Dragons v Titans NRLW preview

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St George Illawarra Dragons v Gold Coast Titans Sunday 12:00pm at WIN Stadium, Wollongong / Dharawal

Grand Finalists seek Redemption, Titans Looking for Revenge

The St. George Illawarra Dragons are preparing to begin their new NRLW campaign after falling agonisingly short in last season's grand final against the Sydney Roosters. The Gold Coast Titans on the other hand, are heading into what will be just their second NRLW season, following an inaugural season that saw them finish a very honourable third. The Titans were also notably the first team in NRLW history to take down the Brisbane Broncos, who would eventually go on to miss the grand final for the first time.

Both of these sides have been busy in the off-season assembling their rosters for the 2022 competition. The Dragons have been largely focused on retaining their talent that saw them make their second grand final. Coach Jamie Soward was confident the team should have gotten the job done last time around and has put his faith in the same core group of players to go one better this time around.

The Titans have been busy in the sense of drawing new talent to play for the club in a bid to be lifting the trophy by the end of their second year in the competition. The club has moulded pieces of the puzzle together by recruiting around an already talented squad to make them even more of threat in 2022.

This clash in particular is set to be a close one, full of passion and aggression. The last time they met, it was the Dragons who denied the Titans a grand final berth, taking the team from the glitter strip down 24-18 in a tight one that would have left a sour taste in the mouth of the Titans.

The Dragons have named a seventeen that will feature thirteen players from last season's grand final. Jamie Soward will be hoping continuity within the squad can help to get them over the line. The value of familiarity cannot be understated, and it is not something that, at this stage, NRLW teams have been very accustomed to. This could prove very advantageous for the Dragons, particularly at the beginning of the season when combinations are, for the most part, a work in progress. One notable change will see NSW U19's representative Andie Robinson make her NRLW debut on the wing.

The Titans have named a backline of stars, with Madison Bartlett and Apii Nicholls to line up on the wing and at fullback respectively. The Gold Coast will be no doubt hoping to utilise their backline throughout the season and coming into this clash.

Last meeting: Semi Finals 2021 - Dragons 24 Titans 18

Who to watch: For the Dragons, unsurprisingly, the one to watch is last year's joint Dally M winner Emma Tonegato. The former Olympian set the world alight in her first season in the NRLW and hasn't looked back, with improvement still sure to come with experience. Her speed and deception is unmatched in the competition and with that kind of weapon always sniffing around the ruck, waiting for or even creating breaks, look out. 

Titans halfback Lauren Brown has a big assignment to overcome against last year's grand finalists. No doubt a big part of the Titans' game plan will be to get as much ball as possible out to their backline. Why wouldn't you with a backline like that? But in saying that, Brown has to take control and pick the right moments to make it happen. The Titans will need to earn the right to go wide through the middle, or it simply just won't work. If Brown can organise her team to play in a way that will give the backline time and space, whilst also delivering quality ball out wide, the Titans may be hard to stop.

The favourite: The Dragons are slight favourites to take this one out.

My tip: I'm honestly finding it difficult to split the two teams. Their last meeting was tight and looking at every match up on the team sheets, it's hard to definitively say who might get the better of who. I think continuity might be a big factor early on in the season, and the fact that the Dragons have retained more players from last season than any other side in the competition is certainly going to help them. But still, the Titans are just that type of team that on their day could beat anyone, evident in their win over the Broncos last season. I'm thinking that the Titans might just edge out the Dragons in the backline, with the forward packs being pretty even. I'm going to go for an upset based on this and lock in the Titans to get the win. Titans by 4.

1. Emma Tonegato 2. Teagan Berry 3. Keele Browne 4. Page Mcgregor 5. Andie Robinson 6. Taliah Fuimaono 7. Rachael Pearson 11. Kezie Apps 9. Keeley Davis 10. Tegan Dymock 15. Talei Holmes 12. Shaylee Bent 13. Holli Wheeler 14. Quincy Dodd 16. Monalisa Soliola 17. Tara McGrath-West 18. Renee Targett 19. Zali Hopkins

1. Apii Nicholls 2. Karina Brown 3. Evania Pelite 4. Jasmine Peters 5. Madison Bartlett 6. Kimiora Breayley-Nati 7. Lauren Brown 8. Shannon Mato 9. Brittany Breayley-Nati 14. Rona Peters 11. Zara Canfield 16. Tiana Raftstrand-Smith 13. Georgia Hale 10. Stephanie Hancock 15. Jessika Elliston 17. Laikha Clarke 18. Roxy Murdoch 19. Jetaya Faifua

Referees: Karra-Lee Nolan; Sideline Officials: Cameron Turner, Rochelle Tamarua; Video Referees: Alan Shortall;