The Dragons will be the first club to grant the wish of TV broadcasters and play more NRL games in smaller stadiums, increasing the amount of fixtures at their spiritual bases as the Tigers reduce their matchday presence at Leichhardt and Campbelltown.

St George Illawarra will scrap a permanent home-game presence at ANZ Stadium, increasing their allocation of fixtures at Kogarah and Wollongong to five games each in 2018.

Back home: The Dragons will return games to Kogarah and Wollongong next year. Credit:AAP

It comes a week after Fairfax Media revealed rights holders Fox Sports and Nine have approached the state government and NRL about prioritising upgrades of suburban grounds and Allianz Stadium to create a more intimate TV product.

The Dragons stressed uncertainty over a timeline for the redevelopment of Sydney's stadiums network was the impetus for the move back to their roots, leaving the option to take one home game either interstate or overseas next year to complement their hosting rights to the Anzac Day clash.