Wendell Sailor's failed bid to make his Anzac Day debut has opened the door for a St George Illawarra hero of battles past to get a start.

Sailor was scratched from Saturday's annual NRL meeting with the Sydney Roosters after his injured hamstring failed to recover in time, with Jason Nightingale moving from a five-man bench to the starting line-up.

But Sailor's unavailability has had a knock on effect with Mathew Head earning a start from the interchange bench as a result of Nightingale's elevation.

After a tough start to his second coming as a Dragon - which included two games where he watched the entire match from the sidelines as an unused bench player - Head finally looks set for some time against the Roosters.

Anzac Day would hold one of Head's more treasured memories in a Dragons jumper following his match-winning chip and chase to set up Matt Cooper's late try in the 2005 encounter.

To top it off Head nailed the sideline conversion to complete a stunning 26-24 win.

But with Ben Hornby now firmly entrenched in the No.7 jumper, a stint at dummy half looms as Head's most likely contribution on Saturday afternoon.

"We're not quite sure at the moment - at this stage we're going to see how it pans out," Hornby said.

"But I'd say me or Heady at some stage will be going to dummy half."

Hornby said Sailor was keen to play in what would have been his first Anzac Day battle, but in the end the risks were considered to be far too great.

"He's not 100 per cent so it's not worth risking him at this time of year," Hornby said.

"If you do go out there and tear it, it could be four to six weeks so we're erring on the side of caution."

Cooper is a definite starter after missing the last three matches with a hamstring injury, while the Dragons also welcome back Michael Weyman (suspension) and backrower Neville Costigan (hand).

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