Wow, how bad were the Tigers last week? With one hand now firmly gripped on the Wooden Spoon, the Tigers are begging for the end of the season. Brett Kimmorley clearly was never the answer as a Head Coach, but he has shown that he is completely out of his depth in the role, with the Tigers clearly giving up on the season. The Dragons, meanwhile, have maintained their ability to win games about as consistently as they lose them, and the team at least is still trying. This could be a showcase on how NOT to defend in the NRL, with a high score on the cards.
Ben Bridge dissects the action with his preview and NRL tips for the Tigers vs Dragons!
Wests Tigers vs St George Illawarra Dragons
CommBank Stadium, Sunday 28th August, 2:00pm (AEST)
Squads
Wests Tigers
1. Daine Laurie 2. Brent Naden 3. Starford To’a 4. Asu Kepaoa 5. Junior Pauga 6. Adam Doueihi 7. Jock Madden 8. Joe Ofahengaue 9. Jake Simpkin 10. Zane Musgrove 11. Thomas Freebairn 12. Kelma Tuilagi 13. Fa’amanu Brown. INTERCHANGE: 14. Fonua Pole 15. Austin Dias 16. Jacob Liddle 17. Kitione Kautoga. RESERVES: 18. Justin Matamua 19. Tyrone Peachey 20. James Roberts 21. Tukimihia Simpkins 22. Brandon Tumeth
St George Illawarra Dragons
1. Cody Ramsey 2. Mathew Feagai 3. Jack Bird 4. Zac Lomax 5. Tautau Moga 6. Talatau Amone 7. Ben Hunt 8. Aaron Woods 9. Jayden Sullivan 10. Blake Lawrie 11. Josh Mcguire 12. Jaydn Su’A 13. Jack de Belin. INTERCHANGE: 14. Tyrell Fuimaono 15. Jaiyden Hunt 16. Jackson Ford 17. Tyrell Sloan. RESERVES: 18. Jack Gosiewski 19. Jonathon Reuben 20. Poasa Faamausili 21. Joshua Coric 22. Josh Kerr
Match Preview
It’s been two different Tigers teams since their bye in round 17, with a 2-point loss to the Panthers, followed by an unlucky loss to the Cowboys, then a huge win over the Broncos (which hasn’t aged particularly well). Since then, however, they have lost to the Knights and been blown off the park in consecutive weeks by the Sharks and Roosters. The loss of Brooks and Hastings has hurt, but the attitude appears to be hurting them more. Some of their defence last week against the Roosters was deplorable, and unless Brett Kimmorley can galvanise the team, two more weeks of pain appear on the way.
The Dragons, whilst not being overly impressive, have at least maintained competitiveness over the closing rounds of the season. With a win over the Titans and close losses to the Raiders and Sharks over the past three weeks, they do appear to be the more confident team right now.
Over the past three months, the Tigers have scored the least number of points and conceded the second most points in the NRL. This must be concerning moving forward, and despite some key signings for next season, it appears as though more pain is on the horizon for the Tigers. The Dragons should be able to take advantage of this, particularly the leaky defence of the Tigers, and for mine the Dragons will win this game quite comfortably.
Dragons over and total overs are also solid bets, with a Sunday afternoon game this late in the year with two teams throwing caution to the wind generally equating to high scoring games.
Alternative Bets:
Dragons (team total) over 30.5 - $1.88 @ Ladbrokes
Over 52.5 - $1.90 @ Palmerbet
Dragons 13+ (margin)
$2.30 (2 units)
