St George Illawarra captain Ben Hunt insists his teammates aren't getting distracted, despite ongoing speculation about the futures of Corey Norman and Matt Dufty.
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The Red V has won just two of their past nine games, with Monday's 28-6 loss to the battling Bulldogs a low point during that period. Off the field, Norman has reportedly been told he won't be at the club in 2022, while Dufty toured the Raiders' centre of excellence last week.
However, Hunt has shrugged off talk about the pair, saying the Dragons needed to fix their attitude during games.
"The only way it's going to be a distraction is if those players let it be. I think they're mature enough to not let that get to them, they'll work out what they need to do with their managers. Come game time, they're a Dragon this year and we want them here this year," the halfback said.
"I think we've got the right talent here to make the finals. We just need to turn our attitude up a bit. We definitely had the talent to win that game on the weekend, but it was the intent and attitude to really go after it that let us down. We've got to find a way each week to turn up with the right attitude and put the best performance out there."
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The Dragons are hoping to move on quickly from their shock defeat to Canterbury, which Hunt described as a "very soft" performance.
Anthony Griffin's side will now turn their attention to Saturday's clash with the Raiders at WIN Stadium, which shapes as crucial for both sides' finals aspirations.
"At the moment, I wouldn't see us as a threat after the weekend," Hunt said.
"It was a very disappointing performance from myself and the team. Watching it back, it was a very soft effort from the whole squad. I think it was just our intent to go out and be physical, with and without the ball. The Bulldogs just rolled down the field way too easily on us. With the ball, they were bashing us. I just think we lost the intention that we had against the Broncos (Dragons won 52-24), and didn't take that into the next week."
Standing in the Dragons' way this week is a Raiders outfit that returned to form with a convincing win over the Broncos. Josh Papalii - who is tipped to return to the Queensland team for the second State of Origin game - played key role as Canberra claimed a 38-16 victory.
"It's massive to shut big 'Paps' down, he's been their best front rower for a long time now and leads the way," Hunt said. "And the Raiders are getting close to being back to full strength, they're going to be a real tough match for us on Saturday. But we just need to come up with the right attitude and we'll get the job done."
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Joshua Bartlett
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
