The arm-wrestle between the St George Illawarra and North Queensland Cowboys packs in Townsville shapes as one of the best of the early season NRL clashes.
All six starting props and locks have either played State of Origin or for a top-tier country, with the likes of Tyson Frizell, Jason Taumalolo, James Graham and Matt Scott to do battle on Saturday.
The Cowboys also have Josh McGuire on their bench as well as Coen Hess and Gavin Cooper on the edges, while the Dragons are missing the stood down Jack de Belin at lock.
"That's their strength. With the addition of McGuire - a player of his calibre coming off the interchange - it just goes to show how strong they are through the middle," said Dragons coach Paul McGregor.
"They do play a power game out of dummy-half, anything quick (Jake) Granville gets out really well.
"Their forwards are obviously where they lay their platform, so we've got to make sure we take that task up."
"It's a challenge for our forwards, but it's not a challenge we're not up to."
McGregor is also more aware than most of their danger out wide through ex-Dragon Nene Macdonald.
Macdonald scored four tries in the opening four games for the red-hot Dragons last year, and regularly had the ability to get the ball down in tight spaces.
"He's a handful, 106kgs, quite quick and powerful," McGregor said.
"But it's a challenge we know what's coming, we know his game as well.
"It's the same with who Nene is up against (Jordan Pereira) as well, he's a good young winger so Nene knows what he's up against as well.
"Those challenges are good, when a player has played for you in the past, and the club want to remind you what he's left as well."
