Roar Guru
The Dragons have defeated the Sea Eagles by 30 points in one of the more remarkable games of football this season.
The Dragons raced out of the blocks in the first half and established a 30 point lead by the break. The Sea Eagles were completely outmuscled and out enthused in the opening 40 minutes and needed a miracle to get back into the contest.
That miracle however nearly come to fruition in the second half, as Manly piled on early points to get back to within 8 of the Dragons at 30-22. Manly had threatened to produce one of the great comebacks of the year but their hopes were dashed when Vaughan crashed over in the 59th minute.
From there, Manly lost hope and the Dragons powered home scoring the last 4 tries of the match to storm to a 30 point victory that keeps them well inside the top eight.
Overall, this was a reality check for a Sea Eagles outfit that hasn’t performed well over the past fortnight and they will need to regroup quickly to recapture the form that still leaves them in a good position to challenge for a top four finish.
Final Score
Dragons – 52
Manly – 22
The race for top eight spots is heating up and the St George Illawarra Dragons will be keen to end a run of poor results when they host top four hopefuls the Manly Sea Eagles. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 2pm (AEST).
The Dragons are coming off a tough golden point defeat to the Raiders last week and have now lost four of their past five matches.
As a result, the Dragons find themselves in eighth position and need to beat Manly today to keep the chasing pack at bay.
The Sea Eagles meanwhile, are in better form, but the past fortnight has seen their level of play drop off somewhat, with a loss to the Penrith Panthers followed by an unconvincing win over the struggling Wests Tigers at home.
The Dragons at home should provide Manly with a stern test this afternoon and they will be strengthened by the return of NSW Origin forward Tyson Frizell.
Dugan is also likely to play after overcoming concussion suffered against the Raiders last week. The Dragons need Dugan at his best today if they are to secure two priceless competition points against a premiership contender this afternoon.
As for Manly, Daly Cherry-Evans once again remains the focal point of their attack. With 17 try assists this season, the former Queensland Origin representative is back to his best, and a dominant showing by Manly’s forwards today could see Evans take control against an out of form Dragons team.
The Dragons will obviously turn today’s contest into an arm wrestle. It was a tactic that worked a treat when they last met Manly at Brookvale earlier in the season when the red V secured a surprise 35-10 victory.
On that occasion, Paul Vaughan was superb and he will be expected to lead from the front again against a strong Manly pack.
Prediction
The Dragons are certainly a shot of getting back into the winner’s circle today given Manly’s unconvincing past fortnight. The Sea Eagles are still suspect to dropping their intensity at key moments during matches and the Dragons will to wrestle for 80 minutes in a game they need to win.
With this in mind, the Dragons should do enough to secure a tight win.
Dragons by 4.
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