Dragons v Raiders preview

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St George Illawarra Dragons v Canberra Raiders Friday 8:00pm at WIN Stadium, Wollongong / Dharawal

The Gong is about to get smashed as the sole focus of Friday night Rugby League heads to Wollongong where the hapless Dragons have to play host to the Canberra Raiders.

Sitting down in 16th spot, The Dragons have had a season to totally forget yet again with poor performances mixing with off-field drama to cause the perfect storm of chaos for the Red ‘V'. The season has been a total write-off and blame cannot be put on the reason Ben Hunt dramas because the issues have been around long before then. The Dragons have managed just four wins this season although picking up the scalps of the Roosters and Souths.

Last weekend, things looked promising for the Dragons with a fast start against the Sharks and holding an early lead but they folded quicker than Superman on laundry day. The collapse for the Dragons wasn't at all shocking but how soft their defence was very frightening indeed as they ultimately fell to a very heavy 52-16 defeat.

The Dragons have lost Ben Hunt to Origin selection meaning their woes could continue significantly as has the loss of fullback Tyrell Sloan. Paul Turner comes in for his first game of the season. The halves picture sees Jayden Sullivan in the 7 with Talatau Amone in the 6.

The Canberra Raiders have delivered  a season that has sort of become expected of them as they get further into the Ricky Stuart era, blinding brilliance then horrible inconsistencies as they sit fifth just two points behind the top two but have a significantly worse point differential than the rest of the top 8.

Last weekend, the Raiders narrowly scraped past the Gold Coast Titans with a 26-22 win at home. The Green Machine started fast taking a 6-0 inside 3 minutes before extending it to 12-0 after 17 minutes. The Titans hit back but the Raiders were strong enough to survive a late scare to hold on.

The Raiders have had a mixed outcome with Origin selection with Corey Horsburgh selected for Queensland in Game 3 but there is a boost with Hudson Young's non-selection for NSW. Horsburgh's absence sees Ata Mariota move from prop to lock with Emre Guler added to the starting side .

Last meeting: Round 7 2023 - Raiders 20 Dragons 14

Who to watch: Whilst most of the team has been disappointing for the Dragons this season, one player who has not has been Jacob Liddle. The Dragons no.9 has provided strong service our of dummy half and can take on more of a leadership role in the absence of Ben Hunt.

Raiders half-back Jamal Fogarty took his time to find his feet in Canberra both in 2022 and to start 2023 but he has quickly become the shining light for the Raiders. His patience and poise in attack has been strong for the Raiders. This will help the Raiders go a long way.

Favourite: The Raiders are heavy Favourites and understandably so given the two sides differing form.

My tip: It's hard to go past the Raiders winning by a margin. The Dragons have been woeful and losing their best player aren't signs of winning next week. The Raiders have too much punch for the Dragons who could see themselves setting up camp behind their tryline. Raiders by 24.

1. Paul Turner 2. Mathew Feagai 3. Moses Suli 4. Zac Lomax 5. Mikaele Ravalawa 6. Talatau Amone 7. Jayden Sullivan 8. Francis Molo 9. Jacob Liddle 10. Blake Lawrie 11. Ben Murdoch-Masila 22. Billy Burns 13. Jack de Belin 14. Moses Mbye 15. Michael Molo 16. Toby Couchman 17. Dan Russell 19. Ryan Couchman

1. Sebastian Kris 2. Albert Hopoate 3. Jarrod Croker 4. Matthew Timoko 5. Jordan Rapana 6. Jack Wighton 7. Jamal Fogarty 13. Ata Mariota 9. Zac Woolford 10. Joseph Tapine 11. Hudson Young 12. Elliott Whitehead 18. Matt Frawley 8. Emre Guler 14. Tom Starling 15. Trey Mooney 17. Peter Hola 16. Nick Cotric

Referees: Peter Gough; Sideline Officials: Kasey Badger, Cameron Paddy; Video Referees: Gerard Sutton;