The St George Illawarra Dragons will be looking to keep their finals hopes alive when they clash with the out of form Brisbane Broncos who are looking to stay in touch with the top four. Join us on The Roar from 7:50pm (AEST) to follow all of the action from this high stakes game.
While not a lot of people would speak highly of the Dragons in 2016, the men from St George llawarra are still alive in the race for a spot in the top eight come finals time.
Paul McGregor’s men have struggled to find any sort of attacking rhythm this season with their defence playing a large role in the majority of their wins.
With the questions surrounding their ability to score points growing by the week, their experienced halves duo of Gareth Widdop and Benji Marshall have struggled to find anything close to their best form.
A gritty and determined outfit, expect the Dragons to keep pushing hard while the carrot of finals is dangling in front of them.
For the 2015 runners-up the Brisbane Broncos, 2016 got off to a strong start and up until the Origin break they looked a very serious contender to avenge their grand final loss from last year in this year’s decider.
But things have gone awry for Wayne Bennett’s men as injuries, suspension and poor performances have seen them slip out of the top four.
Known previously for their ruthless defence, the Broncos have conceded a number of large scores in the last few months and this has seen doubts over their premiership credentials growing.
With a crucial double chance still a possibility for the Broncos, expect them to be desperate in all aspects of the game as they strive for a much-needed win.
In team news this week the Dragons will be without two of their talented big men Joel Thompson and Tyson Frizell.
Brisbane fans will be relieved to see the return of Queensland forwards Josh McGuire, Sam Thaiday, and Matt Gillett in a major boost to their forward pack.
Either way a struggling team will get a much-needed win this week and this will be critical with big stakes on the line in the context of the season.
If the Dragons are to find a way to score points then this week could be their best chance against a Broncos defence that has been poor the past few months.
While on the flip side, the Broncos welcome back some key players that will add experience to their defensive line and at the other end they will be able to give Anthony Milford and Ben Hunt a platform to work from.
Prediction
Although they are in a form slump at the moment, this will be the week that the Broncos find some confidence, especially against a Dragons side minus Tyson Frizell.
Broncos by 12 points.
Can the Dragons get a much-needed win or will the Broncos keep their top four hopes alive? Join us on The Roar from 7:50pm (AEST) Monday night to find out.
Marshall
Guest
Yes
Long Black
Roar Rookie
Is it still a completed set when your half kicks it on the second or third tackle?
Alex L
Roar Rookie
Nobody needs to see Shark Park.
Alex L
Roar Rookie
Or maybe just Bellamy stopped, hard to tell...
Jay C
Roar Guru
Gee that's a good completion rate from the Broncos in those conditions.
jamesb
Guest
Mary started coaching Widdop. That's what's happened.
JVGO
Guest
Two Dragons games in a week? Geez even Dragons fans would rather watch the Sharks or Canberra surely.
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
What has happened to Widdop? I was a big fan of his but he has really dropped away.
Widget
Roar Guru
You are spot on. They just lacked decisiveness on the last tackle all game.
Widget
Roar Guru
You are exactly right, either the halves have to go or the coach has to go.
Widget
Roar Guru
MATCH SUMMARY ST. GEORGE-ILLAWARRA DRAGONS 8 DEF. BY BRISBANE BRONCOS 12 The Brisbane Broncos have kept their slim top four hopes alive with a hard fought four-point win over the St. George-Illawarra Dragons at WIN Stadium. After controlling the contest for the majority of the game, the Broncos had to hold off a late run by the Dragons to seal a much needed win. In tough conditions both sides went set for set in a bid to force the other team into an error. The scoring got underway with a penalty goal to both sides with try scoring looking to be a tough proposition. The Broncos eventually scored the first try when Sam Thaiday got on the end of a Anthony Milford grubber in the 23rd minute to score. With a lot of pressure on their shoulders, the Broncos halves Ben Hunt and Anthony Milford put on a kicking masterclass in the first half to force a number of repeat sets. After controlling the majority of the half, Brisbane went into the break with a crucial six-point lead in the wet and windy conditions. As expected, the second half played out just like the first as the two teams battled to gain any sort of ascendancy. The Broncos eventually broke the deadlock in the 60th minute when Lachlan Maranta scored in the right corner to open up a 10-point lead. Just when it looked as if Brisbane were going to run out the clock, the Dragons found a spark out of nowhere and began peppering the Broncos line. After lacking direction on their final tackle plays all night, the Dragons managed to score a try when Benji Marshall put up a kick that Gareth Widdop got on the end of to score and he made no mistake with the conversion to reduce the lead to just four points with 15 minutes left. Despite the best efforts of Jack de Belin, Adam Quinlan and Euan Aitken who ran hard for the Dragons all game, they couldn't find a way to score another try and the Broncos held on for a tight win. The win keeps the Broncos slim hopes for a top four finish alive, while the Dragons chances of playing finals have been made a lot tougher with this loss. This one was a tough slog of a game so there weren't too many individual standouts. We have picked our vote getters. Sam Thaiday was enormous for the Brisbane Broncos on his return to the side as his 192 metres, 29 tackles and one try played a huge role in the Broncos win. It wasn't a night suited for attacking play from the outside backs but Lachlan Maranta had a great game for Brisbane with 139 metres, two line breaks and a try. In a side that struggled for direction in attack, Euan Aitken was shining light for the Dragons as he tried all night long and ended up with 216 metres and 13 tackles. Votes: 3 Sam Thaiday 2 Lachlan Maranta 1 Euan Aitken
jamesb
Guest
Maybe it's time to put Mann in the halves. Or Mary gets the flick. Something's gotta give. Love my team, but geez, we are helping insomniacs.
celtic bandaid
Guest
Agree but Saints should've got a penalty on the play before. The player was clearly tackled before had the ball. Don't tell me refs aren't afraid of making crucial calls in tight games.
Widget
Roar Guru
A big play buy Darius but a poor kick chase by the Dragons
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
The Dragons have the unique ability in modern rugby league to make it rain.
Widget
Roar Guru
Its hard to see either of them as a valid option for the future
redden white eye
Guest
What the hell was marshall doing on the last tackle! His decision making was crap all night.. Really think he needs to consider retirement. His passing and kicking game is non existant. Sure we scored try off his bomb, but I reckon it was a miskick! He really is a frustrating player to wtach at the moment.
Widget
Roar Guru
So the Broncos come away with a crucial win after a bit of a nervous finish there. They looked the better side all night, but out of no where the Dragons came home hard and fast but couldn't quite get that last try. For the Broncos their returning forwards Thaiday, Gillett and McGuire ere all great with plenty of metres, while for the Dragons they had plenty of solid contributors including Packer, Aitken and Quinlan. Stat Leaders: Most Running Metres Euan Aitken 216 Most Tackles Jack de Belin 55 Most Line Breaks Lachlan Maranta 2 Team Stats Completion rate Dragons 77%-90% Broncos Errors Dragons 11-5 Broncos What did you think of that game? Where was it won and lost? Who would you give the votes to? Thanks for joining me on the coverage tonight. Stay tuned for my match summary and votes.
Eden
Guest
I don't know how much would change but I would think Widdop is much more a 7 and Marshall a 6. Benji was impotent tonight and saw too much ball
Kowalski
Guest
What an ugly game that was.