Sunday’s NRL 2018 Round 24 match is between St George Illawarra Dragons and Canterbury Bulldogs. The opening kick is set to commence at 16:10 local time with the game to be played at Jubilee Oval, Sydney. The home team St George Illawarra Dragons are the favourites for the match.
View our preview and teams for the game between St George Illawarra Dragons and Canterbury Bulldogs.
When: 16:10 | Sunday 26/08/2018
Where: Jubilee Oval, Sydney
Preview:
The monkey was off their back last week for the Dragons as they tamed the spirited tigers at a packed Leichhardt Oval.
This win should give the Dragons great belief and they were no doubt under the pump and all you need in that situation is a good win.
I thought Kurt Mann’s game in the absence of Gareth Widdop was sublime.
He asks plenty of questions with his running game as well as being very sound in defence.
He’ll be required to repeat that performance again against the side who have caused plenty of headaches over the last few weeks.
The Bulldogs have broken the shackles and have shown they’re capable of beating the top 8 sides.
They’re playing with free will and confidence has come about three months too late.
Nevertheless, they’re finishing strong and are growing.
KEY BATTLE: Ben Hunt v Lachlan Lewis
Look for Lewis v Hunt to be a real feature in this one.
I’m hoping this game will be a break out for Benny.
It’s shapes well for him particularly if he can find a few tired forwards in the centre third of the field.
The Verdict
The Dragons will win and press for the top 4.
St. George-Illawarra has a 58-37 (61.1 percent) record as a home team since 2011.
Unibet Odds:
St. George-Illawarra at $1.60
Canterbury at $2.38
Odds:
Tip: St George Illawarra Dragons at $1.54
Value Tip: First Try Scorer: Nene Macdonald at $10.00
More Info:
Teams:
St George Illawarra Dragons:
1. Matthew Dufty 2. Nene Macdonald 3. Euan Aitken 4. Timoteo Lafai 5. Jason Nightingale 6. Kurt Mann 7. Ben Hunt 8. James Graham 9. Cameron McInnes 10. Leeson Ah Mau 11. Tyson Frizell 12. Tariq Sims 13. Jack de Belin
Interchange: 14. Jeremy Latimore 15. Jordan Pereira 16. Blake Lawrie 17. Luciano Leilua
Reserves: 18. Zac Lomax 19. Jai Field 20. Paul Vaughan 21. Jacob Host.
Canterbury Bulldogs: 
1. Will Hopoate 2. Brett Morris 3. Josh Morris 4. Kerrod Holland 5. Reimis Smith 6. Lachlan Lewis 7. Matt Frawley 8. Aiden Tolman 9. Michael Lichaa 10. David Klemmer 11. Josh Jackson 12. Rhyse Martin 13. Adam Elliott
Interchange: 14. Jeremy Marshall-King 15. Danny Fualalo 16. Ofahiki Ogden 17. Greg Eastwood
Reserves: 18. John Olive 19. Francis Tualau 20. Renouf To’omaga 21. Fa’amanu Brown.
NRL News:
They’re St George Illawarra’s bogey team, the opponent who have torpedoed their NRL season twice in the last three years.
And now the Dragons’ are ready to exact revenge against Canterbury.
Star backrower Tyson Frizell acknowledged there will be a little bit of extra feeling in the clash at Jubilee Oval on Sunday afternoon.
Wind back the clock to 2015 and it was the Bulldogs, then coached by Des Hasler, who rolled the Dragons in golden point in the first week of the finals to send them packing for Mad Monday.
Then last year the Bulldogs did it again, springing a monumental upset in round 26 to knock Paul McGregor’s side out of the top eight.
The stakes aren’t quite that high this time around – though the Dragons could be bundled out of the top four, denying them a highly-prized second bite at the cherry during the play-offs.
“They beat us in the finals in 2015 in golden point – it was a really tough game to swallow and then they knocked us off to make the finals last year,” Frizell said.
“There’s a bit of history there, there’s always a good rivalry there.”
Along with Parramatta, the Bulldogs have been a bogey side for the Dragons in recent years.
The Dragons did score a tense 18-16 win when they last met in round 14, however they have struggled against the Bulldogs since 2012, winning just two of 13 games.
Dean Pay’s 13th-placed side also appear to have found their groove late in the season, winning three of their last four games with five-eighth Lachlan Lewis a driving force.
“It seems like all the bottom teams are playing for a bit of pride in their jersey, the Doggies are definitely doing that at the moment, Frizell said.
