Wests Tigers winger Beau Ryan has revealed last year's one-point preliminary final loss to St George Illawarra has been the spur for his side's stunning late season form.

Ryan scored the match-clinching try as the Tigers went some way to exacting revenge for the 13-12 defeat last September that ended their 2010 season.

"I'd be lying if (I said) we didn't think about that game every time we train," Ryan said.

"To go so close and then to watch them go on and win the competition pretty easily last year was disappointing for us."

The fierce rivalry between the clubs has intensified since the Tigers put red-hot favourites the Dragons out of business in the second last week of 2005.

There was plenty of evidence of it as the game threatened to erupt on several occasions before the Tigers notched a 16-14 victory, their first over the red V since 2008.

"I look forward to this game every year, I highlight it on the calendar and they got the wood on us at Kogarah (24-18) earlier this year and that hurt," Ryan said.

"It was a semi-final-like performance from us."

The problem with the Tigers' 2005 fairytale premiership is the hype it helps create whenever the side finds form at the business end of the season.

They have now knocked off three of the competition's top five sides - North Queensland, Manly and the Dragons - in the past month in a run of four straight victories.

Coach Tim Sheens will take them into camp in Kiama this week to maintain the focus ahead of games against relatively lowly Penrith, Parramatta, Gold Coast and Cronulla.

Centre Chris Lawrence (hamstring) is likely to miss several weeks but winger Lote Tuqiri is due back in a fortnight.

"I didn't need losing Chrissy, that didn't help us but we just focus on next weekend," Sheens said.

"You can write all you like but we're not going to get ahead of ourselves.

"We've talked about this as a group and we'll talk about it again when we're away.

"You can hype us up. A few weeks ago you were bagging us.

"No one tipped us this weekend, no one tipped us last weekend.

"We have to wear that.

"We have been in situations before where near the semis we've faltered by either reading too much or panicking."

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