The St George Illawarra Dragons will face the Parramatta Eels at Bankwest Stadium on Friday, August 14 (7:55pm). This is your Round 14 game day guide.
- Dragons forced into raft of changes
- Tariq Sims sidelined for an extended period
- Big name returns for the Eels
- Paul McGregor to farewell Dragons against Eels
- CEO Ryan Webb speaks on McGregor
Forward stocks stretched for must win
Tariq Sims (shoulder), Jackson Ford and Paul Vaughan (both suspended) are all unavailable for this week's clash against premiership heavyweights, Parramatta Eels.
As the Dragons currently sit six points outside of the top eight, one more loss in 2020 would prove the final coffin in the Red V's fleeting finals hopes.
Kaide Ellis, whose short stint against the Sydney Roosters last weekend impressed, is back in the Dragons' 17 this weekend and will be joined on the bench by Korbin Sims and Jacob Host.
Cameron McInnes will shift to lock and Ben Hunt to hooker to shore up the forward back even further as Corey Norman earns a reprieve one week after being dropped.
Fijian flyers face off
Put the kava on, we have ourselves a showdown.
Mikaele Ravalawa has turned a corner in his young NRL career in recent months and this weekend will come up against fellow countryman Maika Sivo, arguably the NRL's form winger over the past 18 months.
Although they may be at similar points of their careers experience-wise, Sivo is four years older on Ravalawa which is likely indicative of their development to date.
In 2020 alone, Ravalawa has scored eight tries to Sivo's 11 but is averaging 145 metres per game compared to his Eels counterpart's 123. Tackle breaks are also almost identical (33 to Sivo, 32 to Ravalawa).
Clune and Dufty on team performance
Dufty magic required
The Dragons have never won at Bankwest Stadium and have racked up one win in their last 10 meetings against the Eels.
But that one win – back in Round 16, 2018 – came off the back of the club's currently most in-form player, Matt Dufty.
Two tries, including one at the death, proved the difference on that fateful Thursday night at WIN Stadium. Watch the highlights below.
Dufty has never played better than he currently is. If the Red V are to buck the history heaped on them by the Eels then the little custodian needs to be on point this Friday evening.
Match highlights: Round 16
