It's a game that could define their season, but it won't be defined by the scoreboard, according to under-pressure St George Illawarra coach Wayne Bennett.

The Dragons will take a three-game losing streak into the Friday night encounter with red-hot Parramatta at WIN Jubilee Stadium, but Bennett said he is not worried about the result.

After watching his men capitulate like the Dragons of old last week in the 41-6 shellacking by South Sydney, Bennett said his only concern will be whether his men return to the game plan which had them marching towards a minor premiership.

"I don't even think we necessarily have to win," Bennett told AAP.

"Winning's always nice but if we execute and play well, that's my priority right now (to) get back to what we were doing and get some confidence .. so that we can go into the semis in this wonderful position we're in and capitalise on that.

"Our priority Friday night is to get back to playing the football we were playing - if we get beaten by a few points or whatever then you know you can get it right and you go to the next week and turn it around."

Veteran winger Wendell Sailor has no doubt there is more at stake than two competition points against the Eels, but he also knows the Dragons are capable of regaining their winning touch just as quickly as they'd lost it.

"It's attitude, it's doing what works for us the last couple of months," he said.

"The last three weeks, we've just gone off the boil a bit.

"We've been a bit starry-gazed and I think some of the players, much as they don't admit it, have been thinking about the playoffs.

"We've been doing the hard work, we've just got to come out and play Friday night like our life depended on it."

Sailor suggested the Dragons could lift their stuttering attack with an improvement in their defence.

"It comes from our defence, if our defence is in order, we usually strangle teams and we can score points," he said.

"We're probably at full strength now, we've just go to make sure that we get it right come Friday night, otherwise we are in for a long night."

As much as Bennett isn't concerned with the result, it can have a major impact on the Dragons finals run.

A win could see them finish with the minor premiership or in second place, depending on the Bulldogs clash with Wests Tigers, while a loss leaves them in second or third, depending on the Gold Coast's visit to Manly.

The Eels are also assured a finals place, but their position can vary between as high as fifth or as low as eighth.

A top two result is the coveted finish for the Dragons as it guarantees safety in the first week of the finals and the potential to secure a path direct to the grand final qualifier.

Bennett admitted that his side's current position of second on the NRL ladder is something he'd never imagined when he first arrived at the red and whites this year.

"If you'd have said to me with a week to go we'd be sitting on 36 points and in the competition where we are I would have said you're in fairyland - we're well ahead of ourselves," he said.

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