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
Gumpy
Guest
Broncos were always going to win this encounter. I dont know how you could have ever had any hope in the dragons winning. The funny thing is that some of you were stupid enough to puy money on St. George hahaha
dallas
Guest
Howd them dragons go mate? Broncos would be sitting pretty on 4/4 if it wasnt for a 5 min lapse against the roosters. Give credit where credit is due
jamesb
Guest
Go to your local corner store and buy yourself a brain.
The eye
Guest
We'll see about that defense tonight Dallas..pretty sure youd have that key rooster stat from last week..completion only 21 from 31,0 repeat sets from line drop outs and STILL put 5 tries on them..Dragons dont have the rooster artillery but they do have the repeat set capability..fitness ?didnt save them last week..
Dallas
Guest
Merrin is very good middle third forward, there's not many players who can play 80 mins and also have the good footwork, explosive power and good offload. Ben creigh is also playing well so the forwards battle will be pretty close. If its an arm wrestle I don't think saints will match it with the broncs, there defence is too good and they are to fit.
Dallas
Guest
Did you not watch the broncos game against the roosters mate? Ben hunt scored two try's and set up one try, and Hoffman might not be a traditional half but he is still a dangerous ball runner, unlike sam Williams, a guy like him is to easy to defend against because the defence knows he is just going to pass the ball on and if he does by chance run the footy it's because he's runners outside him aren't there.
The Kooms
Guest
Dugan will be rested for the Souths game. Leeson Ah Mau has had a good start to the season. The Dragons halves are miles ahead of the the Broncs, Williams has a good kicking game compared to Hunt. The Saints' left side is getting dangerous every week, Copley and Maranta will be expecting a lot of traffic tonite.
Charles NSW
Guest
This will be an interesting match for the Dragons fans! They need to win this to convince that they are continuing to improve as a team Walter has indicated that their are a number of weakneses including the centre and 1/2 back that are of concern However the coach has stuck with them in a winning side and hope they will improve as they go along Dragons have to dominate the forwards if they want to have any chance next week against Souths Duggan has been hurt too many times and they need to see how they can help from further injuries before he takes the field He should not be included unless 100% totally fit
Walter Penninger
Roar Guru
Latest gossip is that Josh Duggan could be slotted in at the last minute for the Dragons and that Micheal Witt has recovered from injury and may be playing in the NSW Cup.
Devout Saint
Guest
Yeah, Brisbane does have stronger forwards on paper, but our forwards have been getting in there and having a go. Merrin is ery good, DeBelin should be in the back row, but he is very good also. Frizzel has been going well too. I actually think we can hold Brisbane in the forwards. As for backs, we have better wingers. Our centres aren't much chop though. We have one very good half and another who is yet to show anything special at Saints. Brisbane don't have any good halves. Widdop could very well be the difference, plus playing at Wollongong.
Ken
Guest
Very seriously under rating Merrin. I'd say without hesitation he's a better player than Parker, Thaiday or Creagh. I think both forward packs, while generally considered to be lacking in size or ferocity at the start of the season, are in good form and have adjusted well to the slightly faster game this year.
The eye
Guest
Seriously under rating Trent Merrin..Broncos will be reminded again tonight of the importance of having a good kicking game in arm wrestles.
Jay C
Guest
Bahhhhhhh. Go and play soccer.
jamesb
Guest
Thaiday shouldn't be playing tonight. He got knocked out twice last week.
Jay C
Guest
Seriously? The forward battle is a draw? Noop. The Broncos are well on top in the forwards. Corey Parker and Sam Thaiday alone stand head and shoulders above the rest of the forwards on the park. Ben Creagh being the only Dragon that might push his way into contention. But the Dragons have better backs. Will be a good game. Hopefully Hunt builds on last week. The only confusing thing for me is Hala as 18th man. He looked terrifying last week when he took that hit up following the penalty. I would not like to be responsible for stopping that kind of run. Also I think Griffin needs to learn to use his interchange a bit better. Using 16 players for two weeks straight is not a good way to utilise a roster, and it showed last week when they ran out of puff in the last 5. Use yourbench more effectively Hook, and Good Luck!