Two NRL games feature on Friday night for the penultimate time this year. The first takes place in New Zealand with the Warriors hosting the Dragons. The home side is flying high on the back of a 6-game winning streak and they are sitting pretty in 3rd on the competition ladder. The Dragons are experiencing vastly different fortunes, with just 5 wins to their name for the year and stuck in 16th.
As always, BeforeYouBet is here to take a comprehensive look at the exciting on field action in this game, and all NRL fixtures across the weekend.
NRL Round 26 Preview & Betting Tips
New Zealand Warriors vs St George-Illawarra Dragons
Go Media Stadium, Friday 25th August, 6pm (AEST)
Preview
The Warriors produced another gritty effort in front of their home fans, this time overcoming the Sea Eagles 29-22. Trailing 22-16 at HT, a strong second half was needed, and they delivered just that as they kept their opponents scoreless. Their performance again was underpinned by poise; with 54% possession, they completed at 80% and choked the Sea Eagles out of the match in the second half. On top of this, they ran for more metres, had more post contact metres, and more line breaks. They are an exciting team to watch.
The Dragons tried hard in their match against the Storm, but the strength of their opponents was too much in the end, defeated 38-28. They will take some confidence away from the fact that they scored 5 tries, but that will be cold comfort after they conceded 7. They may well lament their missed opportunities as they completed at 74%, missed 49 tackles and made 11 errors. It is difficult enough to build pressure on opponents, let alone against the Storm, and as hard as the Dragons tried, they lacked the class to continually pressure their opponents. Had they have done so, it could’ve been a vastly different outcome in this match. Despite sitting in 16th on the competition ladder, they are appearing to play with greater resolve and pride compared to earlier in the season.
Verdict
The Warriors are overwhelming favourites for this contest ($1.15 vs $5.50) with the recent form of each side heavily impacting the price. As poor as the Dragons have been, they have been somewhat competitive in games against superior opponents. In equal measure, the Warriors have been good but have also appeared vulnerable. They have an edge in attack (24ppg vs Dragons 20ppg) and defence (18ppg vs Dragons 28ppg), suggesting that they should easily account for their opponents. While that does appear likely, it isn’t as clear as that. The Dragons have a 55% winning record here compared to the Warriors 57% and have won 3 out of the past 4 matches against the Warriors.
Having just met in Round 17, the Warriors 48-18 victory likely justifies the odds in this game. It is interesting to note that in their past 4 victories (3 against teams outside the Top 8) have not been by more than 10 points. In the same time period (and on a 4 game losing streak), the Dragons have not lost a game by more than 12 points. This makes the line of 17.5 points enticing to say the least. Take that option with the hope that the Dragons can continue to play to their potential and push the Warriors over 80 minutes.
Dragons +17.5
$1.90 (2 Units)
Same Game Multi
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Leg 1: Either team by 12.5 points or less
Leg 2: Ravalawa 1+ Try
Leg 3: DWZ 1+ Try
The recent form of either team suggests this game could be closer than expected. As for the try scorers, each are the leading try scorers for their club (Ravalawa 20 tries & DWZ 21 tries). They know how to find their way to the line and will be dangerous each time they get their hands on the ball.
SGM Odds: $8 at Picklebet
