Round 7: Dragons v Warriors preview
The Dragons will be shooting for back-to-back wins for the first time since the end of the 2022 season when they host the Warriors at WIN Stadium on Friday night.
As is the case with many teams in the early stages of this year, it is hard to get a read on just how good the Dragons could be this year, following up wins with heavy defeats.
In fact, Shane Flanagan's side have lost three games this year with all coming by 20 points or more.
In other words, there is just far too much of a gap between their best and worst.
The Dragons sent a reminder of what they are capable of when switched on for the entire 80 minutes when they claimed a relatively comfortable 24-12 win over the Tigers last Sunday.
That victory did come at a cost, with Jack Bird (head knock) sidelined for this week's game, seeing Zac Lomax move to the centres after a standout few weeks on the wing.
It sees Christian Tuipulotu named to make his club debut on the wing.
Elsewhere, the Warriors are now undefeated since dropping their first two games of the season to the Storm and Sharks.
Last year's preliminary finalists played out the first draw of the 2024 season in a 22-all stalemate against the Sea Eagles which was soured by a hamstring injury to Jazz Tevaga.
He is not available for selection this week, with Adam Pompey joining the interchange bench in his place.
Both teams will have added motivation ahead of Friday night's game, with Mitch Barnett playing his 150th NRL game while Lomax hits the century mark.
Last meeting: Round 26 2023 - Warriors 18 Dragons 6
Who to watch: The battle of the centres shapes as a particularly entertaining one, starting with Lomax, who shifts to the centres to cover for Bird this week. Lomax continued his strong start to 2024 by stuffing the stats sheet again last week against the Tigers, scoring another try to go with 131 metres, a try assist, linebreak and three offloads.
Moving closer to the action on Friday, Eels fans will get a glimpse into the future after the club confirmed Lomax's signature for beyond the 2025 season. The Warriors have been one of the better defensive units in 2024 and a player like Lomax, with his freakish offloading ability, could be the best bet of creating try-scoring opportunities.
Elsewhere, he may not be making headlines like Lomax but Rocco Berry has to be one of the most improved players in the NRL.
Berry had already taken a step last year but he has carried it into 2024 too, making better decisions in defence while providing consistent metres to help ease the workload on the Warriors' forward pack. Berry is averaging a career-high 82 metres this year to go with 12 total tackle busts and a try.
Favourite: The Warriors are well-backed to claim Friday's game.
My tip: Both teams have similar records to open the 2024 season but the Warriors have performed at a pretty consistent level, with both of their losses to the Sharks and Storm coming in tight contests. They are simply easier to trust to perform at a high level based off their performances so far and what they showed last season too. Warriors by 14.
