St George Illawarra optimistic NRL finals remain in play

After losing eight of their last 10 matches and falling to 14^th on the ladder, the players don't need to be told their chances of playing finals in 2019 are on life support.

But they won't be told those chances are dead.

Instead, they point to Friday's opponents, the Penrith Panthers, as proof turnarounds can and do happen.

The Panthers were languishing after losing eight of their first 10 matches, with star players performing well below their best and coach Ivan Cleary seemingly cracking under the pressure in his return to Penrith.

Now, just two months later, the Panthers have won six-straight and sit in eighth place and the Dragons are confident they can pull off something similar in their bid to make the NRL finals.

"I think it's hard to single anything out," star forward James Graham said. "We're looking for answers, and it's frustrating because we know what we're capable of and we're not there and not fulfilling our potential.

"We need to step up to the plate. Luckily we've still got two months left that we can turn something around and show everyone what we're made of.

"It can be done. There's plenty of examples of that, Penrith springs to mind, because they're the latest team in form. Three months ago it was Newcastle, look where they are now. It's not like we're looking to achieve the impossible."

Graham's comments came at a Dragons holiday clinic, the budding youngsters far more forgiving than many fans on social media in the wake of Sunday's soul-crushing 36-14 loss to the Raiders.

The response from fans was swift and severe, with one even launching a Change.org petition to have coach Paul McGregor sacked.

Read more: Nick Cotric charged after horror tackle on Tim Lafai

While acknowledging Sunday's performance was not up to standard, Tyson Frizell urged fans to stand by their team as they attempt to get their season back on track.

"We need to start winning games, and that's a fact," Frizell said. "We can't be tossing up poor performances like that, it's not what we're about.

"We've got a quality side there that we know can play some footy, but we're probably lacking a bit of confidence in each other and it's not gelling well at the moment. We need to fix it real smart.

"Hopefully we can put a performance together that brings confidence to one another and that leads us to some sort of roll. We've seen Penrith do it, they went through a tough period there and now they're 6-0. We just need to start winning."

Reinforcements are on the way for the Dragons, with Graham set to make his return from a fractured fibula on Friday night and skipper Gareth Widdop just a couple of weeks away.

Graham was hopeful of a return on Sunday night, however it was deemed he wasn't quite ready to play, while Widdop should return to full training this week as his comeback from a shoulder reconstruction approaches.

Frizell is confident that once those two players return from injury, St George Illawarra will be able to produce their best performances of the season.

"James brings his leadership up front and around the team. Hopefully soon we'll have Gaz [Widdop] back and hopefully we can string some wins together, because they'll definitely add to the side."

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