The Dragons are looking for a spot in the top eight, and the Titans’ finals hopes are well and truly gone, however despite this, it will be an entertaining match when the teams battle at Jubilee Oval, one of the home grounds for the Dragons. Will the Dragons get back into the top eight, or will the visiting Titans take the two points home to the Gold Coast?
Last Time Out
The Dragons had a narrow loss against the South Sydney Rabbitohs when they went head to head at Sydney Cricket Ground as a part of the retro round for the NRL season. For the majority of the match, it was a game that went back and forth, and the Dragons were ahead in the last part of the match until they let the lead slip away in the final five minutes, allowing the Rabbitohs to score two tries in the dying minutes. Those tries wrapped up the match and left the Dragons down and out, wondering what went wrong, and how they could improve. While statistically they were impressive, it ultimately wasn’t enough for them to get home and take the two points away from the Rabbitohs, who were able to come back and sneak in the win and walk away more advantaged in the competition – despite their finals hopes being gone at this late point in the season.
The Titans were down and out on Saturday evening when they took on the Brisbane Broncos at Cbus Super Stadium. The team was completely depleted, and allowed the Broncos plenty of opportunities to score points and capitalise on the game, which they took with both hands. The Titans’ completion rate was poor, and statistically the Broncos were far superior, which is the reason the result went the way that it did. The Titans allowed their opposition to continually pile on points, which improved their position on their ladder as a result of their for and against, while leaving the Titans depleted and without much of a fight left in them. They have a lot to improve upon before heading to Jubilee Oval where they will face the Dragons who are looking for a position in the top eight on the competition ladder, hoping to keep themselves in finals contention.
Key Battle
Widdop and Taylor, one of the two halves, and some of the most important players on the field in the match. The five-eighth and half backs of each team are crucial in the ultimate performance of the team, and can make or break the match, which has been clearly demonstrated throughout various points of the season. Both these players have had strong seasons this year, and will undoubtedly be looking for two competition points to move them further up the ladder. Statistically these men are important to their sides, and will contribute significantly to the entertainment factor of this match, and to their respective team’s overall performance.
Prediction
While both sides haven’t been their best in the last few weeks, the Dragons have more to play for, and due to their loss last weekend being so narrow, they will ultimately feel more of a responsibility to win the match, which could be the make or break point for them. The Titans have a lot to prove following their loss last week, and will have plenty of determination and courage heading into the game on Saturday afternoon. It will be a strong and entertaining match from both sides who are looking for a win.
Dragons by 8.
Squads
Dragons
1. Matthew Dufty 2. Nene McDonald 3. Josh Dugan 4. Timoteo Lafai 5. Jason Nightingale 6. Gareth Widdop 7. Josh McCrone 8. Leeson Ah Mau 9. Cameron McInnes 10. Paul Vaughan 11. Tyson Frizell 12. Joel Thompson 13. Jack de Belin 14. Tariq Sims 15. Hame Sele 16. Blake Lawrie 17. Kurt Mann 18. Jacob Host 19. Taane Milne
Titans
1. Jarryd Hayne 2. Anthony Don 3. Dale Copley 4. John Olive 5. William Zillman 6. Kane Elgey 7. Ashley Taylor 8. Jarrod Wallace 9. Nathan Peats 10. Ryan James 11. Kevin Proctor 12. Joe Greenwood 13. Max King 14. Tyrone Roberts 15. Nathaniel Peteru 16. Leivaha Pulu 17. Morgan Boyle 18. Paterika Vaivai 21. Keegan Hipgrave
