Round 17 – Suds Saturday Preview
Overview
It’s not often you will see two top four teams head into a game on the back of a loss. The Dragons going down to the schizophrenic like Eels and the Cowboys being mauled by the Sharks in a late flurry.
Origin effects both teams this week, so the question will be who is least effected and who can bounce back.
Players to watch
Benji Marshall – The Dragons have gone quiet, and so too has Benji. He was the Dally M leader a couple of weeks back, but now it seems his chances have stalled. Or have they? There is nothing like an under-strength, undermanned team to take him back to the dizzying heights of the Dally M leaderboard.
Robert Lui – Benji;s opposite and former partner in crime. Not the crime outside the McDonalds on the Gold Coast, or the crime that saw Lui sacked from the Tigers, but rather former halves partner. Lui has been waiting in the wings all season for a chance to impress and gain a spot back in the top 17. His chance is now. Otherwise he’ll be praying for an injury to JT or Michael Morgan.
Results and score prediction
The Dragons are shuffling their team around like a dance battle in Melbourne. This though, might just be key to their winning this weekend. The Cowboys have a shocking record without Thursto in their side, and as a result their unbeaten run came to an end last weekend. From 11 in a row to two in a row, Dragons to get the cookies 24 – 16.
Most likely to score under the sticks
The two fullbacks are try-scoring machines. Having said that, Coote is said machine from fullback position while Nightingale is said machine on the flanks. With the try line open and in-sight expect Coote to head for the cross-bar while Nightingale might make a b line for the corner post.
Hard to make a call
Who has the ugliest face between Ben Creagh and Kane Linnett? Ones ginger, the other is receding. Like the salary cap, each game the one punch rule should not apply to one player from each team as long as they use it on each other. This would go a long way to deciding the winner of this argument.