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St George Illawarra Dragons v Melbourne Storm Saturday 5:30pm at WIN Stadium, Wollongong / Dharawal

Dragons eye first WIN as Storm heads towards Wollongong

The St George Illawarra Dragons will be looking to open their 2026 account when they host the top-of-the-table Melbourne Storm at WIN Stadium on Saturday evening.

Returning to Wollongong with a point to prove after falling narrowly short in Las Vegas, the St George Illawarra Dragons will have additional motivation as they strive to record a third straight win over the Storm for the very first time.

Going down to the Bulldogs in a tense 15-14 golden point showdown in their opening match, coach Shane Flanagan has resisted the urge to make changes while Jacob Liddle (hamstring) remains sidelined.

Winning three of their six matches at WIN Stadium last season, the Dragons haven't defeated the Storm in Wollongong in a decade.

The joint venture has historically struggled over the early rounds, opening a campaign with back-to-back losses nine times and bouncing back from a Round 1 loss with a win just seven times since 1999.

Coming out of the gates with a scintillating opening round performance at home, the Melbourne Storm will be out to take their winning form on the road.

Posting a half century in the opening round against the Eels for the second straight year with a 52-4 thrashing last Thursday, coach Craig Bellamy has elevated Tui Kamikamica into the starting pack in place of Alec MacDonald (concussion) with Jack Hetherington joining the bench and Shawn Blore included in the extended squad.

The Storm claimed their first ever win in first grade in Wollongong over the Illawarra Steelers back in 1998 and have enjoyed a solid record in the ensuing years with seven wins and a draw from 13 visits.

While much has been made of Melbourne's remarkable opening round record for more than two decades, coach Bellamy's ability to start fast has seen the Storm open a campaign with back-to-back wins 16 times over the past 23 seasons.

Last meeting: Round 4 2025 - Dragons 14 Storm 8

Who to watch: Making the move to the joint venture following a prosperous stint as a utility with Cronulla, off-season acquisition Daniel Atkinson will be looking to showcase his skills as a starting playmaker. Enjoying a modest debut for his new club with a solid defensive showing (28 tackles, 3 misses) and acting as the dominant kicker, the 25-year-old knows what it takes to upset the Storm after masterminding a star-making victory at AAMI Park two years ago. Getting the chance to be a first-choice halfback for the first time in his career, Atkinson will have an intriguing personal duel with Jahrome Hughes - a player who has walked a similar path with great success over recent seasons.

Enjoying a night to remember last Thursday after an injury-cruelled introduction to rugby league last season, Moses Leo will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of fellow New Zealand 7s representative Will Warbrick in becoming a mainstay of the Melbourne backline. Scoring a try, producing three line-breaks and six tackle breaks in an eye-catching performance against the Eels, the 28-year-old looked right at home in the NRL after recovering from a shoulder fracture that curtailed his first season in the 13-man code. Contracted to the Storm for this season and a club option for 2027, Leo looms as the latest in a long line of unheralded players to thrive under Craig Bellamy.

Favourite: Off the back of scoring a half century in the opening round, the Storm are expected to back up that performance - albeit by a closer margin.

MY TIP: The Dragons showed that they could compete when few gave them a chance in Las Vegas, but the step up in class should be too much to contend with when the Storm come to town on Saturday evening. Melbourne by 18.

1. Clinton Gutherson 2. Christian Tuipulotu 3. Moses Suli 4. Valentine Holmes 5. Setu Tu 6. Kyle Flanagan 7. Daniel Atkinson 8. Emre Guler 9. Damien Cook 10. Toby Couchman 11. Luciano Leilua 12. Jaydn Su'A 14. Hame Sele 13. Hamish Stewart 15. Josh Kerr 16. Blake Lawrie 17. Ryan Couchman 18. Lyhkan King-Togia 21. Mathew Feagai

1. Sualauvi Faalogo 2. William Warbrick 3. Jack Howarth 4. Moses Leo 5. Nick Meaney 6. Cameron Munster 7. Jahrome Hughes 8. Stefano Utoikamanu 9. Harry Grant 10. Josh King 11. Joe Chan 12. Ativalu Lisati 13. Tui Kamikamica 14. Tyran Wishart 15. Cooper Clarke 16. Jack Hetherington 17. Davvy Moale 19. Siulagi Tuimalatu-Brown 20. Angus Hinchey

Referees: Gerard Sutton; Sideline Officials: Kieren Irons, David Munro; Video Referees: Adam Gee;