St George Illawarra Dragons Head Coach Paul McGregor has made several changes to his finalised squad for the Charity Shield fixture against the South Sydney Rabbitohs at ANZ Stadium, Olympic Park on Saturday.
Dragons props Rulon Nutira, Adam Tuimavave-Gerrard and Shannon Wakeman are all late additions to the extended interchange bench following the omissions of Dan Hunt (knee), Jack de Belin (virus) and Mike Cooper (compassionate grounds).
NRL Team Line-Up
1. Josh Dugan
2. Dylan Farrell
3. Euan Aitken
4. Dane Nielsen
5. Jason Nightingale
6. Gareth Widdop
7. Benji Marshall
10. Leeson Ah Mau
9. Mitch Rein
17. Rory O’Brien
11. Tyson Frizell
12. Joel Thompson
13. Ben Creagh (c)
14. Peter Mata’utia
15. Will Matthews
16. Heath L’Estrange
18. Rulon Nutira
19. Adam Tuimavave-Gerrard
20. George Rose
21. Charly Runciman
22. Shannon Crook
23. Drew Hutchison
24. Eto Nabuli
25. Jake Marketo
26. Yaw Kiti Glymin
28. Shannon Wakeman
The Charity Shield commenced in 1982 and so too did the tradition of supporting local charities and causes. In 2015, proceeds from the Charity Shield will support three charities within the Dragons Community program – the St George and Wollongong Public Hospitals in addition to the St.George Foundation.
Dragons Community was first established in 2008 and aims to have a positive impact on people’s lives within our community, which stretches from Kogarah in the north to Batemans Bay in the south.
Dragons Community currently runs more than 30 different programs across its eight pillars, those being Health, Education, Cultural, Environment, Women and Girls, Mentoring, Charity, and Grassroots Rugby League.
St.George Foundation was founded in 1990 by St.George Bank, the major partner of the St George Illawarra Dragons, to help build a secure future for disadvantaged children.
Since its inception, the Foundation has invested over $23 million in funding programs that enrich the lives of Australian children who are physically, socially or economically disadvantaged.
For the 2015 Charity Shield, St.George Foundation have taken the opportunity to nominate local charity Kookaburra Kids who support the thousands of children living in families affected by mental illness.
NRL Team Line-Up
1. Josh Dugan
2. Dylan Farrell
3. Euan Aitken
4. Dane Nielsen
5. Jason Nightingale
6. Gareth Widdop
7. Benji Marshall
8. Mike Cooper
9. Mitch Rein
10. Leeson Ah Mau
11. Tyson Frizell
12. Joel Thompson
13. Ben Creagh (c)
14. Peter Mata’utia
15. Will Matthews
16. Heath L’Estrange
17. Rory O’Brien
18. Rulon Nutira
19. Adam Tuimavave-Gerrard
20. George Rose
21. Charly Runciman
22. Shannon Crook
23. Drew Hutchison
24. Eto Nabuli
25. Jake Marketo
26. Yaw Kiti Glymin
28. Shannon Wakeman
Results
In 31 Charity Shield fixtures contested since 1982, the Dragons have recorded 16 wins, 11 loses and drawn on four occasions.
Ticketing Information
Tickets for the 2015 Charity Shield are now on sale to the general public through Ticketek.
Additionally, the following 2015 Red V Memberships include entry to the Charity Shield – Platinum, All In, Metro Plus & West Wing.
For further information or to purchase tickets please click here.
Jersey Auction
The Dragons will be auctioning the player-worn Charity Shield jerseys with proceeds donated to the St George and Wollongong Public Hospitals.
The auction will commence following the final whistle with Red V Members and supporters alike able to bid until 9.00pm on Thursday, February 12.
Visit www.dragons.com.au for further details on how you can bid on your favourite player’s jersey!
