Mathew Head assumed a stranglehold on the St George Illawarra No.7 jumper for the NRL season proper after leading the Dragons to a 24-12 trial win over the Bulldogs in Wollongong on Saturday night.

Vying for the halfback jumper with injured incumbent Ben Hornby, Head put together a solid display as he set up three of the Dragons' four tries, both sides showing enough to leave rival coaches Wayne Bennett and Kevin Moore happy that there is plenty to work with.

The new-look Bulldogs looked slick early with new buys Michael Ennis and Brett Kimmorley particularly sharp, which is more than can be said for Head as he watched the kick-off bounce over his head and the dead-ball line.

It was a happier 'homecoming' for Josh Morris when the centre - playing against the club he had called home since he was a teenager - held off three defenders before popping a ball for Matt Utai to score.

Head struggled with his short kicking game but his passes soon began finding their range as he got the Dragons on the board.

He first laid on a flat ball for Matt Cooper to score before snatching an intercept from Ben Hannant and finding Jason Nightingale, who raced 75 metres for a 12-6 lead.

Piloting the Bulldogs for the first time in his long career, Kimmorley looked comfortable as he outsmarted the home side's defence to put understudy Ben Barba over to lock it up at the break.

The game got a little scrappy in the second stanza as both coaches emptied extended benches, Head on the park for long enough to put Ricky Thorby under the posts before he too was given a well-deserved early mark.

Despite Head's performance and the unlikelihood of Hornby playing in the Dragons' final pre-season match against Souths next weekend, Bennett said his halves were far from settled for round one.

"Not at the moment, we've got Ben Hornby to come back so we've got to make a decision about him, where he plays," Bennett said.

"But I'm really happy with Mathew and certainly Jamie Soward."

Asked if he would risk throwing Hornby in without a trial under his belt, Bennett said:

"Oh, yeah, why not, he's played 170 of them."

Moore said he was happy with side's performance, especially the play of Ennis and Kimmorley around the ruck, but said he was expecting the intensity to lift in the club's second and final trial against Canberra next week.

Bulldogs backrower Brad Morrin was the only major casualty out of the match with a suspected broken hand while Daniel Harrison and Barba both suffered mild concussions.

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP