St George Illawarra Dragons Auckland Nines Preview

Pool: Piha Pool (Manly, Parramatta, New Zealand, St George Illawarra)

Squad: Tyson Frizell (c), Patrick Herbert, Nene Macdonald, Euan Aitken, Levi Dodd, Kalifa Faifai Loa, Kurt Mann, Siliva Havili, Cameron McInnes, Luciano Leilua, Joel Thompson, Jack de Belin, Tariq Sims, Taane Milne, Shaun Nona, Will Matthews, Matt Dufty, Jai Field

Games:

vs Parramatta Eels (10:50AM Feb 4 AEDT)
vs Manly Sea Eagles (2:45PM Feb 4 AEDT)
vs New Zealand Warriors (9:50AM Feb 5 AEDT)

Tyson Frizell will make his debut as captain for the Red V in the tournament, with internationals Gareth Widdop and Josh Dugan rested after their Four Nations campaign. Recruits Cameron McInnes and Nene Macdonald are set to make their maiden appearances for St George Illawarra, with both eyeing off starting spots in the team come Round 1.

The most interesting factor of the tournament for Dragons’ fans will be the halves competition, with Paul McGregor still to decide who will partner Widdop in the halves following Drew Hutchison’s season-ending knee injury. Of the four candidates, Kurt Mann, Jai Field and Shaun Nona will all take the field on the weekend, with front-runner Josh McCrone sitting out the tournament.

McGregor will be hoping to see his side display some attacking prowess across their matches after the side finished with the second worst attack in the competition in 2016. Speedster and young custodian Matt Dufty will hope to press his claims for an NRL debut with a strong showing across the two days, hoping to relegate Australian and New South Wales incumbent Josh Dugan to the centres in 2017.

Who To Watch: Luciano Leilua. There are a few names to keep an eye out for the Red V, but Leilua boasts the most of all. Carrying the size and strength of a prop and the ball-playing skills of a halfback, Leilua could be one of the most effective forwards in the tournament. Weeks after re-signing to the end of 2018 with the Dragons, the hulking back-rower will lock down a permanent spot in the top seventeen with a five-star performance.

Why They Can Win: Youth. Names like Dufty and Field aren’t very well known to rugby league fans, but by the end of next weekend, they’ll be on the tip of everyone’s tongue. While Tyson Frizell, Joel Thompson and Tariq Sims will steal the spotlight, youngsters will have their eyes on first-grade spots, and this tournament is the first step on the road to grabbing them. Dufty especially will be eager, after only missing out on an NRL debut in 2016 due to second-tier salary cap restraints. His ball-playing and speed will be essential if the Dragons are to advance.

Why They Can’t Win: Star power. Resting the likes of Dugan, Widdop and Jason Nightingale, St George lacks the elite players needed to take out the tournament. While Frizell and Thompson are no rookies, they don’t have the match-breaking ability Dugan has. While they have the speed, and they have the forwards, a lack of organisation will hinder the team, with coach McGregor using the weekend to test combinations rather than play to win.

Prediction: The Dragons will score a few cracker tries through the likes of Nene Macdonald and Matt Dufty, but they’ll let a few more through than they score, specifically through the middle third. Coming up against the likes of Shaun Johnson, Tui Lolohea, Corey Norman and Akuila Uate in their pool, the Dragons just don’t have the squad to stop them.