The Dragons take on the Broncos at WIN Stadium at 8pm on Friday Night. Both clubs are on the rebound in 2014, despite being tipped by most to miss the eight this season.
The bookies have the Dragons slight favourites, but whoever can get the win will probably come down to attitude. The Dragons will want to maintain their position on top of the ladder, and the Broncos will be smarting after last week’s narrow loss to the Roosters.
Both teams come into this game in good form, although the Dragons narrow win against the Sharks was not very convincing.
The Dragons have named an unchanged side. The Broncos have named a slightly stronger team than last week, with prop Josh McGuire returning from suspension.
One key to how the match unfolds will be whether the Dragons forwards can handle the aggressive Broncos pack.
The Broncos forwards rolled forward well against the Roosters last weekend, but with the Dragons at full strength and the home-ground advantage, I think the battle in the forwards should be a draw.
This leaves the backlines to decide the battle and the Dragons have a clear edge here. The Dragons have scored an average of 30 points a game, compared to the Broncos 20 points, with most of these scored in the second half.
The Dragons look to have the edge on the wings with international wingers Brett Morris and Jason Nightingale in good form. They will be facing the in-form ex-Dragons winger Daniel Vidot for the first time.
In the centres, coach Steve Price has not been tempted to replace ex-Souths centre Farrell who has yet to fire, while fullback novice Adam Quinlan has been retained after a strong performance last week against the Sharks.
Halfback Sam Williams retains his spot despite a poor game with the ball last weekend when put under pressure by the Sharks. First round halfback Michael Witt is still out with a shoulder injury.
For the Broncos, the two Bens will need to spark the backline. Ben Hunt had a good game last week at half and Ben Barba is past due for a good showing in the maroon and gold.
Dragons face Souths next weekend and with more tough matches to follow they will be keen to get the win. I tip them in a close but high-scoring match.
Dragons
1 Adam Quinlan 2 Brett Morris 3 Dylan Farrell 4 Gerard Beale 5 Jason Nightingale 6 Gareth Widdop 7 Sam Williams 8 Tyson Frizell 9 Mitch Rein 10 Dan Hunt 11 Leeson Ah Mau 12 Ben Creagh (c) 13 Trent Merrin
Interchange 14 Jack de Belin 15 Kyle Stanley 16 Joel Thompson 17 Mike Cooper 20 Jack Stockwell 25 Bronson HarrisonBroncos
1 Ben Barba 2 Daniel Vidot 3 Jack Reed 4 Dale Copley 5 Lachlan Maranta 6 Josh Hoffman 7 Ben Hunt 8 Josh McGuire 9 Andrew McCullough 10 Corey Parker (c) 11 Alex Glenn 12 Sam Thaiday 13 Matt Gillett Interchange 14 Corey Oates 15 Martin Kennedy 16 Todd Lowrie 17 Jarrod Wallace 18 Dave Hala
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