Loading
"Being here I guess it's like you're the younger brother, they've always had all the success, we've always been over here just doing our best. We haven't had as much success as them, we've been battling away and always look forward to that big game."
In the years since the Dragons' premiership, Cronulla rose above their neighbours as the dominant club in the region, tasting their own NRL success in 2016 while making the finals in five of the last six years.
But the Dragons have wrestled bragging rights back this year, their 20-16 win over Cronulla in round two being the second in a run of five straight to start the season.
"I actually really like the way they're playing. Their forward pack is really doing a lot of ball playing, playing together and looking like they're really enjoying their football and the halves are just jumping on the back of that," Prior said.
"They've got a great forward pack and I feel we've got a good forward pack and that's where we're going to have to match them, I think we're up for it.
"I don't think you just go down there and try and grind it out with them. You've got to try and be better with them and match them in the middle and try and come over the top.
They've always had all the success
Sharks prop Matt Prior ahead of the Dragons derby
"We've got a bit of strike power, we're still just getting a few combinations right out there but we're coming along."
Cronulla's inconsistencies this year, which have them languishing in 11th place on the table with just two wins, have been twofold. There are the constant positional changes which have seen a different spine in every game so far. Then there's the discipline, with the Sharks' penalty count and error rate far too high to be winning NRL games.
Representative back rower Wade Graham said tidying up inconsistencies would be the answer to kick-starting their season. "We've had patches where we're good and patches where we're not so good," Graham said. "We need to improve in a few areas, maybe our discipline especially at the end of sets and our overall execution with the ball, we're putting ourselves under too much pressure, late penalties in sets, giving the opposition double, triple opportunities against us.
"It's always hard while we're settling on combinations to fully reach your potential when you put yourself under pressure. We've got new players and new combinations, we've had a different seven, six and one every week. The longer we can keep those guys together, working as a unit, consistency will come off the back of that."
Comments disabled
James Buckley writes on AFL for The Sydney Morning Herald.
Morning & Afternoon Newsletter
Delivered Mon–Fri.
