St George Illawarra coach Anthony Griffin has revealed no player has guaranteed themselves a starting place in the Red V ahead of the 2021 season, with playmaking pair Corey Norman and Ben Hunt particularly in the firing line.

Both Hunt and Norman will be 30 years of age when Round 1 gets underway, with many fans and critics believing their best football may have already past them.

In an interview with The Daily telegraph's Paul Crawley, Griffin lifted the lid on the veteran pair's place in his squad and the exciting young talent that will test them for a spot in the starting side.

"I am really lucky that we will have a good spine no matter who is there," Griffin said.

"We have four really good halves at the club in Hunt, Norman, (Adam) Clune and (Jayden) Sullivan.

"It allows you to play to their strengths. I think all those players are great runners of the football no matter what position they are playing in.

"I’d like to see us play a little bit flatter and faster with a little less structure and play to those players’ strengths."

When it comes to Hunt, fans are split over where his services are best placed, as the former Origin star has had strong spells at both halfback and hooker.

When posed the question of where the 30-year-old best fits, Griffin said: "He is both".

"He has obviously played most of his career at halfback, he can play hooker, he has done it at Origin level, he obviously has done it last year at St George Illawarra.

"The beauty of him is he has a lot of experience, he has played a lot of finals football, a lot of Origin. The last couple of years he obviously hasn’t been where he would have liked to have been. He would be the first to admit that.

"When the team is not going well everyone owns a little bit of that and I think that is a credit to him."

Hunt's partner-in-crime in Norman endured a similar run of form, with many questioning his place in the Dragons 2020 squad on numerous occasions.

But rest assured, Griffin has seen the five-eighth flourish in pre-season and believes there is a side of Norman fans are yet to see.

"I know his training has been first class, he has been a great contributor already," Griffin said.

"He has obviously still got some unlocked potential in him so that is a challenge for him and for myself and the staff, to find that. But if he can continue repeating the first month, month on month, he is going to have a good season."

While Griffin will laud his incumbent duo, the newly appointed Dragons coach admits gaining a starting spot will be earned and not decided by reputation.

"I have spoken to the team about this and to anyone who wants to listen, the team will be made up of the people who want to work the hardest and play the best," he said.

"I have got no pencil out right now writing out teams. I am just watching and coaching and giving everyone an opportunity to improve and get to their best football by the time we get to the start of the year.

"There is pressure on Clune and Sullivan as well, and I mean that without batting an eyelid. Everyone at our club, staff and players, when you are in the NRL you’ve got to perform week in, week out, if you want to be the best and beat the best."

Fellow incumbents Tariq Sims and Paul Vaughan have recently shined to earn Origin call-ups before falling off the pace. But when it comes to representative football, Griffin isn't too focused on who's in and who's out.

"I don’t really care about Origin spots," he said. "That is not my motivation.

"My expectation of them is that they play their best football for St George Illawarra. If they do that the rest sorts itself out."

The Dragons will host the Sharks in their opening fixture of the 2021 season before a trip to North Queensland.