Round 26 Dragons v Tigers

DRAGONS V WESTS TIGERS - SAT 5 SEPTEMBER, 5.30PM, ANZ STADIUM | BUY TICKETS

Dragons
1 Josh Dugan
2 Eto Nabuli
3 Euan Aitken
4 Peter Mata'utia
5 Jason Nightingale
6 Gareth Widdop
7 Benji Marshall
8 Leeson Ah Mau
9 Mitch Rein
10 Mike Cooper
11 Tyson Frizell
12 Jake Marketo
13 Trent Merrin

Interchange
14 George Rose
15 Ben Creagh (c)
16 Mark Ioane
17 Jack de Belin
18 Craig Garvey
23 Justin Hunt

Coach: Paul McGregor

Wests Tigers
1 James Tedesco
2 David Nofoaluma
3 Kevin Naiqama
4 Tim Simona
5 Pat Richards
6 Mitchell Moses
7 Luke Brooks
8 Aaron Woods
9 Robbie Farah (c)
10 Sauaso Sue
11 Curtis Sironen
12 Chris Lawrence
13 Martin Taupau

Interchange
14 Kyle Lovett
15 Keith Galloway
16 Ava Seumanu***ai
17 Dene Halatau
18 Manaia Cherrington

Coach: Jason Taylor

Dragons v Wests Tigers preview

Wed 02 Sep, 2015, 12:00pm
Joey Riordan, NRL.com

Dragons v Wests Tigers preview
St George Illawarra Dragons v Wests Tigers
ANZ Stadium
Saturday 5:30pm

Will the Robbie Farah magic continue in what may be his final ever game for the Wests Tigers or will the Dragons make amends for their poor showing on the Gold Coast to confirm their eighth position and give the Red V faithful some hope heading into the finals?

Both these teams have plenty to play for this Saturday night and considering their recent form, this should be a tight one.

The Tigers will head to ANZ Stadium with a team unchanged from their brilliant last-start performance against the Warriors, with Kyle Lovett joining a five-man bench.

Meanwhile for the Dragons, they look to bounce back from a game to forget with Jake Marketo and Eto Nabuli replacing Joel Thompson and Dylan Farrell.

Craig Garvey is 18th man while George Rose has been named on the bench.

Watch Out Dragons: Farah tore the Warriors to shreds and another emotionally charged performance could have the Dragons shaking in their boots. He was nothing short of unstoppable in the opening half against the Warriors, barging over for a try and putting two others on a platter for his teammates, while also leading the tackle count. His opponents will have to bring plenty of energy and focus to their defense to limit his involvement.

Watch Out Tigers: While the Tigers field the NRL's most inexperienced halves, their opponents on Saturday are at the opposite end of the spectrum. Gareth Widdop and Benji Marshall have had an up and down season to date, but there's no doubt that when they're on, they're near impossible to stop. Two amazing ball runners who have the full bag of tricks when it comes to their passing and kicking games. The Tigers will have to be limit this star pairing's time and space with the ball.

Key Match-Up: Josh Dugan v James Tedesco. Two of the best fullbacks in the NRL go head-to-head in what should be a scintillating match-up. Dugan is the more experienced and physical type, while Teddy possesses the advantage in speed and elusiveness. But that's where the differences stop. These are two of the hardest men to tackle in the whole competition. Seeing these two in full flight will be something to savour.

The History: Played 30; Dragons 16, Wests Tigers 14. Some James Tedesco magic helped the Wests Tigers to a 22-4 point win over the Dragons last time these two met in Round 2 this year.

What Are The Odds: All of the early money was with the Dragons, however the Tigers have received the bulk of the dollars since putting on a clinic against the Warriors. Both sides have been backed to win the match 13+ with Sportsbet. Latest odds at Sportsbet.com.au

Match Officials: Referee: Matt Ceccin. Assistant Referee: Gavin Morris. Touch Judges: Russell Turner and Adam Reid. Video Referees: Bernard Sutton and Luke Patten.

Televised: Fox Sports, Live, 5:30pm

The Way We See It: The Dragons know there's barely any point in rocking up in the finals if they carry the sort of form that they showed last week. If they seriously want to make a dent in September they need a big, confidence-building win here. And that's exactly what they should get. The Tigers were great against the Warriors, but the Dragons will be keen to make a point and charge into the finals. Dragons by 14.

- - - Updated - - -

Panthers v Knights preview

Jack Brady Wed 02 Sep, 2015, 11:57am
By Jack Brady*, National Correspondent, NRL.com

Panthers v Knights preview
Penrith Panthers v Newcastle Knights
Pepper Stadium
Saturday 3:00pm

People laugh at the concept of the 'Spoonbowl'. The Newcastle Knights have played out games matching that description – between teams running second-last and last – twice this year (against the Titans in Round 19, and Wests Tigers in Round 23) and have come out victors both times.

But it hasn't been enough to lift them off the foot off the ladder.

For the third time this season Newcastle will participate in a wooden spoon battle, this time against an equally desperate Penrith Panthers team.

Whoever loses this match will take little solace in being the most successful cellar-dwelling team in history, matching the 20 competition points managed by the Knights themselves in 2005.

The Panthers are unchanged following last week's huge loss to the Raiders, though injury clouds remain over Bryce Cartwright (lacerated kidney) and Jamie Soward (concussion).

They will also celebrate David Simmons 200th and final NRL game, with Lewis Brown running out for game 150 before he heads to the Sea Eagles.

Beau Scott will also play his 200th NRL game before he departs Newcastle for Parramatta, while Adam Clydsdale who returns from illness at the expense of Danny Levi at hooker.


Watch out Panthers: If it weren't for departing captain Kurt Gidley, Newcastle wouldn't have gone close against the Bulldogs last week. Gidley's short kicking game to force a couple of drop outs was top class, and he scored a solo try and provided a try assist as well in his Knights final game on home turf.

Watch out Knights: Spotted at Hunter Stadium during Old Boys Day last weekend, Newcastle junior and Panthers utility Will Smith will have to lift to new heights in his career against his former team if Soward was to be ruled out. A threat at fullback since the season-ending injuries of Matt Moylan and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, Smith is averaging 119.3 metres and four tackle breaks per game and also has six try assists this season.

Key Match-Up: Isaah Yeo v Chris Houston. Lock isn't either player's usual position but Panther Issah Yeo and Knight Chris Houston are sure making a decent fist of it this season. Against Canberra, Yeo ran for 118 metres and made 36 tackles. Similarly – in the absence of regular No.13 Jeremy Smith – Houston punched out 133 metres and 40 tackles in just 55 minutes on the field. With these two tightening the screws in the middle of their respective packs, it'll be interesting to see who cracks first.

The History: Played 41; Panthers 15, Knights 23, Draw 3. Bar their two losses to the Panthers last year the Knights have recent history in their favour. Since 2011 Newcastle have won six of their past eight against the Panthers, including their most recent game back in Round 4 when they beat Penrith 26-14 at Hunter Stadium.

What are the Odds: Sportsbet reports three times the number of individual bets placed on Newcastle in this match-up, and Knights winning 13-plus is the most popular margin according to punters. Latest odds at Sportsbet.com.au

Match Officials: Referee – Gavin Reynolds; Assistant Referee – Adam Gee; Sideline Officials – David Ryan & Lawrence McDonell; Video Referees – Steve Clark and Steve Folkes.

Televised: Fox Sports 1 (Live) – 3:00pm

The Way We See It: If Jamie Soward and Bryce Cartwright are ruled out as expected, you can probably put a fork in the Panthers for season 2015. Considering their short turnaround and the fact Newcastle are in pretty good form, the Panthers may very well go from preliminary finalist one year to the bottom rung of the NRL Telstra Premiership the next. Knights by eight points.

Widdop out of Dragons-Tigers clash

NRL.com


Dragons five-eighth Gareth Widdop has been ruled out of Saturday's match against the Wests Tigers, with youngster Drew Hutchison to start in his place.

Widdop picked up a corked thigh against the Titans last weekend and has been ruled out of this week's match.

Hutchison, a Junior Kangaroo and NSW under-20s representative, will make his third NRL appearance.

The Dragons are set to finish eighth and reach the NRL finals unless they suffer a massive loss to the Tigers.

Rnd 26: Sat 5 Sep 2015, 5:30pm, ANZ Stadium