Round 23: Dragons v Bulldogs preview
Suburban sell out as finals race hots up
St George Illawarra fans have voted with their feet and sold out Kogarah Oval ahead of their crunch match with the Canterbury Bulldogs this Saturday in a match that could decide the Dally M Coach of the Year..
After the amazing scenes at Belmore last Sunday, the Dragons faithful have gotten the message and are getting behind their team as they look to break 20,000 at Kogarah for the first time since 2009. The Dragons have been a hit and miss side this season for mine, in one breath they are beating Penrith in Penrith and Melbourne in Melbourne (breaking a 25 year drought to do so). Then in the next, they are conceding 100 points in two games to the Roosters and losing to a Manly side who had no fresh reserves for 50 minutes. Shane Flanagan knows how to fight and put his team in the position to win, against Canterbury, that appears easier said than done.
If there's any team that have been more tenacious than the Dragons, it's the Bulldogs as they have been a top five defensive team in the competition. St George Illawarra will need to create second phase to get past the Dogs and utilise Ben Hunt's kicking game. Canterbury have conceded several tries from kicks this season and with Hunt guiding the show, that's a platform for the Dragons to take advantage of. They will also need to limit the work of the back three coming out of their own end as well as match the intensity of the Bulldogs bench, which has been a distinct point of difference in recent matches. They have named the same side for this clash.
For the Dogs, they are on track in a big way. They also haven't ruled out a top four charge, given the Sharks' injury run at the moment, there's every chance they can sneak in. Cam Ciraldo's culture of defence from Penrith is finally sinking in, the experience of guys like Stephen Crichton among others is guiding a relatively young team all the way to the top. Critta has been the right choice as captain, further driving Ciraldo's standards on the field and you can see the impact he has within the playing group.
To beat the Dragons, sustained possession has proven to be a problem for the Dragons. If we go back to Indigenous Round, the Bulldogs ran away with it in the second half as St George simply had no answer to a wave of Canterbury attack. This time around, Burton and Sexton's halves combination has only gotten stronger and expect the Dogs to be biting with fire. Their pack will need to lift to, with Max King still sidelined, Josh Curran's effort needs to lift despite playing busted these last few weeks. Curran was named again this week in a settled 1-17 lineup.
Last meeting: Round 12 2024 - Bulldogs 44 Dragons 12
Who to watch: All eyes go back onto Tyrell Sloan. After being dropped to the NSW Cup a few weeks ago. Sloan came back with a bang and produced one of his proudest efforts in the top grade. He was everywhere and very physical against Melbourne. The challenge now for Sloan is to do this week in and week out, if he can continue building the platform he set himself last week, then there's no reason for the Dragons not to win.
Canterbury's improved attack has come since Connor Tracey has been given the green light to roam. The steady hands of Tracey at the back has been a joy to watch this season, in sixteen matches he has 6 tries, 10 try-assists and 8 line-break assists. He is going searching for the ball and is a key clog to the Bulldogs attack. So, expect Tracey to deliver on Saturday night.
FAVOURITE: Canterbury have the backing of the bookmakers.
MY TIP: y experience quite like the one we will witness on Saturday night. However, I just have a feeling Canterbury will ambush the living daylights out of the Dragons on their home turf with all to play for. Bulldogs by 8.
