Fresh from their first easy win of the Super League season and with another match to warm up, the Warrington Wolves pack will look to put the bite on the Dragons.
Neither team really knows what to expect of this match although the Dragons have one England player, Gareth Widdop, in their team and coaching experience in the Super League in assistant coach Ian Millward.
Warrington may have an advantage here, with coach Tony Smith having played rugby league with the Illawarra Steelers as well as the St George Dragons under the coaching of his older brother Brian Smith. This was well before Dragons coach Paul McGregor played with the Dragons, but they would have probably played against each other. The Wolves have ex-Dragons player Ashton Sims on hand to welcome the new Dragons forwards.
Benji Marshall, never short of a word, is relishing the chance to experience the atmosphere of a packed Halliwell Jones Stadium (top ticket 45 pounds) on Friday February 20.
The Dragons come into this game after playing in the Auckland Nines and two trial matches, including a hard-fought draw with a depleted NRL premiers, 2015 Nines champions and WCC contenders, the South Sydney Rabbitohs. To be fair the Dragons also played without regulars Trent Merrin, Jack De Belin, Mike Cooper and Dan Hunt.
Ex-NZ international Marshall has almost enough confidence for all the team after strong displays in the Nines and the Charity Shield. But the Wolves have a settled and strong squad. International hooker Daryl Clark and Sims, a former Dragons junior, will add a new dimension to their attacking play. Joel Monaghan, Super League’s top scorer in 2014, is a danger man with his average of more than a try per game last year.
They are also coming off an easy win at the start of the Super League season, a 22-8 win over Salford Red Devils, and have another game against Hull before they meet the Dragons.
McGregor has elected to field Josh Dugan, nursing an injury after the Charity Shield, with Trent Merrin and George Rose presumably travelling after the NRL All Stars game on Friday.
1. Josh Dugan, 2. Eto Nabuli, 3. Euan Aitken , 4. Peter Mata’utia, 5. Jason Nightingale, 6. Gareth Widdop, 7. Benji Marshall, 8. Rory O’Brien, 9. Mitch Rein, 10. Leeson Ah Mau, 11. Tyson Frizell, 12. Joel Thompson, 13. Ben Creagh (c) 14. Trent Merrin, 15. Jack de Belin, 16. Heath L’Estrange, 17. George Rose, 18. Dane Nielsen, 19. Dylan Farrell, 20. Jake Marketo
Now I would have been tempted to name a couple of more forwards. Last year the Dragons’ pack was rated as ‘soft’, but most forwards from last year have retained their place in the team, a point that will not have escaped Warrington.
The Dragons’ lack of prop forwards means that they are playing former Warrington lock Mike Cooper (excluded because of the birth of a child) and other second rowers as props. Off-season buy Rose adds some weight and experience to the Dragons pack but they lack an enforcer in the pack, something Sims will look to exploit.
The Dragons backline is also a work in progress. NSW Origin player Josh Dugan is fullback after playing centre last year and New Zealand international winger Jason Nightingale continues on the wing. Remaining winger Eto Nabuli has earned his position after an impressive debut.
The halves only came together mid-season last year, after Benji Marshall’s return from a failed attempt at rugby in New Zealand, but his pairing with Widdop is looking settled and dangerous.
“It’s a completely different environment playing in the UK,” said Marshall. “I know the supporters get right behind their teams and are very vocal which make it a great atmosphere to play in. It’s always tough when you’re not the home team, it’s going to be hard for us.”
But Benji expects the trip to England to provide time for the Dragons team to bond, a view shared by McGregor, for what is the team’s last match before the start of the premiership in March when they face the Melborne Storm playing without the injured Australian captain Cameron Smith.
As this is essentially a trial match, McGregor has missed the opportunity to experiment more, but do not be surprised if Dugan and Mata’utia change positions during the match, Nightingale wanders, and Rose and Merrin are replaced by new players.
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