In the Warriors' favour is momentum. They have won six out of their last seven matches, their only loss coming courtesy of a late field goal from Brisbane in round 22. With their current form it would be brave to bet against them breaking the Wollongong losing streak.
It is hard to pinpoint areas where the Dragons have lapsed dramatically. They have made the fewest errors in the competition, gained the most metres of any team on attack and missed fewer tackles than everyone but the Storm and Sea Eagles. They have scored fewer points and made fewer offloads since round 12 - which suggests something is awry in their finishing skills. It appears to be more of a mental question as to how they seal matches at the death.
The Dragons' defensive capability remains strong although they miss the uncompromising attitude and direction of forwards such as Jeremy Smith and Neville Costigan who moved on last year. They still have a hard line to break and the Warriors might struggle to create the same impact through long range tries from the likes of Shaun Johnson and Kevin Locke.
They've scored the second-most tries (17) starting in their own half this season but the Dragons have conceded just four such efforts, perhaps highlighting the speed and tenacity of Darius Boyd, Jason Nightingale and Morris in the back three.
On current evidence the Dragons mainly lack on attack. There is limited spark around the dummy-half area which extends to initiative out wide where they sometimes seem flat. They struggle to open up opposition defences with flair. That could well be countered today with the return of Gasnier and Morris to the left side - reuniting with centre Matt Cooper where they have been the Dragons' best bet for creating tries.
Utility Lance Hohaia says the key to breaking the drought will be a team effort rather than a reliance on one or two standout performances.
"We need to perform consistently well for 80 minutes, and we probably haven't done that for the past few weeks," Hohaia said. "Even though we've been playing well, we've got out of jail a few times with some individual brilliance. If we can play really well for 80 minutes and stick to our game plan, then I can't see any reason we can't get the two points."
Hohaia said he "couldn't see much wrong" with the Dragons' form against the Storm, with the Warriors wary of copping the backlash of weeks of negative press.
"They've had a few guys play Origin this year, and that affects your cohesion a little bit, and they've had a few injuries," he said. "That's all it takes. The competition is so tight, you only have to be off your game a little bit or have a couple of your key players out."
