Hasler expecting tough challenge against ruing Dragons

Titans coach Des Hasler has every faith his side can debunk the belief of falling short in the games they're expected to win as they prepare to face the 12th-placed Dragons on Friday night.

Coming into the clash off the back of a disappointing performance against the Dolphins - a game punters had backed them to win after two wins on the trot - an important battle awaits to get back in the winners' circle and keep their spot in the top eight.

Yet to taste victory at WIN Stadium in the previous six times they've travelled to the Illawarra, they go into the contest as outsiders but Hasler believes it's not about being favourites or not but about the standard in which the team plays - which he is hoping to continue to see improvement in.

"It's a fair view and I know people might have that view, but the expectation is that we have to play at a certain standard, which the players have worked really hard on over the off-season," he said.

"We're seeing early signs of that and last week was a bit of blemish on that.

"It was definitely a game that we could have forced the result to go the other way.

"It's like taking one step forward and two steps back.

"I thought we got over the initial start (with Tino in the sin bin) and crawled our way back in, but it was just a compound of losing field position over negative play with penalties and errors.

"It accumulates and you just can't win field position with that and consequently, we lost the game.

"It's something to build on and tidy up, but it's a long season."

Even despite missing captain Tino Fa'asuamaleaui through suspension, Gold Coast arrive in Wollongong with belief they can bounce back after the speed bump against the Dolphins.

But, they aren't taking the Red V lightly after they also lost to the Eels last Saturday, especially given they have inflicted Melbourne's only loss to the season a fortnight ago.

"They're coming off a loss similar to ours, with an expectation they probably could've won the game," Hasler said.

"WIN Stadium is always a difficult assignment to play, so both sides have got to produce a good game of footy to be able to win it. That's the best way to look at it.

"They play a really 'in your face' style, from an attack point of view particularly, and they have a really experienced back five with some old heads in there that steer the ship.

"They'll be a challenge right across the park."