St George Illawarra Dragons vs Canterbury Bulldogs: NRL live scores, blog

Roar Guru

26th August, 2018

Kickoff: 4:10pm (AEST)
Venue: UOW Jubilee Oval, Sydney
TV: Live, Nine Network and Fox League
Last meeting: Dragons defeated Bulldogs 18-16 (Round 14, 2018)
Head-to-head: 35 played – Dragons 12, Bulldogs 23

St George Illawarra Dragons
1. Matthew Dufty, 2. Nene Macdonald, 3. Euan Aitken, 4. Timoteo Lafai, 5. Jason Nightingale, 6. Kurt Mann, 7. Ben Hunt, 8. James Graham, 9. Cameron McInnes, 10. Leeson Ah Mau, 11. Tyson Frizell, 12. Tariq Sims, 13. Jack de Belin
Interchange: 14. Jeremy Latimore, 15. Jordan Pereira, 16. Blake Lawrie, 17. Luciano Leilua
Reserves: 18. Zac Lomax, 19. Jai Field, 20. Paul Vaughan, 21. Jacob Host

Canterbury Bulldogs
1. Will Hopoate, 2. Brett Morris, 3. Josh Morris, 4. Kerrod Holland, 5. Reimis Smith, 6. Lachlan Lewis, 7. Matt Frawley, 8. Aiden Tolman, 9. Michael Lichaa, 10. David Klemmer, 11. Josh Jackson, 12. Rhyse Martin, 13. Adam Elliott
Interchange: 14. Jeremy Marshall-King, 15. Danny Fualalo, 16. Ofahiki Ogden, 17. Greg Eastwood
Reserves: 19. Francis Tualau, 20. Fa'amanu Brown, 21. Renouf To'omaga, 23. John Olive

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James Graham (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Riley Pettigrew

Roar Guru

26th August, 2018

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Match result:

St George Illawarra slumped to their lowest ebb in 68 years of top-flight rugby league at Kogarah, flogged 38-0 by arch-rivals Canterbury and with their season in tatters.

» Click here to read the full match report

Final score
St George Illawarra Dragons 0
Canterbury Bulldogs 38

Match preview:

The St George Illawarra Dragons are continuing their fight to secure a spot in the top four against the in-form Canterbury Bulldogs. Join The Roar from 4:10pm (AEST) for live coverage of the match.

Kurt Mann and Jai Field stepped up to the task last week in the absence of Gareth Widdop to deliver an impressive 20-10 victory over the Wests Tigers, following three successive losses.

Ben Hunt has huge expectations to live up to, with Paul McGregor’s men needing the direction they so desperately lack without Widdop.

Hunt will also be looking to his forwards to lay the platform against a big Dogs pack, with State of Origin representatives Tyson Frizell, Tariq Sims and Jack de Belin asked to put in 80-minute performances in the absence of Paul Vaughan.

Jason Nightingale will start on the wing, in his final game at Jubilee Oval, with Jordan Pereira dropped to the bench. He is joined there by Luciano Leilua, while Leeson Ah Mau starts at prop and Frizell returns to the back row.

The Bulldogs again have Matt Frawley starting at halfback, keeping Jeremy Marshall-King on the bench.

Five-eighth Lachlan Lewis proved the difference last weekend, kicking the match-winning field goal to secure a 27-26 victory over the Warriors.

With their forward rotation of Aiden Tolman, David Klemmer, Josh Jackson, Rhyse Martin and Adam Elliott, Canterbury can challenge the best in the competition, as shown by recent wins over the likes of the Tigers and Broncos.

The biggest test will come on the left flank, where Brett and Josh Morris have struggled in recent weeks, conceding a handful of tries against the Warriors.

The Red V have traditionally struggled against the Bulldogs, winning only 12 games as a joint venture in 35 fixtures.

Prediction
The Dragons will escape with a narrow win that will put them closer to a top-four finish.

Dragons by 4.

Join The Roar from 4:10pm (AEST) for score updates and debate in our live blog.

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