Hulking Warriors winger Manu Vatuvei finally knows the trauma that opposition wingers go through as they prepare to go up against him - with the 112kg bulldozing flyer finally getting the opportunity to pick on someone his own size at WIN Stadium on Sunday.

In a battle more commonly seen up the middle of the park, the big men will collide down the touchline in Wollongong when Vatuvei goes up against St George Illawarra powerhouse Wendell Sailor.

It's like meets like in their first ever clash, Vatuvei confident he has come up with a plan to combat Sailor's bullocking runs in a strategy commonly used against himself.

"Try to stop him before he gets his momentum up," Vatuvei told reporters.

"You can't get him running and try to stop him after that because it's really hard to stop a guy that big."

Warriors skipper Steve Price, a former Queensland Origin teammate of Sailor's, said the in-form Dragon would be "priming himself up for a big one" against the man who assumed his mantle as the most powerful winger in the game.

"I know Wendell will be trying to make a big thing of it," Price said.

"Wendell's tested himself against many great wingers over time and I'm sure he's looking forward to testing himself against a younger one who has become a big thing in the NRL."

The Dragons are sitting in third place on the table going into the clash, the Warriors ninth following an inconsistent two months to start the season.

Great wins over premiers Manly and the Sydney Roosters have been negated by disappointing home losses to Brisbane and South Sydney, the Auckland-based side showing just how good they can be with a spirited draw against Melbourne last weekend, the club's second golden point game in as many weeks

Price said he expected another tough match against a Dragons side which had undergone an impressive transformation this season under the eye of master coach Wayne Bennett.

"The work ethic that Wayne bought in is very professional," Price said.

"He's got guys like Jeremy Smith and Neville Costigan, very tough players, good defenders with a great attitude.

"On top of that you've got guys like Ben Hornby and Dean Young and Matt Cooper who are very, very talented players.

"They've got that steel within their squad now that will make them tough to beat."

Sailor's comeback after one week out with a hamstring injury is negated somewhat by the loss of fullback Darius Boyd, who was ruled out on Saturday with a thigh strain.

Jason Nightingale moves from a five-man bench into the run-on side at fullback.

The Warriors are boosted by the return of fullback Wade McKinnon, which has allowed coach Ivan Cleary to shift Lance Hohaia to an extended bench alongside fellow playmaker Nathan Fien.

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP