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St George Illawarra’s premiership ambitions are in tatters after captain Gareth Widdop suffered a shoulder injury in a shock 40-4 mauling by lowly Parramatta.
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Final score
Parramatta Eels 40
St George Illawarra 4
The Parramatta Eels will look to heap more misery on the struggling St Geroge Illawarra Dragons, who need to turn around their ailing form line ahead of the finals. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 7:30pm (AEST).
There can be no question about the Dragons struggles in recent weeks. With the pressure continuing to grow on Paul McGregor’s men, their easy run to the finals could allow them to finish in the top four and gain some confidence back.
While it looks easy on the surface though, they haven’t been able to beat a wet lettuce leaf in the last couple of months, with a loss to the Penrith Panthers in Round 12 starting their downward spiral.
Even if the Red V came through with three straight wins after that, they have now lost four of their last five, with last week’s loss at home to the Warriors particularly worrying.
It appears as if they have no Plan B when things go wrong, and after spending the second half camped on the Warriors line, they still only managed to score 12 points for the game.
It was a poor performance in front of their faithful, and while they are hanging onto a spot in the top four at the moment, that’s in grave danger if they can’t find a way to win this weekend.
To turn things around, the Dragons must play more direct, stop running sideways and find a way to work Ben Hunt back into confidence.
While the Dragons have been struggling, they are in a much better spot than the Eels, who are still in a struggle to try and avoid the wooden spoon.
It’s been the season from hell for the blue and gold. They came into it with high aspirations – a top-four finish and grand final appearance was the dream, but instead, they find themselves at the wrong end of the ladder.
In saying that, they have been a heap better in the last three weeks, winning two of those games. Victories over the Bulldogs and Eels have elevated them away from the bottom of the table, while they almost overcame South Sydney in between.
There is little to say about the Eels, but their willingness to commit on defence has improved out of sight in the last month, and if they can keep that up, the Dragons attack, already down on confident, may find yet more ways to shoot itself in the foot.
Prediction
While the Eels have improved, there is no other option for the Dragons. They simply must win this game or serious questions will start to be asked.
Dragons by 6.
Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of this Round 22 contest from 7:30pm (AEST) and don’t forget to add a comment in the section below.