The nib Newcastle Knights took a tough loss against the Roosters last week and are looking to bounce back against the Dragons this Sunday.
We delved into enemy territory this week to see what the Dragons camp had to say about the upcoming clash in Wollongong.
The red and white will come into this round looking to keep the wheels rolling, having gone undefeated thus far and scoring their biggest win of the season against the Gold Coast Titans last week.
Dragons captain Gareth Widdop stated their 46-point win would help guide the team in the coming weeks, provided they can maintain that same momentum.
“As long as we go out next week, live up to our standards, and play the way we want to play,” Widdop mentioned on the Dragons website.
“For us it’s about taking it one week at a time, being consistent with our efforts in all areas and working hard throughout the week with training.
“We know it’s only early, it’s Round 3, but we’ve certainly taken a lot of confidence from the past few weeks.”
Widdop also added, building chemistry with the new combination of Ben Hunt and Matt Dufty will make the trio more unpredictable in coming rounds.
“The more we’re linking and playing together we are less predictable, and that is something we have really been working on,” he said.
With just seven NRL games in 2017, Matt Dufty is relishing his chance this season to take ownership of the custodian role at the Dragons.
He’ll be one to watch for the Knights as the Big V start to form an impressive spine.
Dufty said he enjoyed playing off the back of Widdop and (Ben) Hunt’s magic.
“It is a once in a lifetime combination and having them both inside you giving you the ball, you can’t ask for anything more,” he told NRL.com.
And not to forget, Newcastle will come up against a former Knights in Tariq Sims, who has been named in the starting back row.
On previous occasions Sims has admitted he learned a lot from playing with the Knights and has told the Newcastle Herald it definitely made him a better player on and off the field.
