday.
A trip to Manly follows before the competition-wide bye and three games at WIN Stadium against the Cowboys, Storm and Raiders.
Frizell admits the start of the year has been challenging, but he's looking forward to finding an even more determined squad when he returns to Wollongong.
"It's been a difficult few weeks and probably something we haven't been a part of at this time of year," Frizell said. "Usually people are saying that we're flying and going to fall away.
"We haven't started the year too well, hopefully this break is a bit of a kick in the arse and gets the boys a lot more hungry to come back and prepare well and want to play well and get our season back on track."
While this week's bye will clearly benefit the wider Dragons playing squad, Frizell is confident it will hold more specific individual benefits.
With the Dragons not playing this weekend, Frizell can fully focus on his next challenge, overcoming the Maroons in their own backyard on Wednesday night.
"As much as you focus on club footy and what's going on there, we've got a break now so I can solely set my mind away from club footy and focus it all on Origin.
"It's a massive arena and your sole focus needs to be on Origin because any focus away from it can probably hurt you at some point. With the bye for the Dragons, I'm happy to not worry about how our team's going or what's going on."
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Cameron Mee
Sports reporter at the Canberra Times
Sports reporter at the Canberra Times
