A heavyweight clash in terms of the top eight makeup, Friday's Wests Tigers-St George Illawarra NRL matchup is fast turning into a battle of the lightweights.

The Dragons' loss of starting props Justin Poore (knee) and Jason Ryles (thigh) was somewhat tempered with the news Tigers front rower Bryce Gibbs would also be a WIN Stadium spectator due to a hamstring injury.

Fellow forward Todd Payten (hamstring) is also no certainty to take his place in the starting pack while prop Keith Galloway trained with the aid of a protective boot.

"We've got two or three guys that have got issues, it's been a short week and it's not easy to get everyone ready," Tigers coach Tim Sheens said.

"We're going to be struggling with Gibbs and Payten and there's still a question mark on (Robbie) Farah as well.

"We're going to have few last minute decisions on a few players ourselves."

Farah declared himself a certain starter despite Thursday's training session being his first run of the week, the hooker-turned-halfback rolling his ankle in last week's big win over the Bulldogs.

"It's feeling good ... it's pretty much been in an ice bucket all week and it's feeling a lot better," Farah said.

"I'm pretty sure I'll be sweet."

Dragons coach Nathan Brown has named former Tiger Jarrod Saffy and young gun Dan Hunt in his engine room, and said it was up to those two and rookie Matt Prior to step up in the absence of first-choice stars Poore and Ryles.

"Basically Saffy's been playing a bit of front row and a bit of back row and obviously Matt Prior's played a few games in the back row and front row lately," Brown said.

"We know that they can do a job, it's just that now there's a little bit more responsibility in playing a little bit more tired ... They're obviously replacing some pretty handy players."

With three losses in their last four games, the Dragons suddenly find themselves fighting for their finals lives. A heavy loss on Friday night and wins for Penrith and Newcastle could see the red and whites slip out of the top eight.

The Tigers are one of five teams two competition points behind the Dragons, those sides all needing at least three wins from their last five matches to book a finals berth.

Having come up short the last time they faced a fellow top eight contender - when they went down 24-10 to Penrith a fortnight ago - Tigers skipper Farah said there was no need to talk about the ramifications of another loss.

"We haven't really spoken about it but I think all the guys know that it's a pretty crucial game," Farah said.

"When you're playing teams that are around you on the ladder, it becomes pretty crucial that you do get the win because realistically it's a four-point game.

"A win this week against a side like that can really leapfrog us into the top eight."

The Tigers have had the wood on the Dragons in recent times with five wins from their previous six meetings, but it's been eight years since the 2005 premiers last tasted victory in Wollongong.

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP