NRL Rugby - Dragons v Cowboys

The Dragons may have fallen to the Titans’ last Monday night but they still sit in a top position on the NRL ladder.

The Cowboys have been on a great run in recent times, winning four in a row,that started against this Dragons outfit and have won six of their past seven, For the Cowboys, Carl Webb has been selected to start so Steve Southern heads back to the bench. James Tamou, Grant Rovelli and Manase Manuokafoa have been added as reserves also.

Darius Boyd returns at fullback for the home side, which pushes Jason Nightingale back to the bench. Jarrod Saffy also returns to the starting side in the second row, with Dan Hunt coming off the bench.The Dragons need to fix their disipline or they will struggle, The Dragons are the most-penalised team in the competition, Giving away 97 penalties in 2009, and it is putting pressure on their defence at crucial times. The effect of a penalty has been mentioned over and over and should they continue to give their opposition extra chances even their impressive defence will crack. In the last match-up Johnathan Thurston crushed them with three tries, two of which were individual efforts from close range. If they give up field position through penalties, the Cowboys will put on points. Meanwhile for the Cowboys their kick and chase must be first calss with the back 3 for the Dragons averaging massive return meters,Boyd is averaging 138 metres,Morris 129 metres and Sailor 131 metres. The Cowboys on the other side are yet to break the line at all from a kick return and Matt Bowen is at the back for them.

Field position will likely win this game,The Cowboys have scored a whopping 39 tries from within 10 metres of the try line,and while that’s impressive it shows their reliance on being close to the line. The Dragons have the Cowboys’ number in terms of gaining territory both across the ground and from kicks, and the visitors will need to lift to get the result away from home. The Dragons average 1427 metres gained a match, compared to the Cowboys’ 1307 metres, and they also have the edge with the boot gaining 726 metres a game compared to 481 metres. If the Dragons can dominate and keep the Cowboys’ territory down, their defence should be strong enough to stop the Cowboys’ attack.

The Cowboys have won four in a row against the Dragons, including a 24-20 win earlier this season in Townsville. At WIN Stadium in Wollongong the Dragons hold a 4-3 advantage – but the Cowboys have won the past two matches at the venue.

The Cowboys have a string of wins going against the Dragons but there is a big chance the run could end come Sunday. The Dragons will be embarrassed about their first-half effort against the Gold Coast and Wayne Bennett-coached sides rarely put in back-to-back poor performances. The Cowboys are in good form but they were only just able to beat St George Illawarra a month ago, at home, with the Dragons having some stars missing and others backing up from representative football just 24 hours earlier. Sure Thurston was also backing up, but the chances of the Australian halfback being given the same leeway this time around are slim. Go with the Dargons in a thriller...Good Luck.



Pick : Dragons by 12 Points or less
Odds : 2.85
Stake : 8 / 10
Bookmaker : Tabsportsbet NZ
Match Result : 32-18
Tipster Personal Link/Sponsor:

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