St George Illawarra coach Nathan Brown has resisted the temptation to hand Wendell Sailor his NRL return with the dual international to spend another week finding his feet with the Shellharbour Marlins.

The Dragons have lost skipper Mark Gasnier for Sunday's clash with South Sydney at ANZ Stadium due to a hamstring injury, but Brown opted against bringing Sailor into his line-up instead opting for Chase Stanley on the wing with Josh Morris moving into the centres.

Stanley had a night he'd rather forget against Manly last week, but the Kiwi international - who turns 19 on Sunday - was given a reprieve and will line up outside Morris on the right side of the field.

When asked who would come into the side for Gasnier, who will be out for 2-3 weeks with a slight tear in his hamstring, Brown paused for a moment.

"You're hoping I say Wendell aren't you?" he said.

"Chase Stanley played on the wing last week and did a fine job in some areas, Chase is probably a touch off (at the moment) ... but he'll be fine.

"Our best player in our past three wins has been Josh Morris so it's as simple as that for us."

Sailor's comeback to professional football following a two-year drug ban will instead continue at Windsor in Sydney's west when he turns out for the Marlins for the third week in a row.

After two tries in his Marlins debut two weeks ago, the former Brisbane winger enjoyed a quieter outing against the WA Reds in the Jim Beam Cup last weekend.

But that didn't stop him from putting his hand up for an NRL return.

"I think Dell tossed it around," Brown said when asked if he'd given any consideration to bringing Sailor back for Sunday's game against the Bunnies "It's an interesting one - he's just great for the club to have around, before he even plays a game for the club ... he just keeps the joint upbeat and happy.

"(But) we didn't just sign Dell because of his attitude ... when you've got a world class player like Wendell who hasn't played because of suspension and not through a bad injury, I've always had no doubt that he would come back and play some good football.

"Will he be the Wendell Sailor of when he was 25 or 26? No he won't be. But will he still contribute in the NRL? I think he will definitely." With Gasnier and Matt Cooper almost certain absentees next week due to either injury or Origin duties, Sailor will likely make his first appearance for the Dragons against his former side the Broncos at WIN Stadium on Friday night.

His appearance should also boost crowd numbers given the match will lose some of its lustre given neither side will be able to call on their Origin stars.

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