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Brisbane Broncos v St. George Illawarra Dragons
Suncorp Stadium - Friday 7:45pm
Battle of the heavyweights as Finals loom
Two clubs with a rich history and premiership aspirations do battle in the pressure cooker that is Suncorp stadium on Friday night. Both sides will be eager to gt the 2 points. Brisbane have dropped the last 2 and haven't looked quite as dominant as they were earlier in the season. Fatigue has certainly played a part and it will be interesting to see whether this will hinder the Broncos run to the finals series. No fresh changes for Brisbane who have had a week to get ready for this clash.
The Dragons have shot themselves back into the race for the Premiership and a Finals berth with 2 big wins in the past fortnight. After putting 46 points past the Knights at Kogarah in Round 21, they followed this up by dismantling a woeful Warriors outfit 36-0, showcasing their attacking intent and showing steel in defence by holding the Warriors to zero.
Benji Marshall is under a big injury cloud with a hamstring strain (although has been named), Will Matthews is out with a dislocated shoulder. Jason Nightingale is still not right and with fellow winger Dylan Farrell still out with a troublesome back there are issues all over the Dragons backline. Nathan Green has been called up on to the wing and Justin Hunt keeps his spot on the other wing. Jack Debelin drops back to the bench and captain Ben Creagh starts at prop.
Last meeting: Round 7 2015 - St. George Illawarra Dragons 12 Brisbane Broncos 10
The Dragons defence got them a hard earned victory earlier in the season in a result that Brisbane will want to reverse come Friday night. Before that loss Brisbane had won the previous 8 in a row against the Red V. At Brisbane it is poor reading for the Dragons, who haven't won a game there since 2009 when Wayne Bennett was at the helm of the Dragons. The interesting thing between these two clubs is that before the 5 match winless streak at Suncorp stadium for the Dragons, they had won the previous 5 games before that up in Brisbane. Will the tide turn again?
Who to watch: For the Broncos, their forward pack hasn't been as effective as earlier in the season. I will be looking for a branstorming effort from Sam Thaiday. Look for his damaging runs on the edges/fringes of the ruck at the Dragons centres and wingers. If Slammin Sam can isolate smaller defenders he will get the Broncos moving forward over the advantage line and give them good field position which is what they have lacked in previous weeks.
For the Dragons young centre Euan Aitken deserves a massive wrap. In just his first NRL season Aitken has been a breath of fresh air in the Dragons backline. A strong defender, Aitken is average over 20 tackles a game and rarely has a game where he doesn't make 100 metres. His vision and pace to set up Peter Mata'utai for a try last week was reminiscent of a young Jamie Lyon. If Aitken can get into space he will cause headaches for the Brisbane defence. Looking forward to his matchup with another young gun in Dale Copley, will be a cracking affair
The favourite: Despite losing their last two games, the Broncos are favourites in this clash up in Brisbane.
My tip: It's hard to tip against Brisbane here. Their form has dipped slightly but they are always up for a game against rivals St George Illawarra. They have a commanding record at home against the Red V and think they will bounce back. Dragons will need to play at a extremely high level to win, and if Benji is out then I don't think the Dragons can get the win.
Regardless, this will be an excellent game. Broncos by 10.
1. Darius Boyd 2. Lachlan Maranta 3. Jack Reed 4. Dale Copley 5. Jordan Kahu 6. Anthony Milford 7. Ben Hunt 8. Sam Thaiday 9. Andrew McCullough 10. Adam Blair 11. Alex Glenn 12. Matt Gillett 13. Corey Parker
Interchange: 14. Jarrod Wallace 15. Mitchell Dodds 16. Jo Ofanhengaue 17. Kodi Nikorima
1. Josh Dugan 2. Nathan Green 3. Euan Aitken 4. Peter Mata'utia 5. Justin Hunt 6. Gareth Widdop 7. Benji Marshall 8. Leeson Ah Mau 9. Mitch Rein 10. Ben Creagh 11. Tyson Frizell 12. Joel Thompson 13. Mike Cooper
Interchange: 14. Craig Garvey 15. Trent Merrin 16. Jake Marketo 17. Jack de Belin 20. Mark Ioane 24. Eto Nabuli
Referees: Jared Maxwell, Gavin Morris; Sideline Officials: Jason Walsh, Michael Wise; Video Referees: Steve Chiddy, Ben Galea;