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Though the Dragons have a tough challenge ahead of them on Friday night, rugby league in 2015 is incredibly unpredictable.
Over the past four weeks, the Dragons have showed everyone they have the skill and power to cause an upset.
St George Illawarra have won their last four matches in a row and the Brisbane Broncos have won their last five. Friday night will be a challenge for both teams and it will depend on the form, but who has the edge?
The Dragons are yet to face a strong opponent. Two out of their four wins were against the Raiders (15th) and the Sea Eagles (16th).
Although the Dragons were victorious against the Bulldogs on Sunday afternoon, it is important to take into account Canterbury had lost seven key players including their captain and best in James Graham. As we saw last week, this would ultimately play a huge role in the Bulldogs defeat.
While the Dragons displayed an impressive defensive effort against the Knights, the potency in the Newcastle attack was not as significant in shocking conditions as it had been previously.
The Broncos are on an eight-game winning streak against the Dragons, dating back to Round 21, 2010. However this is the first Dragons-Broncos to be played at Kogarah since 2007. Last Friday night’s Broncos victory over the Roosters in golden point was an absolute blockbuster. Sam Thaiday’s well deserved man-of-the-match award shows his determination to join the on-field squad for good after being benched in recent weeks.
While Justin Hodges returns this week, the Broncos will have their team in full swing and the Dragons will have to watch out.
The loss of Tyson Frizell, who has been a great asset to the Dragons in all aspects in the game, and Jason Nightingale will hurt the Dragons this week. The junior players filling these spots, Pete Mata’utia and Will Matthews have huge shoes to fill this week.
If Mata’utia performs as well as he did against the Bulldogs and the Dragons defence stays as strong as in the last four weeks, then the Dragons could have an impressive performance on Friday night and jump to the top of the ladder.
If the Dragons defensive effort isn’t as strong as previous weeks, then Friday night will not be as close as everyone predicts.
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