NRL: Roosters hitting their stride

Roosters captain Braith Anasta. Photo / Getty Images

When it comes to challenges, taking on leaders St George Illawarra is nothing more than a twist in the Sydney Roosters' road to redemption.

It's not that the Roosters don't respect the Dragons ahead of today's match at the SCG. It's just that coming off a season in which the club collected a fifth wooden spoon and spent time cleaning up off-field disasters, the challenges come thick and fast.

"We've had many challenges and it's not just winning footy games - it's fighting back from poor losses and trying to get our discipline right on and off the field," says skipper Braith Anasta.

"It's not just winning games. Every game is a challenge for us at the moment, and this year we've set ourselves many challenges and we've reached all of them.

"Regardless of whether we win or lose, it's not the end of the world."

That may be the case, but a win over the Dragons will have the Roosters on top of the world in relation to premiership favouritism.

The Dragons have lost three of their last four so the critics are again questioning their title credentials, while the Roosters have hit form and are riding a five-game winning streak.

That's as many games as they won in the entire 2009 campaign - highlighting just how far they have come.

Things are looking brighter out at Bondi Junction these days, with today's match set to go close to filling the SCG. In an ominous warning to the Roosters' rivals - the Tricolours have only just begun.

Said Anasta: "I don't think we've reached our potential yet. The first thing Smithy [coach Brian Smith] said is 'listen, we're going to come good the back end of the year'.

"It was like he was really relaxed the first part of the year and he really believed we'd fire up the second half of the year."

The match will be the 38th between Smith and Dragons coach Wayne Bennett, who will become only the second man after Tim Sheens to reach the 600 games NRL milestone.

Bennett currently leads the head to head battle 22-15.

- AAP