St George Illawarra coach Anthony Griffin is relying on new hooker Moses Mbye to bring a cool head to his NRL team as they front up for a feisty local derby with Cronulla.
Mbye will wear the No.9 jumper at Wollongong's WIN Stadium on Thursday night after Andrew McCullough was ruled out with an elbow injury.
Griffin expects the ex-Wests Tigers utility, who joined the Dragons this season, to keep his head in the cauldron of the cross-town clash.
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"Moses is a real pro - he's still only 27 but he's been around and he's played State of Origin, he's played finals football," Griffin said on Wednesday.
"He's bought that experience and that calmness, he's a real professional with the way he prepares himself and that's rubbed off on a lot of our guys."
Mbye has been coming off the bench but Griffin backed him to play 80 minutes against the Sharks, who like the Dragons are 1-1.
"We've got a lot of faith in in what he can do tomorrow night - he's really fit.
"He's got a left foot kicking game as well, which brings a point of difference, so it's disappointing for Andrew but it gives Moses a chance to start and play a leading role."
Former Dragons-skipper-turned-Shark Cameron McInnes made a successful return from a serious knee injury last round but Griffin said he hadn't been a focal point during preparations.
"We haven't really spoken about him that much," Griffin said.
"I was really happy to see him get back on the field because I know how hard he works but he's just one player and there are another 16 players that we got to take care of."
The Dragons said they beat themselves with poor completion against premiers Penrith, losing by four points, while the Sharks snagged a last-ditch win in round two over Parramatta.
Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon, himself a former Dragon, said he was excited to give his new halves combination Nicho Hynes and Matt Moylan another outing.
"We tried a few different combinations there and Matt and Nicho have gelled very well," Fitzgibbon said.
"When you watch both Nicho and Matt play - their work ethic is tremendous.
"When they play, they're in everything and that's what you want out of your halves.
"It is still really early for their connection but it's formed pretty quickly throughout the pre-season and I'm hoping it can get even stronger."
Dragons look to Mbye in NRL local derby - 7NEWS
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