NRL TEAMS - 2024 Round 4
3 days ago | LeagueUnlimited Media
St. George Illawarra Dragons v Penrith Panthers
WIN Stadium - Thursday 7:45pm
Can the Dragons regain their fire against the lowly Panthers?
Having been blown off the park by the ladder leading Broncos last Friday at Suncorp Stadium, the Dragons will be looking for a change of fortune as they return to Wollongong. Boosted immensely by the return of Benji Marshall at halfback, the joint venture will be hoping the former Premiership and World Cup winning playmaker can provide an attacking spark severely absent last week. Among the other changes from the side beaten 32-6 in Brisbane, Dylan Farrell returns on the wing, while Jake Marketo comes back onto the bench in place of former Titans prop Mark Ioane. Currently ahead of Manly on for-and-against, the Dragons will need to keep their distances from the Sea Eagles if they are to return to finals football for the first time since 2011.
Producing their first win since Round 17 last week over the free-falling Warriors, Penrith will be looking to finish 2015 off with a bang. While the Panthers are sitting in 11th place at the moment, they are still a chance of mathematically finishing the season with the dreaded wooden spoon, as only two points separate them from the bottom three teams. In the only change from last week, Isaac John comes back into the squad, allowing Tyrone Peachey to shift back into the forwards in place of the newly retired Nigel Plum. In recent seasons the Panthers have struck a run of form over the Dragons, successfully coming away with the two points on five occasions dating back to 2012.
Last meeting: Round 22 2014 - St. George Illawarra Dragons 4 Penrith Panthers 16
Who to watch: In the absence of his regular halves partner last week, Gareth Widdop was forced to carry the burden of being of being the chief playmaker; so with Benji Marshall back from injury expect the English international to make a mark against the Panthers. Since departing Melbourne at the end of 2013, Widdop has developed into one of the NRL's most-improved playmakers with a mixture of ball playing finesse, as well as retaining the pace from his origins as a fullback. With so much to play for, look for the Dragons five-eighth to make a mark on the match.
Seemingly destined to finish his career in NSW Cup at the start of 2015, David Simmons has worked his way back into coach Ivan Cleary's top 17 with a string of polished performances. Likely to retire at the end of the season, Simmons will be for a strong finish at the Panthers and will have intentions of replicating his match-winning against the same opposition five years ago.
The favourite: Despite their poor performance against Brisbane last week, the home ground advantage, return of Benji Marshall and overall stakes of the match sees the Dragons favoured to come away with the two points.
My tip: While it may seem as though the Panthers have underachieved this year, the opportunity to give younger players experience in the top grade looks set to reap long-term benefits. It may seem strange considering how little they have to play for, but I've liked what I've seen from the Mountain Men all year. Panthers by 7.
1. Josh Dugan 2. Dylan Farrell 3. Euan Aitken 4. Peter Mata'utia 5. Justin Hunt 6. Gareth Widdop 7. Benji Marshall 8. Leeson Ah Mau 9. Mitch Rein 10. Mike Cooper 11. Tyson Frizell 12. Joel Thompson 13. Trent Merrin
Interchange: 14. Craig Garvey 15. Ben Creagh 16. Jake Marketo 17. Jack de Belin 20. Mark Ioane
1. William Smith 2. Josh Mansour 3. Lewis Brown 4. Isaah Yeo 5. David Simmons 6. Isaac John 7. Jamie Soward 8. Sam McKendry 9. Apisai Koroisau 10. Regan Campbell-Gillard 11. Bryce Cartwright 12. Tyrone Peachey 13. Elijah Taylor
Interchange: 14. James Segeyaro 15. Jeremy Latimore 16. Leilani Latu 17. Tupou Sopoaga 18. Waqa Blake 19. Sika Manu
Referees: Ashley Klein, Alan Shortall; Sideline Officials: Steve Carrall, Kasey Badger; Video Referees: Steve Chiddy, Henry Perenara;