St George Illawarra have turned the blowtorch on Brisbane ahead of their NRL elimination final, declaring the Broncos are under pressure to send them packing.
The Broncos have emerged as one of the form teams of the last month of the regular season, giving them a head full of steam approaching Sunday's do-or-die showdown at Suncorp Stadium.
The Dragons have been at the opposite end of the spectrum after leading the competition after 16 rounds, losing six of their next nine.
Halfback Ben Hunt this week detailed the emotional toll social media abuse had wrought on him after the finger was pointed in his direction for their slump.
While Brisbane great Gorden Tallis tore strips off the Dragons forward pack, accusing them of letting down their side.
Dragons coach Paul McGregor was keen to claim underdog status, saying their Broncos had everything to prove.
"The expectation is all on the Broncs, they've been the form team going into the finals," McGregor said, before backing his troops.
"We were in the top four up until round 23, we led the comp for 16 rounds and we know what we're about when we play Dragons style of footy, (with) no distractions."
While Hunt has been forced to wear his fair share of knocks for not taking control of the side, Broncos playmaker Anthony Milford has been similarly maligned during 2018.
However McGregor praised the Broncos five-eighth's vastly improved kicking game.
As well as leading the competition over the last month for try-assists, Milford sits in the top four for kick metres and forced drop outs this season.
"There's a real trend in their kicking game, he's got a nice touch at the moment, Milf," McGregor said.
"They've got a really good chase team behind it. They've got a two-pass coming out of the scrum line in good ball (position) so their grubbers are good.
"We need to have urgency and awareness around their kicking game. It's of vital importance to us."
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