Sydney Roosters coach Brian Smith filled a little black notebook full of tips after watching Brisbane graft out a torrid and tense 10-6 NRL win over St George Illawarra at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday.

He could have used one page and just two words - Israel Folau.

Instead he sat perched in a media box high above the ground, scribbling notes about every play and move that caused the Dragons - whom the Roosters player in a blockbuster in Sydney next weekend - problems.

He would have had writer's cramp from jotting down the name "Izzy" as he almost filled his little black book by the end of the 80 minutes.

When told Smith was at the game jotting down notes on the Dragons in anticipation of next Sunday's clash being a cracker, Bennett just smiled and quipped: "I hope you're right".

Folau came up with the only two tries in the 30th and 70th minutes of a contest which had the intensity of a September final.

And just for good measure, he stopped Dragons centre Matt Cooper with just 20 seconds to go with a match-saving tackle as the Broncos moved into seventh position on the ladder.

AFL-bound Folau used a blend of brute strength and determination to break through the tackles of halfback Ben Hornby, Brett Morris, Cooper and fullback Darius Boyd to post his 15th try of the season off a flat Darren Lockyer pass.

His second try was a lot easier, although it needed the approval of video referee Paul Simpkins with the Dragons protesting he'd shoved Hornby to the ground as rival wingers Morris and Jharal Yow Yeh jumped for a Peter Wallace bomb.

The Dragons had successfully run interference all day, hampering Folau's efforts to get to Lockyer and Wallace bombs but on this occasion a frustrated Folau took matters into his own hands and knocked Hornby out of the way.

"I think the second try was the easiest try I've scored," he said.

"I was getting a bit nervous watching the replay, I thought they might disallow it because I pushed Hornby in the back.

"They covered me pretty good all game and I was getting a bit frustrated."

Horny said he felt he'd been pushed in the back.

"I thought I was pushed, but those things are 50-50," he said.

Folau also saved the day in the dying seconds when the Dragons rolled the dice out wide with Cooper heading for the try line.

"I was a bit worried. I looked at the time left before they spread the ball and I think there was 20 seconds to go so we had to make that tackle," said Folau.

"I was pretty confident because Locky was trailing on my inside and I had trust in him."

Bennett said Folau's first try was the reason rugby league would be poorer without him next year.

"It was a real good effort by an individual to beat four guys to the try line," he said.

"That's what they bring those players.

"The game's the sufferer. They're the players the fans want to come and see because they can do things other players can't do."

Bennett said his players wouldn't lose any confidence from their third loss in four games.

"They don't get much tougher than that," he said.

Wallace and Beau Scott were both placed on report over an incident in 14th minute.

"I didn't see it (the incident)," said Bennett, "but there was a suggestion of an elbow (from Scott)."

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