In an important match between the St George Illawarra Dragons and the Penrith Panthers, here are five things to keep in mind while the players do their work on the field.
Frizell 150
Kangaroos, New South Wales Origin, and most importantly, Dragons forward Tyson Frizell will play his 150th NRL match against the Panthers on Friday night.
The Illawarra junior made his debut for the Dragons in 2013 after debuting for the Cronulla Sharks. Since joining the Red V, Frizell has gone from strength to strength and become one of the most renowned back-rowers in the competition.
Frizell's 50th and 100th NRL appearances were both contested against the Melbourne Storm and both ended in defeats. With him now reaching yet another milestone, keep an eye of Frizell who will be doing his best to ensure his 150th ends in a victory.
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Nicholls gets another crack
Dragons Canterbury Cup NSW captain Darren Nicholls comes into the first grade side to play his third NRL game.
Both of Nicholls's chances in first grade came against the Melbourne Storm in Round 17, 2018 and Round 16, 2019. With his first opportunity against a different opposition, Nicholls will be striving to put his best foot forward in place of Ben Hunt.
Hunt was left out of the side to rest following a heavy Origin workload where he made 137 tackles in three games. While Hunt will be missed, Nicholls slots straight in as a natural replacement boasting the same organisational style and strong kicking game as Hunt.
First away game in a month
The Dragons team bus has been collecting dust with three straight games at WIN Stadium, Wollongong. Coupled with the representative break, the Dragons haven't travelled away from home in over a month.
The match against the Penrith Panthers will be contested in Penrith heartland and will no doubt be filled with plenty of home supporters.
Party Poopers
The Dragons will be out to rain on the Panthers' parade and can take confidence in their convincing record over the chocolate soldiers.
Four of the last five matches have gone the way of the Dragons as well as 20 of 33 matches overall. However, the Panthers are currently riding a wave of momentum winning six games straight and edging themselves inside the top eight.
With plenty to play for and a strong record over the Panthers, the Dragons are well positioned to end their winning streak.
TGIF
Everyone loves a Friday, and the same goes for the Dragons who have won three of their past four matches on the best day of the week.
Only one other game this year has been held on a Friday when the Dragons recently trumped the Cowboys 22-14 in Round 15. You need to go back to 2018 when the Dragons last ran out for another Friday night game.
In Round 5, 2018, the Dragons edged the South Sydney Rabbitohs 16-12 before backing up the following week, again on a Friday, to down the Cronulla Sharks 40-20. Keep in mind the Dragons recent record on Friday’s to see if the trend continues.
