The St George Illawarra Dragons are backing returning skipper Ben Hunt to provide the spark needed to end a two-game losing streak.
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Hunt was named to make his return from a fractured leg for Sunday's clash with the Tigers, the match to be his first since suffering the injury in the round three win over Manly.
The halfback was close to lining up on Anzac Day, however the club decided not to risk their leader.
The captain's inclusion is one of a host of changes for the side, coach Anthony Griffin forced to select two new wingers.
Jordan Pereira will miss the next three weeks and Mikaele Ravalawa the next two after the pair accepted early guilty pleas for charges sustained in Sunday's loss. Tyrell Fuimaono was handed a $1350 fine for a high tackle.
After playing centre last week, Cody Ramsey returns to the wing, with Max Feagai selected for his first game of the season on the other side of the field.
Having played in the halves last week, Jack Bird has shifted back to centre.
Finally, Josh Kerr returns to the starting side, Billy Burns shifting to the bench. Adam Clune retains his place on the interchange.
With Hunt back, Andrew McCullough will return the captain's armband to his former Brisbane teammate, the hooker confident the skipper will provide the squad with a much-needed boost.
"I was just keeping the seat warm," McCullough said. "It's good to have him back.
"He'll add a fair bit to the side. He's our halfback and captain, so I'd like to think he adds a fair bit. We'll see how the week goes, see how he pulls up and hopefully he's there Sunday."
The Dragons return to WIN Stadium desperate to end a recent slide, the team falling to the Warriors before last week's disappointing performance against the Roosters on Anzac Day.
The Tigers, however, find themselves in turmoil, having won just one of their opening seven games.
Reports emerged earlier this week that coach Michael Maguire is under pressure from the club's board after a 40-6 drubbing at the hands of Manly on Sunday.
It's a situation the Dragons are familiar with, the players forced to play through uncertainty surrounding former coach Paul McGregor's future last year.
"They're going to be in the media all week," Tariq Sims said. "I have no doubt their coaching staff will have them bunkered in there and they'll have that backs against the wall mentality.
"It's a dangerous mindset to be in, it could go one or the other way. It could hurt them in the long run, or they could come out firing, come out to prove a point. We've got to look after our own backyard, we'll address their game, their style of play and how we're going to attack them this week."
While St George Illawarra are wary of an angry Tigers side, they certainly aren't flying high heading into Sunday's return to Wollongong.
The Anzac Day loss to the Roosters was a reality check, Sims acknowledging it shows how far the team still has to go to contend with the competition's elite.
"It's definitely a wake up call. As long as we learn from the mistakes that we made and we're taking them as lessons, I think that's the most important thing out of everything. That we grow as a team and a club and moving forward we deal with what we need to deal with now and move on from last week."