The St George Illawarra Dragons will host the Brisbane Broncos at WIN Stadium, Wollongong on Thursday (7.50pm).
Click Here For Round 22 v Brisbane Broncos Game Day Information!
Head Coach Paul McGregor has been forced to make two changes as a result of suspension to both his second-rowers Joel Thompson and Tyson Frizell.
As a result, Tyrone McCarthy has been named on the interchange and is poised to play his second NRL fixture while local Hurtville United junior Luciano Leilua is set to make his first-grade debut.
Both a part of a team which will be aiming to build upon their 13-10 loss to the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs at ANZ Stadium, Olympic Park last round and return to a home ground which has seen them win six of their previous seven matches.
Brisbane Broncos
The Broncos have been struggling over the last two and a half months, winning only two of their past nine matches after shooting out of the blocks at the start of the season.
Currently sitting in sixth place, the Broncos will be desperate to put an end to their on-field woes and make a run at a top four finish.
Broncos Head Coach Wayne Bennett also has the benefit of welcoming back prop Josh McGuire and second-rowers Matt Gillett and Sam Thaiday for the important clash.
|
St George Illawarra Dragons (12th) |
Brisbane Broncos (6th) |
||
Record |
8 wins, 11 losses |
10 wins, 9 losses |
||
Points Scored |
249 |
14th |
434 |
5th |
Tries |
43 |
15th |
73 |
7th |
Line Breaks |
52 |
15th |
85 |
7th |
Tackle Busts |
521 |
7th |
510 |
8th |
Offloads |
202 |
8th |
164 |
13th |
Tackles |
6648 |
2nd |
6137 |
9th |
Missed Tackles |
491 |
9th |
510 |
7th |
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St George Illawarra Dragons |
Position |
Brisbane Broncos |
Adam Quinlan |
Fullback |
Darius Boyd |
Kurt Mann |
Wing |
Corey Oates |
Euan Aitken |
Centre |
Tom Opacic |
Taane Milne |
Centre |
James Roberts |
Jason Nightingale |
Wing |
Lachlan Maranta |
Gareth Widdop |
Five-eighth |
Anthony Milford |
Benji Marshall |
Halfback |
Ben Hunt |
Russell Packer |
Prop |
Josh McGuire |
Mitch Rein |
Hooker |
Andrew McCullough |
Mike Cooper |
Prop |
Adam Blair |
TBC |
Second Row |
Sam Thaiday |
Will Matthews |
Second Row |
Matt Gillett |
Jack de Belin |
Lock |
Corey Parker |
|
|
|
Tariq Sims |
Interchange |
Jarrod Wallace |
Tyrone McCarthy |
|
Tevita Pangai Junior |
Jake Marketo |
|
Jai Arrow |
Jacob Host |
|
Alex Glenn |
Luciano Leilua |
|
Jaydn Su’A |
Head to Head (Jack de Belin vs. Corey Parker)
Dragons lock Jack de Belin has been one of the most consistent for the team this year, making at least 27 tackles in every game, while racking up 50 or more tackles six times, including three of the last four matches.
Despite having played 16 games this year and making 669 total tackles, de Belin has only nine missed tackles to date, one of the lowest rates in the competition.
The 34-year-old Corey Parker has been having a stellar year also, himself averaging 29 tackles a game and 13.5 hit-ups for the Broncos.
When the Dragons last played the Broncos in Round 6 at Suncorp Stadium, Corey Parker ran for a season high 181 metres and 19 hit-ups.
Record
The Broncos have previously won 12 of their last 14 games against the Dragons dating back to 2009.
They have also had quite a lot of success at this venue, winning three of their last four against the Dragons at WIN Stadium.
Round |
Date |
Result |
Score |
Venue |
4 |
March 28, 2014 |
Loss |
St George Illawarra Dragons – 20 Brisbane Broncos – 36 |
WIN Stadium, Wollongong |
25 |
August 29, 2014 |
Loss |
Brisbane Broncos – 30 St George Illawarra Dragons - 22 |
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane |
7 |
April 17, 2015 |
Win |
St George Illawarra Dragons – 12 Brisbane Broncos – 10 |
UOW Jubilee Oval, Kogarah |
23 |
August 14, 2015 |
Loss |
Brisbane Broncos – 32 St George Illawarra Dragons – 6 |
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane |
6 |
April 7, 2016 |
Loss |
Brisbane Broncos – 26 St George Illawarra Dragons - 0 |
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane |
Match Day Details
Date: Thursday, August 4
Venue: WIN Stadium, Wollongong
Gates Open: 5.15pm
NYC: 5.35pm
NRL: 7.50pm
Broadcaster: Channel 9, Fox Sports
Click Here For Round 22 v Brisbane Broncos Game Day Information!
Despite a narrow 13-10 loss to the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs last Friday night at ANZ Stadium, the Dragons played one of their best second halves of football all year, and will be keen to carry that form into the game against the Broncos.
Having won six of their last seven games at WIN Stadium, a return to Wollongong may be just when the Dragons need to get back in the winners circle.
