It's been hit and miss so far this season but Dragons coach Anthony Griffin is confident his spine is not far off clicking heading into Tuesday's Anzac Day showdown with the Roosters.
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Griffin's side will be looking to bounce back from last-gasp defeats in consecutive weeks, including last week's loss to Canberra that ended with a Josh Kerr crash ball on the final play.
Skipper Ben Hunt conceded the latter was a play he'd like to have over again, with his side having squandered match-winning positions with poor second halves in back to back outings.
It was Hunt's third game alongside regular halves foil Talatau Amone since his return from a no-fault stand-down, while Jacob Liddle and Moses Mbye have interchanged starting and bench dummy-half roles.
Read more: Griffin wary of Roosters new-look halves duo
Tyrell Sloan has played every game in the No. 1 and has emerged as his side's only persistent attacking threat, leading his side in tries, line breaks and both try and line-break assists, but Griffin says the quartet remains a work in progress.
"We've had some good periods where our execution and our game plan has been really good, really simple and dangerous," Griffin said.
"We've had other times where it's just a little bit clunky. We just lost control of the [Canberra] game in the second half, just with the way we cycled the back end of our set.
"They're a big side Canberra and we did a good job of keeping them out of our 20 for long periods in the first half. With our kicking game [in the second], a couple of errors and penalties, it was enough for them just to get their nose in front.
"That'll improve with time, Junior's (Amone) a couple of games back and Ben Hunt's been a rock there for us, obviously. Moses and Liddle are doing a really good job together with the hooking role.
"I'm sure it will be better on the Tuesday as well. It's been a nice long week to, firstly freshen up, there's been a couple of tough games on the road, and then our preparation has been really good."
Roosters counterpart Trent Robinson is also still searching for the right formula in his spine after dropping young half Sam Walker this week, with the decision hotly debated in the lead-up to the annual clash.
Griffin made a similar call on Sloan last season, dropping the then 19-year-old to reserve grade twice during the season, with approach attracting criticism.
"I think he's been fantastic," Griffin said.
"He was always going to be better for experience, and from the games he played last year, but he's really taken his commitment to another level in the way he prepares, the way he studies the opposition and his football knowledge.
"Playing fullback you've got to be the main organiser in defence and obviously a real point of difference and attack. That comes with time. It takes a lot of learning and self education as well as coaching.
"Sloany's really grabbed on to that. It's a hard position to play, particularly for a young guy in his first crack at it as he did last year. To his credit he's really knuckled down and we couldn't be happier with it at the moment.
"He's just a really good kid. He's a good player now, but he's going to be a great player for the club long-term, the way he's developing."
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Mitch Jennings
Sports writer. Sport is my passion, rugby league my first love.
Sports writer. Sport is my passion, rugby league my first love.
