A hat-trick of tries from veteran Jason Nightingale has fired revitalised St George-Illawarra into second spot on the NRL ladder.

Skipper Gareth Widdop also continued his sizzling early season form, playing a hand in all five tries in the Dragons’ 28-6 win over the Wests Tigers at ANZ Stadium on Sunday.

However the victory could come at a cost for the Dragons, with star Josh Dugan suffering a suspected hamstring tear in the second half.

The victory lifted the Dragons alongside Sydney Roosters and North Queensland as the only teams on three wins behind unbeaten competition leaders Melbourne.

Round one apart, not since midway through 2015 have the Red V sat inside the top two, and the resurgence coincides with reports coach Paul McGregor is in talks to extend his contract.

It continues a remarkable turnaround from the Dragons early in the campaign, and comes just a year after they were held scoreless in back-to-back games.

For the Tigers, the fourth straight defeat is yet another reminder of the tough rebuild awaiting the imminent arrival of a new head coach.

Former Warriors and Penrith mentor Ivan Cleary is tipped to be unveiled as the sacked Jason Taylor’s successor on a three-and-a-half year deal at some point this week.

In front of 13,172 at ANZ Stadium, the Tigers enjoyed a 54-18 advantage in plays inside the opposition 20-metre zone but had little to show for it.

Instead it was the Dragons – the league’s first team past the 100-point mark this season – who showed off their continued improvements with the ball.

Nightingale crossed in the seventh, 12th and 32nd minutes, all of which involved the scheming hands of five-eighth Widdop.

The Dragons’ attacking intent was best summed up by Widdop’s third-tackle kick for the New Zealand international’s second four-pointer.

Widdop then produced a sublime three-man cutout pass for the hat trick.

The Tigers, still coached by caretaker Andrew Webster, showed plenty of ticker to reduce the deficit on Kevin Naiqama’s 49th-minute breakthrough.

But any thoughts of a comeback were put to bed when Widdop again put one on a platter with his boot for centre Tim Lafai to score 10 minutes later.

Nene Macdonald sealed the win with a 70th-minute try in his 50th match, while Leeson Ah Mau celebrated his 100th game for the club with a penalty goal.