Canberra Raiders vs St George Illawarra Dragons preview – NRL 2013 Round 3Tonight’s NRL Round 3 match is between the Canberra Raiders and St George Illawarra Dragons. The opening kick is set to commence at 6:30pm local time with the match being played at Canberra Stadium. Local team Canberra Raiders are the favourites for the match. View our preview and teams for the game between Canberra Raiders and St George Illawarra Dragons.
Round: Round 3, Sunday 6.30pm
Stadium: Canberra Stadium
Odds:Canberra Raiders $1.62 vs St George Illawarra Dragons $2.35 at Sportsbet Australia
Canberra Raiders $1.61 vs St George Illawarra Dragons $2.35at Luxbet Australia
Preview:Watch Out Raiders: It’s likely the Dragons will try to create scoring opportunities from second-phase play; although they’ve struggled to post points the Dragons rank fourth in the NRL for offloads with 11 per game – while the Raiders are clearly struggling, with almost 13 offloads conceded in each of their games so far (second most).
St George Illawarra players most likely to inflict damage are Trent Merrin (six – second most by any player), Bronson Harrison and Jason Nightingale (four apiece). Merrin was a threat in the Dragons’ loss to the Raiders the last time they met, with three offloads and 18 hit-ups.
Canberra need to take some concrete pills in defence – last week they were paper thin across the ground, missing 26 tackles and conceding nine line-breaks as the Titans ran roughshod. Out wide Jarrod Croker and co-captain Josh McCrone missed three tackles each, while in tight new recruit Joel Edwards missed three.
Watch Out Dragons: New fullback Reece Robinson was one of the few Raiders players who could hold his head high after last week’s debacle at Skilled Park (zero missed tackles, 103 metres with four tackle busts) and up against a favourite opponent he’ll be keen to help get his side off the bottom of the ladder. The Dragons will still be having nightmares from their last meeting when Robinson sank them almost single-handedly with three blistering tries (including a heartbreaking match-winner with three minutes left on the clock), plus three line-breaks, five tackle-breaks and a demoralising 279 metres across Canberra Stadium.
Left-edge attack will be a priority for sides playing the Dragons this year – their right-fringe defence was a weakness in 2012 (conceding 36 tries compared to 26 on Matt Cooper’s edge) and already they have conceded seven. Expect centre Jarrod Croker, the Raiders’ most potent player in 2012 with 16 tries and 16 line-breaks, to try to conjure something.
Plays To Watch: Dane Tilse lifting against the Red V – he made 24 hit-ups for 164 metres the last time they played; Brett Morris scampering downfield – he covered more ground than any player in the NRL in 2012 and already he is averaging 152 metres a match; Josh Papalii (six tackle busts) testing out the Dragons in centre-field; Ben Creagh running off Nathan Fien, hitting the line hard and flat on the left edge.
Key Match-Up: The Raiders’ pack v Dragons’ pack. Canberra have to do better in the engine room or a 0-3 start to the season beckons. The Raiders are at the bottom of the heap for metres gained each week, averaging 1085 to date, with none of their pack managing triple-figure metre gains. In fact their leading forwards are Tom Learoyd-Lahrs and David Shillington with just 87.5 each.
Meanwhile the Dragons are averaging 1326 metres a week (ranked 10th) with their best contributors in the forwards being Trent Merrin (134 metres), Dan Hunt (113 metres) and Matt Prior (110 metres). Expect bigger input from Michael Weyman (just 43 metres) starting against his former team.
Where It Will Be Won: Scoring points. The Raiders rank rock bottom in 2013, averaging just five per game, while the Dragons are second from bottom with just eight points a match. Clearly whichever side strikes a vein of form with the ball in hand will go a long way towards securing the competition points.
It will fall to the halves to make that happen – unfortunately at the moment the respective combinations are sadly lacking in the creativity department. Raiders five-eighth Josh McCrone has a fair return, with two line-break assists and a try assist, but halfback Sam Williams has yet to chalk up any attacking stats. Ditto Dragons five-eighth Jamie Soward, who is yet to contribute a try assist, line-break assist, or line-break, while halfback Nathan Fien has chalked up just one try assist and one line-break assist. It’s time for someone to step up.
The History: Played 21; Raiders 14, Dragons 6, drawn 1. The Raiders have won the past seven games straight and hold a 10-2 advantage at Canberra Stadium – where the Dragons have not been successful since 2000.
Match Officials: Referees – Jared Maxwell & Gavin Badger; Sideline Officials – Adam Reid & Adam Gee; Video Referees – Chris Ward & Gavin Reynolds.
Televised: Fox Sports 1 – Live 6.30pm.
Source: http://www.sportsnews.com.au/nrl/canberra-raiders-vs-st-george-illawarra-dragons-preview-nrl-2013-round-3/63272
Topic: Raiders V Dragons match preview
