The last time Willie Mason took on the Dragons pack, the whole world was in on the joke.

Mason, then at Newcastle, was wired for sound as part of a segment for the Sterlo program on Fox Sports. The Knights pack totally dominated their counterparts and the veteran forward rubbed it in with some stinging sledges that hit their mark.

"F--- youse need some front-rowers, you cats," said Mason, in footage that went viral. "You need some decent front-rowers. Speak to Mary [coach Mary McGregor]!"

The Dragons, oblivious to the fact Mason was miked up, had no answer for any of it. At one point, the veteran forward said to Tyson Frizell during a scrum: "How much do you bench?"

History will show that, if Mason was auditioning for a spot in the Dragons engine room, it proved unsuccessful. But the embarrassment he inflicted on the pack remains. Now playing for Manly, St George Illawarra have a chance to respond to Mason via deeds rather than words in Saturday's clash at WIN Stadium.

"I think they know about it," McGregor said of his forwards. "They obviously played that game and lived that moment, it was expressed pretty loudly. I don't go out there and get bruised any more and don't bleed, so it's up to the guys to go out there and do that and take ownership of that role.

"I'm sure they are aware and know what was said at the time."

Mason's jibes are clearly still a sore point at the Red V. Dragons forward Rory O'Brien didn't get a start against the Knights that day, but reckons those who did will want to prove a point. "I'm sure the boys will be fired up," O'Brien said.

"I didn't play that game but they will have something to prove, they will be fired up by it. It will be a good contest. The boys might still be a bit dirty about it. We'll try to play our own game and not get too mixed up in it."

While the Dragons pack was largely responsible for helping the side overcome an 18-point deficit against the Raiders last week, their forwards have been much maligned and aren't expected to contain the better sides.

O'Brien said criticism, such as that levelled by Mason, would only spur the engine room on.

"We got a lot of criticism against us but we showed we can go with the big boys," he said. "We get cut about it because we're meant to be the tough guys at our team and you hear that. We think about it now and then. It always fires us up and gets us going. We use it as a bit of motivation."

The Dragons' win against Canberra was soon tempered by allegations star recruit Dane Nielsen bit a woman on the leg at a Cronulla nightspot. The incident is being investigated by the NRL's integrity unit. "We don't know the full story yet," McGregor said.

"I spoke to Dane yesterday and what he said will remain between us. Obviously we're a bit disappointed with what allegedly happened, but at the moment I can't go too much more into it.

"We brought him him for that experience - he's played in grand finals, World Club Challenges and Origin football. You accept that responsibility when you get that tag. At the moment it is only an allegation but it's disappointing."