Sydney Roosters coach Brian Smith insists he has not given any thought to the prospect of winning the NRL wooden spoon and vowed his side will improve on last week’s limp collapse against the Gold Coast.

The Roosters came flying out of the traps against the Titans to race to a 10-0 lead after 25 minutes, only to fall apart and go down 36-16, ending any lingering hopes of reaching the finals.

Instead, the Tricolours find themselves looking over their shoulder at the wrong end of the ladder, with Parramatta shocking Brisbane 44-22 at Suncorp Stadium and Penrith edging out Cronulla in golden point.

Smith’s side are now just three points ahead of the cellar-dwelling Eels with five rounds remaining, a point in front of the 15th-placed Panthers and face a St George Illawarra side who beat Melbourne last week at Allianz Stadium on Friday.

“Our priority this week has been dealing with how poorly we played in the back part of the game against the Gold Coast. Nothing else,” Smith said on Thursday.

“We need a good preparation for this game and play 80 minutes, not 77 as we did the last time we met the Dragons.”

That Anzac Day clash between the two sides, in front of a crowd of 40,000, was one of the most memorable of the season, with Matt Prior and Ben Creagh scoring in the final three minutes to seal a stunning 24-22 win for the Red V.

Smith admits that result was a very difficult one to take, but denied it left his players with any mental scars.

“It was a great game and the Dragons came over the top of us with some fantastic footy, but it was stuff we could have shut down,” he said.

“We had one like that against the Rabbitohs and had a couple ourselves where we’ve come from behind this season.

“There has been quite a few this year, but our focus this week has been about completing our sets as well as we can and playing 80 minutes.

“For 25 minutes against the Gold Coast we were in charge. But as soon as we lost a bit of focus we allowed them to get into the groove and play well.”