St George Illawarra are adamant their suffocating style will be more than enough to take them all the way to NRL glory - if they get it right.

Five-eighth Jamie Soward says the Dragons understand what went so horribly wrong in last year's finals meltdown, admitting the minor premiers failed to step up in 2009.

But Soward says it is better execution of their game-plan, rather than a new plan, which will stand them in good stead this time around.

"We understand what position we put ourselves in last year and we didn't really take it to the next level," five-eighth Jamie Soward told Sky Sports Radio on Thursday.

"This year everyone understands that Saturday night's going to be a bigger occasion and we need to bring out our game, we need to be able to execute the plays for 80 minutes.

"Last year we were probably a little bit blown away at the start for both those games and we didn't really feel like we were in the game (against Brisbane) up at Suncorp so we just need to stick to our plans."

Those defence-orientated plans have been there for all to see since Wayne Bennett took the helm at the joint venture club at the beginning of last season, and they aren't about to change now.

"We just want to play that style of footy that we've been playing the last two years," Soward said.

"It's a consistent footy (where) everyone knows the plan, everyone knows the structure, and it's probably a suffocating style of football.

"But you win more games that way, you get more consistency out of that than maybe changing too much.

"So hopefully we get the style that wins, I don't care how we do it, (I) just want to win."

Certainly Wests Tigers coach Tim Sheens isn't expecting any major departure from the blueprint which has earned the Dragons consecutive minor premierships when the sides battle for a grand final spot at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night.

"I'd more expect that they will do all that they've done for the last two years and try and grind us and wait for us to shoot ourselves in the foot and take advantage of that," Sheens said.

"That's going to be the challenge for us."

Soward said his team-mates had discussed last year's failed campaign, and even the 2005 preliminary final loss to the Tigers, in a bid to quell any nerves.

"It's just nerves of not knowing what's ahead," he said.

"We've talked about the guys that were there in 2005, just had a quick chat about what to expect.

"Last year was all a new experience for me and a few of the younger guys who hadn't played finals footy before.

"I guess you could say we probably just got overawed a little bit."

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