Round 12: Wests Tigers v St Geo Illa preview
Meeting on the land of the Burramattagal people, Friday night football will see the Wests Tigers playing host to the St George Illawarra Dragons at Bankwest Stadium.
The Wests Tigers come into the contest sitting down in 14th position after a disappointing season to date with just three wins to date from their first 11 matches. The Tigers last weekend were just seconds away from snatching victory against the New Zealand Warriors as they fell to a 30-26 defeat in Gosford.
The Tigers were able to start fast last weekend against the Warriors but had to quickly play catch-up football when the Warriors began to grow their momentum and take an 18-10 lead out to the half time break. The Tigers had a twenty-minute period where they were able to play with an extra man but their play struggled to add points as they were only able to add two penalty goals which would be of added concern to the fans and coaching stuff who are already asking plenty of questions about the attack. A 78th minute try to James Tamou gave the Tigers a chance to win the game but the last play ended up with the touch judge and the Warriors held onto the victory.
The Tigers welcome back James Roberts into their side on the wing after suffering a pectoral injury with Tommy Talau moving into the centres. Joey Leilua is dropped from the 21-man squad as result. The other change for the Tigers is that Jake Simpkin drops to the reserves with Tom Amone added to the 17.
Having only won 1 of their past 6 matches, the St George Illawarra Dragons are looking to put their season back on track although defeat for the Dragons could see them slip outside of the NRL top 8 altogether. The Dragons last weekend were extremely undermanned through injury and suspension as they fell to a 13-12 Golden Point defeat to the Cronulla Sharks.
The Red ‘V' were up against as their side was already depleted through injury and suspension but further injuries during their game made their task much tougher in a game that wasn't the highest standard through the 80 minutes. The Dragons were matching it with the Sharks for the full 80 minutes but they needed a 75th minute penalty goal to level the scores after Teig Wilton was penalised for a crusher tackle. The Red ‘V' were able to get into field goal position prior to the end of the 80 minutes but a wayward shot from Corey Norman saw the game go into golden point. The Dragons weren't able to get a shot away in golden point but the Sharks were able to and sealed the victory.
The Dragons have lost Josh Kerr through suspension and Max Feagai through injury with former Warrior Gerard Beale making his return to the NRL whilst Brayden Williame is also named on the wing. Paul Vaughan moves to prop whilst Tariq Sims comes into the second row.
Last meeting: Round 8 2021 - Dragons 8 Wests Tigers 16
Who to watch: Playing a key part of the Tigers attack, Luke Brooks comes under immense pressure and yet again how he performs is key to whether the Tigers can manage to earn victory. Brooks has been poor this season and many people are questioning whether he is NRL standard anymore and a bad game against the Dragons could seal his fate.
Corey Norman will be a key player for the Dragons after performing well in recent games despite the Dragons losing streak. Norman's attack has potential to upset the Tigers defence and if they aren't awake then Norman could be very dangerous. The Red ‘V' will need Norman at his best if they want to get past the Tigers.
The favourite: The Tigers have been installed as favourites for the contest.
My tip: This is a game that could go in any direction with how these two teams play Rugby League and we could be the better for it or absolutely worse for it. The Tigers were good against the Warriors last weekend and if they can put an 80-minute performance together they can win this game easily. The Dragons could also win the contest if they go to their best football but they have been out of form and they were pretty average against a bad Sharks side. Tigers should have enough to take victory. Wests Tigers by 6.
