Storm Coach Craig Bellamy knows his side must shut down St. George Illawarra's attacking potential in Round 1 if they are to begin the new year on a winning note.
The Dragons and Storm will conclude the opening round of the 2015 NRL season on Monday night when Melbourne travel north to Kogarah and both sides will be keen to build momentum coming off long pre-season campaigns.
"I think they (the Dragons) were starting to improve towards the end of last year without a doubt," Bellamy said on Tuesday, previewing Storm's season opener.
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"They've got a lot of dangerous players in their side, you look at Dugan at fullback, Nightingale on the wing, he's always been a dangerous player.
"The two halves are obviously good, Mitch Rein is a very good player as well."
While highlighting St. George Illawarra's potency with the ball among their outside back ranks, Bellamy also believes the Dragons punch from their forward pack in attack will play a big role on the scoreboard.
"They've got a lot of strike there," Bellamy said.
"Frizell and Thompson gives them some real punch on the edges as well so they are going to be a really dangerous side for us.
"They've got a lot of really good attacking players in that team."
Last year, both sides split bragging rights from their two meetings. Melbourne triumphed in a nail biter at AAMI Park in Round 6 before the Dragons managed to turn the tables in Round 16 in the return fixture at WIN Stadium, Wollongong.
