The Dragons have sunshine in a bag as they ride high with three wins in four matches. The Tigers on the other hand are one-and-three and need to turn around their luck fast, and if they can do it against a team riding high it could send a statement that they’re still a contender.
LAST TIME OUT
The Tigers were able to rocket to an early fourteen-zip lead over the Storm before coming out with their best Atlanta Falcons interpretation, collapsing to a 14-22 loss. Life in the NRL isn’t easy as interim coach Andrew Webster found out and he’d love to be able to stamp his resume with a win over a high-ranking team.
The Dragons were able to continue their wood over the Warriors, prevailing over the New Zealanders 26-12 and showing off their potentially underrated attacking flair. Their defense has now for a couple of years been strong but it is the attack that has caused them to fall short in the past, and with a departure from that Mary’s men see a finals berth if they continue.
KEY BATTLES
Luke Brooks is out with Jack Littlejohn named in the number seven jersey. How he and Mitchell Moses can go against the surprisingly competent pairing of Gareth Widdop and Josh McCrone could go a long way in deciding this game, especially considering the potential that Moses has shown in limited spurts across his years.
James Tedesco, who fired in early games, was unable to fly against Melbourne in such a way he’s known to do – Josh Dugan on the other hand has fired in a way he struggled to in 2016. The reversal of the fortunes in the number ones has coincided with the fortunes of their teams, and if the fullback plays well it spells good things for the team
PREDICTION
Freddy Fittler has noted that a team is likelier to win the second game after sacking a coach: that doesn’t actually mean anything, but with the attacking firepower they have the Tigers match up well against a direct STGI defense. If they can get the ball shifting from sideline to sideline they’re in with a big chance. They’re out for the bounce back after a disappointing loss.
The Tigers by 4.
SQUADS
Tigers: 1. James Tedesco 2. David Nofoaluma 3. Jamal Idris 4. Kevin Naiqama 5. Moses Suli 6. Mitchell Moses 7. Jack Littlejohn 8. Aaron Woods 9. Matt McIlwrick 10. Ava Seumanufagai 11. Josh Aloiai 12. Chris Lawrence 13. Elijah Taylor 14. Tim Grant 15. Sauaso Sue 16. Michael Chee-Kam 17. Matt Ballin 18. Kyle Lovett 19. Justin Hunt 20. Joel Edwards 21. Junior Tatola
Dragons 1. Josh Dugan 2. Nene Macdonald 3. Euan Aitken 4. Timoteo Lafai 5. Jason Nightingale 6. Gareth Widdop 7. Josh McCrone 8. Russell Packer 9. Cameron McInnes 10. Paul Vaughan 11. Tyson Frizell 12. Joel Thompson 13. Jack de Belin 14. Tariq Sims 15. Leeson Ah Mau 16. Jacob Host 17. Kurt Mann 18. Jai Field 19. Taane Milne 20. Luciano Leilua 21. Hame Sele
