Sunday first NRL Round 1 match is between St George Illawarra Dragons and Wests Tigers with the opening kick to commence at 3.00pm. The game is to be played at ANZ Stadium which see’s home team St George Illawarra Dragons hold favouritism in the market. View our NRL live scores, odds and results for the game between St George Illawarra Dragons and Wests Tigers.

WHERE AND WHEN: ANZ Stadium, Sunday, 3.00pm

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Odds Comparison:

St George Illawarra Dragons	1.92	1.83	1.84	1.83	1.92	1.80
Wests Tigers	1.92	2.00	2.00	2.00	1.92	2.00

All odds are subject to change. Odds listed are correct at the time of the latest update.

Preview:

Following in the footsteps of Wayne Bennett was never going to be an easy task and that’s certainly proved the case for Dragon’s Coach Steve Price.

Price heads into his third season as Head Coach of the Dragons and with only a 35% winning strike rate from 48 games, needs for his side to improve dramatically if he is to remain in the position.

The Dragons finished fourteenth in the comp last year and only managed seven wins throughout the year, five of which came in the first half of the season.

The Dragons have lost a few key personal from last year’s roster. Matt Cooper has retired along with Nathan Fien whilst effective forward Michael Weyman is now playing in the UK.

Amongst those new to the club this year will be halves pairing of Michael Witt and Gareth Widdop.

Witt commenced his career at Parramatta back in 2003 before spending time with Manly and then the Warriors before tenures with UK clubs the Crusaders and London Broncos.

Widdop was the Dragons big signing during the off-season, offering him a large contract to lure him away from the Melbourne Storm.

They’ve got a lot of work in front of them this year to the Dragons and this first game will be made no easier with the absence of fullback Josh Duggan who injured a knee in the Charity Shield and is not expected to return until round 5.

The Tigers have a good balance of youth and experience on paper but it will be coach Mick Potter’s job to ensure the two mix effectively on the field.

Exciting half back Luke Brooks with partner veteran Braith Anasta in the halves whilst Pat Richards, who last played for the Tigers in the 2005 Grand Final winning side, returns to the club and is named on the wing.

The Tigers also experienced a tough time of it last year, finishing fifteenth on the ladder but were dogged by off-field drama surrounding Benji Marshall’s future and a crippling injury list.

They’ll get to start afresh here and would expect a vastly improved performance from them this year.

Teams:

St George Illawarra Dragons

Adam Quinlan, Brett Morris, Dylan Farrell, Gerard Beale, Jason Nightingale, Gareth Widdop, Michael Witt, Jack de Belin, Mitch Rein, Dan Hunt, Leeson Ah Mau, Ben Creagh (c), Trent Merrin

Interchange: Bronson Harrison, Kyle Stanley, Joel Thompson, Tyson Frizell, Mike Cooper (one to be omitted)

Wests Tigers

James Tedesco, Marika Koroibete, Keith Lulia, Chris Lawrence, Pat Richards, Braith Anasta, Luke Brooks, Aaron Woods, Robbie Farah (c), Martin Taupau, Liam Fulton, Bodene Thompson, Adam Blair

Interchange: Cory Paterson, Ava Seumanufagai, Sauaso Sue, James Gavet

In the news:

Skipper Robbie Farah says the Wests Tigers are keen to put the NRL’s most exacting pre-season behind them when they begin their 2014 NRL campaign on Sunday.

Written off as likely also-rans ahead of the new season, the Tigers have lost Tim Moltzen (knee), Curtis Sironen (foot) and Dene Halatau (ankle) for extended periods due to pre-season injuries.

This week in the lead up to their round one clash with St George Illawarra at ANZ Stadium, a staphylococcus scare ripped through the Tigers camp with players including Farah, Pat Richards and Chris Lawrence quarantined and given heavy doses of antibiotics to combat ugly boils.

The troubles continued on from last year’s run of injuries, which at one stage sidelined almost half of the first-choice line-up.

Newcastle have had a pre-season to forget but, Jarrod Mullen’s long-term hamstring injury aside, much of that was self-inflicted.

Despite their woes, the Tigers enjoyed pre-season wins over finals fancies Cronulla and Penrith, and Farah said his side is keen to hold that momentum.

“We are alright now,” Farah told reporters at training on Saturday.

“It has obviously been a disruptive week but you just have to get on with the job. We will do that and out there tomorrow it will be a relief to actually play some footy.

“We have all been away from the group and treated well.

“I’m looking forward to it after being on my own for a few days this week. It was driving me crazy.

“What do you do? You just get on with the job, that is the way it has panned out.

“A win will solves everything and no one will remember what has happened this week.

“Our two trial performances were pretty good and we are looking forward to building on that.”

In contrast, the Dragons were thumped in their final trial by South Sydney. Their only other pre-season hitout, beside the Auckland Nines, was a match against a combined Mudgee Dragons/Illawarra Cutters side, which they won 60-14.

Both sides will be keen to begin their seasons with a win to relieve pressure on their under-pressure coaches – Tigers’ mentor Mick Potter and Dragons’ clipboard holder Steve Price.

Josh Dugan (knee) is a key omission for the Dragons, with Adam Quinlan taking his spot at fullback.

Former Melbourne pivot Gareth Widdop makes his Dragons debut alongside halves partner Michael Witt.

The Tigers will begin their first season since 2002 without Benji Marshall. Young gun halfback Luke Brooks has been charged with sparking their attack this year.