Netstrata Jubilee Stadium will play host to Saturday's Round 1 NRL game between St. George Illawarra Dragons and Canterbury Bulldogs. The game kicks off at 5:30 pm with Canterbury Bulldogs heading into the game as favourites with the bookmakers. Continue reading for our in-depth preview of the St. George Illawarra Dragons vs. Canterbury Bulldogs game and give you our free tips and bets.
When: Saturday March 8, 2025 at 5:30 pm
Where: Netstrata Jubilee Stadium
Bet 💰: Bet On This Match HERE
St. George Illawarra Dragons vs Canterbury Bulldogs Odds
St. George Illawarra Dragons vs Canterbury Bulldogs Preview
Two significant improvers in 2024, archrivals St George Illawarra and Canterbury will both be fired up to start the season with two valuable competition points.
The Dragons exceeded expectations in their first year under coach Shane Flanagan but bottled a finals opportunity with a late fadeout, while the dual departure of Zac Lomax and Ben Hunt clouds this year’s campaign.
Clint Gutherson, Lachlan Ilias and Damien Cook line up in a new-look Dragons spine, while Valentine Holmes adds match-winning class at centre and Emre Guler comes straight into the front-row.
Whether Ilias and Kyle Flanagan are capable of giving the Saints enough impetus in the halves, and whether they boast enough grunt through the middle of the field, are huge question marks.
The Bulldogs surged to sixth and their first finals appearance in eight years with Cameron Ciraldo’s methods bearing fruit, and recruits Stephen Crichton, Bronson Xerri and Connor Tracey coming up trumps. Viliame Kikau, Matt Burton and Reed Mahoney also rediscovered their best.
Blake Wilson and the returning Marcelo Montoya are on the wings with Jacob Kiraz out injured, while Sitili Tupouniua makes his club debut off the bench in a team that is otherwise only missing the suspended Josh Curran and reserve Kurtis Morrin from their qualifying final 17.
Canterbury has wrested back control of this rivalry in the past two seasons, winning all three encounters. Last year the Bulldogs pumped the Dragons 44-12 at Accor Stadium in Round 12 and 28-10 at Jubilee in Round 23. Matt Burton scored three tries and 36 points across the two games.
St George Illawarra trialled well with handsome wins over the Roosters and Rabbitohs, while Canterbury’s pre-season form was more modest.
But with largely the same side that was the toast of the NRL in 2024, the Bulldogs seem the logical option as the Dragons adjust to so many new combinations.
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St. George Illawarra Dragons vs Canterbury Bulldogs Tip
We're tipping Canterbury Bulldogs to win at $1.60 odds.
St. George Illawarra Dragons vs Canterbury Bulldogs Teams
Dragons team: 1. Clinton Gutherson 2. Mathew Feagai 3. Moses Suli 4. Valentine Holmes 5. Christian Tuipulotu 6. Kyle Flanagan 7. Lachlan Ilias 8. Toby Couchman 9. Damien Cook 10. Emre Guler 11. Luciano Leilua 12. Jaydn Su’A 13. Jack de Belin 14. Jacob Liddle 15. Ryan Couchman 16. Raymond Faitala-Mariner 17. Hamish Stewart 18. Dylan Egan 19. Tyrell Sloan 20. Lyhkan King-Togia 21. Loko Jnr Pasifiki Tonga 22. Tom Eisenhuth
Bulldogs team: 1. Connor Tracey 2. Blake Wilson 3. Bronson Xerri 4. Stephen Crichton 5. Marcelo Montoya 6. Matt Burton 7. Toby Sexton 8. Max King 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Samuel Hughes 11. Viliame Kikau 12. Jacob Preston 13. Kurt Mann 14. Bailey Hayward 15. Sitili Tupouniua 16. Harry Hayes 17. Jaeman Salmon 19. Blake Taaffe 20. Kurtis Morrin 21. Daniel Suluka-Fifita 22. Luke Smith 23. Ratu Rinakama
