St George Illawarra v Brisbane preview

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St George Illawarra Dragons v Brisbane Broncos Thursday 7:50pm at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, Carlton / Bidjigal

Dragons regain troops, Broncos name debutant in Origin effected matchup

After such a promising start to the year, the Dragons have lost 6 of their last 7 games, however they are still somehow clinging to a top 8 spot on for and against. 

The Broncos sparked some hope within their fans after a blowout upset win against the Roosters two weeks ago, however it all came crashing back down to earth last week as they were unable to compete with a Storm side missing a host of regular starters. 

It means that while this matchup may not be of the best quality, it will feature two teams desperate to get a win and their season back on track and increasing the potential for a close and exciting game of footy. 

In team news, the Dragons receive a huge boost by welcoming back electric fullback Matt Dufty. His inclusion will see Cody Ramsey move back to the wing and Brayden Wiliame into the centres, while in a somewhat bizarre decision, Jack Bird has been named in the second row to cover for Tariq Sims, who was selected for origin. Mikaele Ravalawa returns from suspension, which sees Jordan Pereira drop out of the side. Josh Kerr moves into the back row to cover for the suspended Billy Burns, while Jack De Belin will make his return from the interchange bench. 

For the Broncos, Selwyn Cobbo has been named to make his debut on the wing in place of Xavier Coates, who will be playing for Queensland on Wednesday night. Tyson Gamble returns from suspension forcing Anthony Milford out of the team, while Matt Lodge is also returning from a stint on the sidelines and is a direct swap for Payne Haas, who has been named for NSW. Alex Glenn's return from injury pushes Keenan Palasia to the bench and Dale Copley to the reserves. 

The decline of the Dragons defence is one of the more confusing things to happen in 2021. After 5 rounds, they had conceded an average of under 3 converted tries per week and were sitting pretty in the top 4 and looked to be the surprise packets of the competition. Over the last 7 weeks, they have looked exactly like the team many thought they'd be prior to the commencement of the season. It remains a mystery which Dragons team will show up on Thursday, but one thing remains certain: they desperately need to get their defence in order if they are to maintain touch with the top 8. 

Last meeting: Round 15 2020 - Broncos 24 Dragons 28

Who to watch: The importance of Matt Dufty to the Dragons attack cannot be understated. So far in 2021, he's played 10 games and scored 8 tries and created a further 5, however it is perhaps in his absence that he has proved to be a vital cog in the Dragons ability to score points. In Round 10 against the Storm, the Dragons were within 4 points of taking the lead, with all of their points coming because of Dufty. He then went off injured in the second half and the Dragons struggled, only scoring 1 more try that came against the run of play. Against the Broncos - who have conceded the second most points so far this year - there is potential for Dufty to completely take control with ball in hand and win the Dragons the game by himself. 

Tevita Pangai Junior is a polarising figure in Rugby League circles. There is no doubting the immense talent he possesses, however throughout his career he has shown a lack of effort in consistently meeting expectations, both on and off the field. Two weeks ago, against the Roosters, he was instrumental in causing perhaps the upset of the season, assisting a try and making 6 tackle breaks. He failed to have the same impact last week though, averaging just over 5 metres per run. After being snubbed from origin selection, Pangai will have a point to prove when he runs out on Thursday, however no-one, probably not even himself, knows which version of TPJ we will see.

The favourite: The Dragons are favoured by 7 and a half points over the Broncos.

My tip: There's no way the Dragons can continue to be as poor as they have been, and the return of Matt Dufty will see them score too many points for the Broncos to keep pace with. St George Illawarra by 14.

1. Matthew Dufty 2. Cody Ramsey 3. Brayden Wiliame 4. Gerard Beale 5. Mikaele Ravalawa 6. Corey Norman 7. Ben Hunt 8. Blake Lawrie 9. Andrew McCullough 10. Paul Vaughan 11. Josh Kerr 12. Jack Bird 13. Jackson Ford 14. Talatau Amone 15. Poasa Faamausili 16. Daniel Alvaro 17. Jack de Belin 18. Kaide Ellis

1. Jamayne Isaako 2. Selwyn Cobbo 3. Herbie Farnworth 4. Jesse Arthars 5. David Mead 6. Albert Kelly 7. Tyson Gamble 8. Matthew Lodge 9. Jake Turpin 10. Thomas Flegler 11. Alex Glenn 12. Tevita Pangai Junior 13. John Asiata 14. Kobe Hetherington 15. Keenan Palasia 16. Ethan Bullemor 17. Tc Robati 18. Jordan Riki 19. Tesi Niu

Referees: Matt Cecchin; Sideline Officials: Liam Kennedy, Dave Munro; Video Referees: Henry Perenara;