Match Centre

Country v City: 2017 Country v City preview

Witness history as Country and City battle for one final time.

After 106 years, Sunday's match at Mudgee will be the final instalment of a concept which has unfortunately became an embarrassment in recent years, with Brad Fittler struggling to even name 17 players for this weekend's clash. This is proven by the squad named by Fittler on Monday, which included fringe first-graders such as Hame Sele, Pauli Pauli and Jake Marketo, reflecting the critical attitude of many NRL coaches towards the fixture. Luckily for Fittler, Penrith coach Anthony Griffin was more lenient with releasing his players, with five Panthers chosen for the City side (Matt Moylan, Tyrone Peachey, Bryce Cartwright, Nathan Cleary and James Tamou). Peachey and Moylan are part of an exciting back five for city, including Clinton Gutherson, Nathan Ross and Josh Addo-Carr.

Meanwhile, Country coach Craig Fitzgibbon has named a strong line-up, with his forward pack in particular looking threatening. In-form Dragons teammates Paul Vaughan and Jack de Belin will be looking to impress NSW Origin Coach Laurie Daley, with the pair touted as possibilities of earning their debuts in the Origin arena. They are joined by Dale Finucane, Mitchell Aubusson and Kyle Turner up front. Titan Tyrone Roberts is recalled to the squad for the first time since 2014, rewarded for his stellar form in an injury-riddled Gold Coast side.

Last meeting: Country v City 2016 - Country 30 City 44

In a high-scoring clash, City downed Country 44-30 in last year's game at Tamworth.

Who to watch: His chances of claiming a spot in the halves for the Blues this year may be slim, yet Cody Walker has been one of the form players in the NRL this year. Walker is second for try assists with ten and leads the competition for line breaks with eleven, proving that his speed and creativity could be a real threat on Sunday afternoon.

For City, hooker Cameron McInnes has enjoyed an impressive start to his new life at the Dragons. McInnes has proven a rock in defence for the St. George side, averaging a tackle efficiency rate of 97%. However, McInnes' input is not just limited to this aspect of the game, rather he has also improved significantly in attack in 2017, with four try assists already this season compared to the one he managed in 21 games last year with the Rabbitohs.

The favourite: Country are slight favourites for the victory.

My tip: Country's advantage up front should see them claim victory in the final game between the two sides. Country by 10.