St George Illawarra Dragons captain Ben Creagh believes the team has turned a positive corner following their on-field performances in recent weeks.
The University of Wollongong junior admits that the entire full-time training squad have galvanized together and are aware of the requirements need if they are to attain a Finals Series berth.
The Dragons have notched two wins from their previous three fixtures which included a comprehensive shut-out win over the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, a narrow four-point loss to the table-topping Penrith Panthers and a hard-fought win over the Gold Coast Titans.
“It was nice to get the win up on the Gold Coast, it’s always a tough road trip up there for us and they’re a quality side,” said Creagh.
“We did play a bit scrappy but our defending was quite solid.
“There’s plenty of confidence within the group and plenty of belief too in our attack and defensive structures.
“We’ve showed some good signs and some solid improvements on the field over the last few weeks.
“Paul McGregor is going great as Head Coach, he’s very professional and very thorough in covering the points we need to as a team and analysing our opponents.
“Benji Marshall is also going great, he’s getting better each game I think.
“He’s had his hand in a few tries and has been defending well on that right side which is great for us as a team
“It’s a very tight competition there’s not a lot of points between us and the eight, which is good.”
Creagh asserts that these performances need to be continued this round against the Melbourne Storm at WIN Stadium, Wollongong on Monday.
Both teams will be competing for the Emergency Services Cup, an initiative between the Dragons and the Storm, with the support of the New South Wales and Victorian Governments, established in 2009.
“It is a very important game for us, as we’re getting towards the back end of the season,” said Creagh.
“We still have a lot of work to do and it will be great to host Melbourne back at home this week.
“The Emergency Services do a wonderful job in our community and all across Australia so it’s great for us to recognize their work and play for the Cup on the weekend.
“I think it was one of our best performances of the year against them last time and I know we lost but it was a game we defended really well against a quality side.
“We took a lot of positives out of that game and we’ll take that into our game this week.
“They played really well against Parramatta and that’s a bit dangerous for us, but in saying that, we’ve also showed some really positive signs over the last few weeks.”
The Dragons will be honouring Emergency Services Personnel who attend the match by offering Free General Admission or discounted Bronze Reserved Seating.
