WIN Stadium will play host to Saturday's Round 5 NRL game between St. George Illawarra Dragons and Dolphins. The game kicks off at 5:30 pm with St. George Illawarra Dragons heading into the game as favourites with the bookmakers. Continue reading for our in-depth preview of the St. George Illawarra Dragons vs. Dolphins game and give you our free tips and bets.
When: Saturday April 1, 2023 at 5:30 pm
Where: WIN Stadium
Bet: Bet On This Match HERE
St. George Illawarra Dragons vs Dolphins Odds
St. George Illawarra Dragons vs Dolphins Preview
Following a promising start, St George Illawarra’s season has shown genuine signs of completely unravelling in their last hour and a half of football, with no team under more scrutiny ahead of Round 5.
After a tied scoreline with 10 minutes left turned into a 40-18 blowout at the hands of the Broncos, the Dragons completely capitulated in the second half against the Sharks last Sunday, conceding the last 34 points of the match in a 40-8 defeat.
The class of Ben Hunt and the grunt-work of Blake Lawrie were among few positives to scrape from the derby beatdown. Anthony Griffin, with the walls closing in on him, has named the same 17 this week.
Meanwhile, the Dolphins remain the toast of the NRL. Expected to finally get a dose of premiership reality from the red-hot Broncos in Round 4 with Felise Kaufusi out suspended, the newcomers were unbelievably brave in an 18-12 thriller.
Sean O’Sullivan is a huge loss, but Anthony Milford did enough to suggest he can form a competent halves pairing with rookie Isaiya Katoa. The Dolphins also get Herman Ese’ese and Jeremy Marshall-King back this week, though Tesi Niu is out and replaced on the wing by debutant Jack Bostock.
The 3-1 Dolphins’ surprise early success has been built on defensive resilience – conceding just 17.5 points per game – and they will continue to keep it simple as they navigate further line-up changes. The Dolphins are 4-0 against the line in 2023 and the Saints offer no value as a favourite here.
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St. George Illawarra Dragons vs Dolphins Tip
We're tipping St. George Illawarra Dragons to win at $1.72 odds.
St. George Illawarra Dragons vs Dolphins Teams
Dragons team: 1. Tyrell Sloan 2. Mathew Feagai 3. Moses Suli 4. Zac Lomax 5. Mikaele Ravalawa 6. Jayden Sullivan 7. Ben Hunt 8. Francis Molo 9. Moses Mbye 10. Blake Lawrie 11. Ben Murdoch-Masila 12. Jaydn Su’A 13. Jack Bird 14. Jacob Liddle 15. Zane Musgrove 16. Toby Couchman 17. Josh Kerr 18. Michael Molo 19. Tautau Moga 20. Jaiyden Hunt 21. Talatau Amone 22. Jack de Belin
Dolphins team:1. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow 2. Jamayne Isaako 3. Euan Aitken 4. Brenko Lee 5. Jack Bostock 6. Isaiya Katoa 7. Anthony Milford 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Jeremy Marshall-King 10. Herman Ese’ese 11. Kenny Bromwich 12. Connelly Lemuelu 13. Tom Gilbert 14. Jarrod Wallace 15. Mark Nicholls 16. Ray Stone 17. Mason Teague 18. Poasa Faamausili 19. Kurt Donoghoe 20. JJ Collins 21. Kodi Nikorima 22. Robert Jennings