NRL Round 25 St George Illawarra Dragons v NZ Warriors Preview

At this stage of the season, this game is one that means absolutely nothing. As harsh as it sounds, the teams involved only have themselves to blame for people making those assumptions. Both sides were teams that were capable of giving this competition a real shake. Things have not gone to plan and both sides now find themselves only playing for pride. The Dragons have been gallant in their recent defeats, although they can blame their inability to win close games this season for their current predicament. They have been lacking an "X-factor" in their attack that yields them points. Normally, they would rely on their tough defence to keep their opposition to a minimum total and then score only the neccessary points. Now that their defence has also weakened, they find themselves having to score more points than they are use to. Then you have the Warriors. They are currently last in the Power Rankings and with good reason. This was the team that was runner up in last years Grand Final and was positioned very nicely to make a bold run for the semi finals. Things have not gone according to plan and they are on a terrible slide at the moment. All is not well at this club and this all came to a head earlier this week as coach Brian McClennan announced that he was standing down from the coaching position. This was no doubt the polite way of sending him off with some dignity still remaining. You can clearly see from their play,  the players are unhappy about something. The only positive thing to happen out of this game is that it is something that punters can have a bet on. With a "nothing game", there may be a lot of value floating around for us to hopefully grab.

St George Illawarra Dragons

You think that with the season that the Dragons have had, they would look towards rebuilding for 2013 and beyond. Nope...not this side. The Dragons have gone with the same side that lost to the Cowboys on MNF. Granted, the Dragons would not have had time to assess all of their injuries before naming their side, so expect that there could be a few changes right before kick off. Perhaps the reason for the minimal changes is the fact that the Dragons have not really brought anyone for next season and will have to deal with the fact that they will have a relatively similar squad for next season. You can almost hear the vocal Dragons collectively groan at that thought. As there is not much to now play for, the Dragons should turn their attention to sending their retiring stars out with a victory. This is the last time that they will play a Dragons home game so expect the side to be pumped for a victory. There will also be a great crowd on hand to send them off as winners. Check the record at this ground, a bigger crowd can only work to ensuring that amazing record continues.

NZ Warriors

The new coach for the final two rounds of the season for the Warriors is Tony Iro, and he has already come in and made a few changes to the side. Konrad Hurrell has been recalled, albeit to the extended bench, after a stint in NSW Cup where he scored two tries. Ben Henry and Lewis Brown will play centres and as I have mentioned in the past, this severely limits their potency in attack out wide. Michael Luck has been recalled to the starting side at lock and Elijah Taylor has been shifted up into the second row. Hopefully Luck plays the full 80 minutes in his final 2 NRL games of his career. He has been a great servant to the game and deserves as much as Hornby and Young. Pita Godinet is also called from the bench into hooker as a replacement for Nathan Friend who dislocated his shoulder and is out for the remainder of the season. There are also a few changes on the bench to go with the inclusion of Hurrell. Alehana Mara, Ukuma Ta'ai and Sione Lousi are all new faces on the bench and is definitely a statement to put under performing players on notice.

Recent History

Overall = Dragons 14 - Warriors 4

Last 5 games = Dragons 5 - Warriors 0

At WIN Stadium = Dragons 8 - Warriors 0

Odds

TAB Sportsbet = Dragons $1.47 Warriors $2.75

Centrebet = Dragons $1.48 Warriors $2.72

Sportsbet = Dragons $1.48 Warriors $2.70

Betfair = Dragons $1.52 Warriors $2.74

Verdict
How often do you see a team that has sacked their coach lift for the following game? It happens a lot and has even occurred this season when Parramatta won a few games after sacking their coach Stephen Kearney. That is a major factor in the selection that I am placing on this game. All things considered though, I am going to take the Dragons. They have a fantastic home record at WIN Stadium against the Warriors and they have a lot more to play for in front of their home fans as Hornby and Young are playing their last home game. They also have to lift again from a MNF defeat. Things will not be easy but they are ahead of the Warriors, just on effort alone this season.

Suggested Bet
Dragons @ $1.52 (with Betfair)

Covered Up = Dragons -4.5 @ $1.75 - They should be able to beat the Warriors by more than a converted try. Their defence is far superior and they will lift in front of their home fans.

Sentimental favorites = Hornby First & Last @ $34 and/or Young First & Last @ $34 - Both blokes would desperately want to cross the line in their last home game. Why not jump on the bandwagon and hope that either player gets the send off they deserve. Sorry about the lack of betting prowess, this is what "nothing games" offer.

Good luck!

Scooby

@scoobystips