Round 27: Dragons v Knights preview
Misery meets momentum at Kogarah
The St George Illawarra Dragons will be looking to halt the momentum of the high-flying Newcastle Knights at Netstrata Jubilee Oval on Saturday evening.
Returning to the spiritual home of the Red V for the last time in 2023, the St George Illawarra Dragons will be hoping for a positive finish to a miserable season that has yielded a club worst return of five wins.
Suffering an 18-6 loss to the Warriors in Auckland last Friday, Ryan Carr, in his final appearance as interim coach, will welcome back Mat Feagai and Jack de Belin from injury and suspension respectively with Michael Molo taking the place of Zane Musgrove on the bench.
In the face of the biggest mismatch of the final round, the Dragons will be looking to history for encouragement with the joint venture boasting a nice 69% success rate against the Knights with 29 wins from 42 meetings since 1999.
Unable to move above their current position of 16th, but unlikely to claim the wooden spoon barring a mathematical improbability requiring a heavy loss and the Tigers producing an emphatic win, the Dragons have performed strongly at Kogarah with three wins from four previous appearances this season.
Going from 14th at the end of June to securing a home final off the back of eight straight wins, the Newcastle Knights will be looking to head into September as the form team of the premiership.
Posting five second half tries to run out 32-6 winners over the Sharks at home last Sunday, coach Adam O'Brien has opted to rest several of his stars with Lachlan Miller, Enari Tuala, Brodie Jones and debutant Riley Jones coming in for Kalyn Ponga, Dane Gaga, Tyson Frizell and Phoenix Crossland.
Winning four out of 14 visits to Kogarah over the past three decades, the Knights last prevailed at the venue when Adam MacDougall had the last laugh over Wendell Sailor in 2009.
Currently sitting in fifth position with a home ground advantage locked in for week one of the finals, the Knights are unable to move above their current standing with a win but will drop to sixth with a loss.
Last meeting: Round 6 2022 - Dragons 21 Knights 16
Who to watch: If not for success in the representative arena, 2023 would rate as the year that brought Ben Hunt the least joy as a professional footballer. Enduring an acrimonious fallout with club management following the mid-season dismissal of coach Anthony Griffin, the Dragons captain has been let down by a subpar pack and a backline that has underperformed given the talent on hand. Managing to produce 19 try assists, 11 forced drop out and seven tries in the face of adversity at club level, Hunt will be hoping to end what may prove to be his final game for the club on a positive note.
Going from a second-string playmaker to a first grade quality five-eighth over the course of the season, Tyson Gamble looms as a key figure in the Knights' bid to go nine-in-a-row. Scoring six tries, setting up a further six and nailing a field goal in 21 appearances this season, the 27-year-old Queenslander has flourished after earning an extended run in the top grade. Set to carry additional responsibility with Kalyn Ponga and Jackson Hastings sitting on the sidelines, a strong performance from Gamble will be the perfect springboard for bigger things to come when 17 becomes eight next weekend.
Favourite: The Knights are expected to equal a club record of nine straight wins in a single season despite the absence of several stars.
My tip: With their first home final in 17 years in the offing next weekend, the Knights will be focused on the job at hand but cognisant of bigger things to come. Knights by 12.
