Tariq warns little bro' Korbin to stay cool against ex-teammates

St George Illawarra enforcer Tariq Sims knows first-hand the painful wait of serving a suspension to start the season but has warned younger brother Korbin not to get ahead of himself in his first game back against his old club Brisbane on Thursday night.

Tariq served two separate five-game suspensions to start the 2015 and 2016 seasons for shoulder charges during his stint at Newcastle but has enjoyed a cleaner record in recent years.

Korbin's lifting tackle on Blake Lawrie in last year's finals clash when he was playing for the Broncos against his new club cost him two weeks on the sidelines, with the suspension rolling over to the 2019 season.

Sims played 44 games in two season with the Broncos and ironically his return will be against his former teammates.

"He played all the trial matches, played strong and then had to cool his heels for two weeks," Tariq said of Korbin.

"Unfortunately I had two years in a row where I was suspended and it wasn't a great time for me. It's how you treat that time off. It can either be a punishment or a blessing.

"It's not ideal but you can look at it two ways. You can look at it as a punishment or you can look at it as a bit of motivation to change your ways, change your techniques. It's an extended pre-season."

Korbin has been named on the bench for Thursday's rematch at Suncorp Stadium.

The 27-year-old is a timely addition to the squad with Jack de Belin (stood down) and Tyson Frizell (testicle) missing in the forward pack.

"It's no secret we are down on troops and Korbs' injection with his experience will definitely help," Tariq said.

"When he comes on the field he will be really, really excited but after the warm-up he will have to cool his heels for a bit longer until he gets a call up."

Tariq warned his younger sibling about being too hyped for the occasion.

"The way we are playing we can't afford to give away silly penalties at the moment," he said.

"In this day and age with the calibre of players playing, they will make you pay. Korbin knows that and we don't go out there to give penalties away. We love the way he plays, we love his aggression, Mary wouldn't have brought him here if he didn't think that."

The Dragons are looking to replicate a repeat performance of last year's finals result with a backs against the wall mentality after consecutive losses to start the season.

"It's a new year, different circumstances and they're at home," Tariq said.

"We have to go up there and beat them at their own home ground with their crowd behind them. It's not going to be easy and we need to make sure we execute a lot of things as well."