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The Dragons have won the season opener, belting the Broncos by 22 points at Kogarah.
Final score
St George Illawarra Dragons 34
Brisbane Broncos 12
» Read the full match report here
It’s back! The 2018 NRL season kicks off at the spiritual home of the St George Illawarra Dragons where they take on the Brisbane Broncos. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 8:05pm (AEDT).
The hosts come into the game with a new-look spine. Former Broncos half Ben Hunt being at the club means Gareth Widdop will have an established No.7 next to him for the first time since he played with Benji Marshall.
On the flipside, Josh Dugan has left the club, to be replaced at the back by young gun Matt Dufty. The exciting Cameron McInnes will line up at hooker again.
Up front, former Bulldogs captain James Graham joins Paul Vaughan in what should be a damaging combination, while Tariq Sims will get a chance to start on the edge with Joel Thompson now at Manly.
The Red V are strong across the park, but they need to start as they did last year, playing with freedom, rather than how they finished the season – unable to score.
In 2017, the Broncos finished third on the ladder without ever really getting out of first gear, but were beaten badly by the all-conquering Storm in the preliminary finals.
As mentioned, they’ve lost Hunt, but this breeds opportunity for Kodi Nikorima, while the established Anthony Milford will be expected to lead the side.
Darius Boyd again starts at the back, but the hooking conundrum is up in the air. Andrew McCullough injured his ACL at the end of last season and was thought to be in a race against time to be fit for Round 1. While he has been named by Wayne Bennett, there is speculation he may not play.
I’ve talked about it before, but the wheels fell of Brisbane when the hooker was injured last year.
Their forward pack is roughly the same, although Adam Blair is replaced by the controversial addition of Matt Lodge.
This rivalry dates back to 1992 and 1993, when the Broncos beat the then St George Dragons in two straight grand finals, with the clubs fighting it out ever since.
Interestingly, the Broncos have only ever played twice at Kogarah, losing both of those games.
Prediction
This tip is based on nothing more than that I took the Panthers to beat the Dragons in the first round last year and the Dragons put 40 on them. If I had to give another reason, Hunt and Widdop should combine nicely, while McCullough will take some time to find his feet returning from injury.
It should be a cracker either way.
Dragons by 4.
Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of the NRL season opener from 8:05pm (AEDT) and don’t forget to add a comment in the section below.